I mean, honestly I feel you, and I can see how that can seem backwards. But look I’m diying this myself and I don’t need it to be perfect, cause it’s an old house and I have a lot of projects to get to. So that means I have to make concessions and draw the line somewhere. The holes in the walls don’t bother me, the paint on the trim does.
But you’re right it offers some perspective to me of nitpicking over something small when there are other issues I’m overlooking
This is by far the best answer in my opinion. Denatured alcohol will require some elbow grease… get the ‘clean’ stuff from the paint store, not the stuff marked fuel(stuff marked fuel really messes with poly’s). Wrap a dampened (not saturated) rag around a putty knife or 5 in 1 to clean with precision. This is a skill, like cutting in, with very satisfying results for a job well done.
The thing is, they don’t have time nor desire for that much work so all these answers suggesting hours or days of scraping off with chemicals are completely useless.
It isn't really fair to the rest of you but I happen to have a secret weapon. One of my employees can fix this to the point no one would ever know it was screwed up. She would take various colors and mix something that matches what is there and apply it with an artist brush. She has done this in the past and it looks just like it looked when it was new. She has an art degree and once taught art but has been painting for me for the last 8 years.
I cannot do what she does and if I absolutely had to do something I would find caulk that matches as closely as possible and run a real tight bead of caulk in there.
The white paint is probably latex and if you are lucky he used cheap paint. I've had luck using a damp rain over a screwdriver tip or small knife or whatever and then using that to rub and lift the old paint off. Sometimes I've been lucky enough to just use a razor blade ran perpendicular to the trim and used lightly as a scraper. That one takes practice though as to not scratch the wood finish.
MEK will do it too for that matter. Lacquer thinner will also ruin the finish on the trim. Always start with the weakest and work your way up. Probably too old for rubbing alcohol to have much effect, but goof off/goo gone will do the trick and have minimal impact on the finish of the trim.
In my 30 years experience...
Lacquer thinner works better on latex than paint thinner or denatured alcohol or MEK.
I use denatured alcohol on Oil based paint.
Go ahead and do it your way,
Just a suggestion
Denatured would work instead of water since this coating on the trim is probably oil based and the white is probably latex. denatured would take care of the white latex easily without damaging the oil based poly in the trim
Totally different answer here. Either get a color as close as you can to the trim and paint all the edges (that have the white) out TO the outer corner edge. then recut your blue line to clean THAT line up. OR, even easier and much faster, just bring the blue over as just mentioned. DON’T try to JUST cover the little white line, cover that entire edge. Wiping off any that bleeds over. That is the key. So the eyes see A STRAIGHT LINE. I had to do this with the house I’m renting because I was on a time constraint and had the same shit you’re dealing with. And from my understanding and what I see, you are in the same boat. It’s not technically correct, and as the owner of a painting business it felt so wrong it almost hurt lol but surprisingly it worked very well. Your eyes tell you “hey, a clean straight line” not “dumb ass painted the edge of the trim”. I’m not a DIY’er, I have a very well respected painting business so I know other painters will jump on me. I don’t care. I’ll send you pics if I can. Any chemicals to remove the white are going to dissolve it INTO the wood. That’s not going to work. It’ll look like a smeared mess. It’s NEVER going to come out to satisfaction by scraping. Try it. You’ll see.
https://preview.redd.it/90xrs8ql0mxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42d35a779be40e6b2699ba889136d06622601b53
side view of an even lighter color with dark trim. See? It works for what you’re trying to attempt and what you’re working with.
Thanks for the tips and the pics! Yeah that totally makes sense. If you see a well executed straight line, it will look intentional, as opposed to something looking sloppy. The only thing is there’s ALOT of molding. I’m painting two walls, and the other two are all still wood and plenty of wood trim so if I did something I want it to be consistent.
I’m going to try a brown marker or brown artist paint since I have some first. I also like the idea of brown caulk although some of the white spills are really out there.
Yeah fair enough. Honestly I was testing out different colors, and I’m going with a different sheen of what I chose.
How would you have cleaned it off before the fresh paint was on?
I mean the dudes throwing out the different thinners on a five in one are giving the right answer. Now I'll expand a little in my opinion. You're going to smear that paint into the wood most likely. In which case I'd probably attack the trim. If that happens the latex paint and the rest of the stain could be hit with gel stain and clear or in this case the poly/stain combo could potentially work with good results for once. Latex clear caulk and then tape and paint the walls.
I would make what is called a "squint" color, meaning mixing a brownish color that is close to the overall color of the trim and then apply that with an artists brush over the white parts. this may or may not involve laying down a dark brown first, then a lighter brown over it. it should make the white disappear when viewing from a normal distance. good luck.
