Tile Vanity Paint Removal

If previous homeowners painted the tile, here's how you can uncover the original beauty.

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Home repair expert Henry Harrison helps a guest strip layers of paint from her vanity, revealing the pretty tile buried below. On his elbow grease scale of one to four, Harrison gives this job an easy two.

Tools:

plastic scrapers
citrus-based paint remover
scouring pads
bucket
rubber gloves
protective goggles
flat-head screwdriver
old paintbrush
tape
newspaper

Figure A

Steps:

Protect the surrounding areas with masking tape and newspapers so that the remover won't damage any of the other areas or take the paint off the walls.
Pour a little of the remover on the surface and brush it around generously with an old paintbrush (figure A). Make sure you wear rubber gloves and safety goggles.
Allow the remover to sit for 30 minutes or according to the instructions on the container. The paint will look cracked.

Figure B

Scrape off the softened paint with a plastic scraper (figure B) and wipe it off onto a towel in a bucket to be disposed later.

Use scouring pads to scrub off smaller particles of paint.

Add more remover to areas where the paint didn't come off with the initial treatment, and continue to scrub, scrape and reapply as needed until all the paint is gone. Flat-head screwdrivers are perfect little chisels for scraping along grout lines, but be careful not to scar the surface of the tile, especially if you don't plan to repaint it.

Rinse the surface a few times with a sponge and water. Be sure to check the remover's label for safe, proper disposal instructions.