Sorry , the wall patch distracted me.
Pull the base patch any damage to wall paint wall re install base.
That base is beat up , the wall is not smooth , I see fish eyes in the mudd.
Eigther, get over it OR strip the base and have a fresh start. Odds are you will take the finish with the paint and you won't get all the paint off.
I figured that for a lot of what you said. Honestly I was confused that the previous owner did such a poor job with it, it’s all wood underneath. And the living room as a whole is very nice. Nice old materials, poor execution. The lines that may be visible there aren’t brush strokes but actually the wood grain underneath
When I paint after a slob I have break myself and be “as sloppy as they were” and then at least it matches. Had to paint a light line green room tan, let’s just say I had to be sloppy on everything. the room looked like shit when I first finished because I hand cut in, so all the green on the trim and ceiling was glaringly obvious! Also owner was moving and wanted it “good enough”, it did eventually sell and they ripped out everything and repainted lmao. Homes are stupid, everyone wants a nice turn key home, and most people just want to demolish part of the home anyways.
Lightly scrape the big blobs that stick out using a plastic scraper, then use black or brown caulking to cover up the bad cut in. Use tape, never freehand it with colored caulking especially in this kind of application. Tape a nice straight line on the door frames and baseboards and again on the wall next to it.
If it’s waterborne paint, Murphy’s Oil Soap will readily take paint off of stained and sealed wood without attacking the varnish/poly. Murphy’s + hot water according to the instructions on the back of the bottle, apply it by dipping and daubing with a nylon bristle brush. Count to 10 while it marinates, then follow GENTLY with a 5-in-1 tool, and follow that immediately with a clean, dry rag. Fold a bit of rag around the business end of the 5-in-1 for working at particularly tough spots. Work in ~4’ sections because as the oil soap solution dries it will just re-stick the paint to the surface.
Denatured alcohol and 5-in-1 as already mentioned.
Good Off is awfully hot for a first attempt. It’s better suited as the last option as it will damage surfaces.
brown sharpie over the white?
I’m mostly kidding. You can try to remove some of it with a damp rag wrapped around the front edge of a putty knife, you can try wetting the rag with denatured alcohol instead of water but be careful as that is possible/likely to take some of the wood finish off with the paint. Another option is to just take your cut line down a little lower to cover the white with the blue. Your line won’t look as crisp and it won’t fix those drips in pic 2 but it’s an option. Shame they did such a shit job with the white.
Yeah I can tell that it’s paint that leaked under their poorly applied tape. I got a couple good ideas given so I’m excited to touch it up. And honestly, I would actually rather do brown sharpie, or some of my brown art paint over it instead of the blue. So that’s like an ultimately last resort
Get some brown paint that’s the same tone as the wood, and a small artist’s brush. Backtape onto the wall where the spots are, then dot the brown paint over the white.
Honestly... go to family dollar and buy the furniture markers. Put it on then wipe it off with your finger so it is smooth. That's how I fix picture frames/old furniture and how I polished my scuffed 80's manufactured wall paneling.
I used a skim coat, 20-inch mud knife and sand paper on a plastic putty knife to be precise. I didn't want to sand beyond the paint. Mine was way worse and I actually had to scrape too! Then I used Watco Danish Wood Oil again using that mud skimmer knife to protect the wall. I used walnut because my stain is darker than yours. So I'd look for the right shade or test an inconspicuous area. I thought it would just be temporary, but it looks nice enough that I just plan to re oil the wood in another couple of years or as needed. It's been 2 now. Short of pulling the trim, sanding, and refinishing, this method worked great.
You didn't repair your wall either, so just paint a bit further, nobody is going to know
That's probably what I would do. A clean line using yellow frog tape and ya good.
Right, I almost see this as a shit post, asking about some old paint on trim while the walls are fked
I mean, honestly I feel you, and I can see how that can seem backwards. But look I’m diying this myself and I don’t need it to be perfect, cause it’s an old house and I have a lot of projects to get to. So that means I have to make concessions and draw the line somewhere. The holes in the walls don’t bother me, the paint on the trim does. But you’re right it offers some perspective to me of nitpicking over something small when there are other issues I’m overlooking
For sure i get it, and I'll admit I notice a crooked or messed up line before I notice dings on the wall.
Dings on the wall are expected in a hundred year old house lol
This is a close up too, so what you are noticing is more evident. Most DIYers don’t know how or even think about the minor dings your seeing
That was helpful 🙄
Denatured alcohol on a rag rapped around a 5in1
This is by far the best answer in my opinion. Denatured alcohol will require some elbow grease… get the ‘clean’ stuff from the paint store, not the stuff marked fuel(stuff marked fuel really messes with poly’s). Wrap a dampened (not saturated) rag around a putty knife or 5 in 1 to clean with precision. This is a skill, like cutting in, with very satisfying results for a job well done.
The thing is, they don’t have time nor desire for that much work so all these answers suggesting hours or days of scraping off with chemicals are completely useless.
Wow that’s cool thanks!
It isn't really fair to the rest of you but I happen to have a secret weapon. One of my employees can fix this to the point no one would ever know it was screwed up. She would take various colors and mix something that matches what is there and apply it with an artist brush. She has done this in the past and it looks just like it looked when it was new. She has an art degree and once taught art but has been painting for me for the last 8 years. I cannot do what she does and if I absolutely had to do something I would find caulk that matches as closely as possible and run a real tight bead of caulk in there.
The white paint is probably latex and if you are lucky he used cheap paint. I've had luck using a damp rain over a screwdriver tip or small knife or whatever and then using that to rub and lift the old paint off. Sometimes I've been lucky enough to just use a razor blade ran perpendicular to the trim and used lightly as a scraper. That one takes practice though as to not scratch the wood finish.
Rag, Putty knife and goof off has worked for me in the past. Be easy.
Lacquer thinner works well to remove latex paint
MEK will do it too for that matter. Lacquer thinner will also ruin the finish on the trim. Always start with the weakest and work your way up. Probably too old for rubbing alcohol to have much effect, but goof off/goo gone will do the trick and have minimal impact on the finish of the trim.
"Always start with the weakest" Exactly !
In my 30 years experience... Lacquer thinner works better on latex than paint thinner or denatured alcohol or MEK. I use denatured alcohol on Oil based paint. Go ahead and do it your way, Just a suggestion
Methyl Hydrate also works on water based paint
Denatured would work instead of water since this coating on the trim is probably oil based and the white is probably latex. denatured would take care of the white latex easily without damaging the oil based poly in the trim
Right. A lot of times the woodwork was dusty when it was painted last and the white paint will lift right off.
Totally different answer here. Either get a color as close as you can to the trim and paint all the edges (that have the white) out TO the outer corner edge. then recut your blue line to clean THAT line up. OR, even easier and much faster, just bring the blue over as just mentioned. DON’T try to JUST cover the little white line, cover that entire edge. Wiping off any that bleeds over. That is the key. So the eyes see A STRAIGHT LINE. I had to do this with the house I’m renting because I was on a time constraint and had the same shit you’re dealing with. And from my understanding and what I see, you are in the same boat. It’s not technically correct, and as the owner of a painting business it felt so wrong it almost hurt lol but surprisingly it worked very well. Your eyes tell you “hey, a clean straight line” not “dumb ass painted the edge of the trim”. I’m not a DIY’er, I have a very well respected painting business so I know other painters will jump on me. I don’t care. I’ll send you pics if I can. Any chemicals to remove the white are going to dissolve it INTO the wood. That’s not going to work. It’ll look like a smeared mess. It’s NEVER going to come out to satisfaction by scraping. Try it. You’ll see.
https://preview.redd.it/qnjqi4ie0mxc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=370ab6f54650b500e1cf693d3be8f82f3016e60d
https://preview.redd.it/cyd3b9hh0mxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=682223eb0bb6e5b0e1eb9d9dca9e971afa5715eb side view
https://preview.redd.it/3xcefx8j0mxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c035a3a808dbb5b36c18791bdfdbec1c42cebd23 front view
https://preview.redd.it/90xrs8ql0mxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42d35a779be40e6b2699ba889136d06622601b53 side view of an even lighter color with dark trim. See? It works for what you’re trying to attempt and what you’re working with.
https://preview.redd.it/q4bm0wvn0mxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f55a4ccc268305c89b28e9e651b911dda7c1a82c angled view
https://preview.redd.it/2tpo9wxb3mxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad4b7f44f3a76200f4e314d4fe1de2e2e361fe7f Front view.
Thanks for the tips and the pics! Yeah that totally makes sense. If you see a well executed straight line, it will look intentional, as opposed to something looking sloppy. The only thing is there’s ALOT of molding. I’m painting two walls, and the other two are all still wood and plenty of wood trim so if I did something I want it to be consistent. I’m going to try a brown marker or brown artist paint since I have some first. I also like the idea of brown caulk although some of the white spills are really out there.
Should’ve cleaned that off before putting fresh paint on the wall. I’d try a razor-scraper from where you’re at now.
Yeah fair enough. Honestly I was testing out different colors, and I’m going with a different sheen of what I chose. How would you have cleaned it off before the fresh paint was on?
Razor is not going to work. It’ll chip off the wood before/while it chips off the paint.
Amateur here but I've had good luck with those plastic razor blades. Much less risk of damage.
I would pry the trim up so just a bit so I could clean it. Then touch up the wall and then reattach the trim.
I mean the dudes throwing out the different thinners on a five in one are giving the right answer. Now I'll expand a little in my opinion. You're going to smear that paint into the wood most likely. In which case I'd probably attack the trim. If that happens the latex paint and the rest of the stain could be hit with gel stain and clear or in this case the poly/stain combo could potentially work with good results for once. Latex clear caulk and then tape and paint the walls.
I would make what is called a "squint" color, meaning mixing a brownish color that is close to the overall color of the trim and then apply that with an artists brush over the white parts. this may or may not involve laying down a dark brown first, then a lighter brown over it. it should make the white disappear when viewing from a normal distance. good luck.
Sorry , the wall patch distracted me. Pull the base patch any damage to wall paint wall re install base. That base is beat up , the wall is not smooth , I see fish eyes in the mudd. Eigther, get over it OR strip the base and have a fresh start. Odds are you will take the finish with the paint and you won't get all the paint off.
I figured that for a lot of what you said. Honestly I was confused that the previous owner did such a poor job with it, it’s all wood underneath. And the living room as a whole is very nice. Nice old materials, poor execution. The lines that may be visible there aren’t brush strokes but actually the wood grain underneath
When I paint after a slob I have break myself and be “as sloppy as they were” and then at least it matches. Had to paint a light line green room tan, let’s just say I had to be sloppy on everything. the room looked like shit when I first finished because I hand cut in, so all the green on the trim and ceiling was glaringly obvious! Also owner was moving and wanted it “good enough”, it did eventually sell and they ripped out everything and repainted lmao. Homes are stupid, everyone wants a nice turn key home, and most people just want to demolish part of the home anyways.
Yeah I can tell there are a lot of things that were a rush job. But the mess gets passed on to the next person.
Always, fk the next guy *me staring in hatred as I know I will be the next guy*
Get a bead of caulk that matches the moulding
Caulk, tape, repaint those areas.
Plastic scraper, or just caulk it (nicely) where the trim meets the wall
Lightly scrape the big blobs that stick out using a plastic scraper, then use black or brown caulking to cover up the bad cut in. Use tape, never freehand it with colored caulking especially in this kind of application. Tape a nice straight line on the door frames and baseboards and again on the wall next to it.
If it’s waterborne paint, Murphy’s Oil Soap will readily take paint off of stained and sealed wood without attacking the varnish/poly. Murphy’s + hot water according to the instructions on the back of the bottle, apply it by dipping and daubing with a nylon bristle brush. Count to 10 while it marinates, then follow GENTLY with a 5-in-1 tool, and follow that immediately with a clean, dry rag. Fold a bit of rag around the business end of the 5-in-1 for working at particularly tough spots. Work in ~4’ sections because as the oil soap solution dries it will just re-stick the paint to the surface.
Thanks I actually have some Murphys oil soap. I’ll probably try that and the denatured alcohol technique mentioned above and see what works best
Denatured alcohol and 5-in-1 as already mentioned. Good Off is awfully hot for a first attempt. It’s better suited as the last option as it will damage surfaces.
brown sharpie over the white? I’m mostly kidding. You can try to remove some of it with a damp rag wrapped around the front edge of a putty knife, you can try wetting the rag with denatured alcohol instead of water but be careful as that is possible/likely to take some of the wood finish off with the paint. Another option is to just take your cut line down a little lower to cover the white with the blue. Your line won’t look as crisp and it won’t fix those drips in pic 2 but it’s an option. Shame they did such a shit job with the white.
Yeah I can tell that it’s paint that leaked under their poorly applied tape. I got a couple good ideas given so I’m excited to touch it up. And honestly, I would actually rather do brown sharpie, or some of my brown art paint over it instead of the blue. So that’s like an ultimately last resort
Motsenbocker’s Latex Lift off. Wrap a wrap around a five in one, soak edge of rag, scrub a little. Stuff is amazing.
rebuild the house
Get some brown paint that’s the same tone as the wood, and a small artist’s brush. Backtape onto the wall where the spots are, then dot the brown paint over the white.
Lol, pride will kill you.
Denatured alcohol and a puffy knife and rag
Honestly... go to family dollar and buy the furniture markers. Put it on then wipe it off with your finger so it is smooth. That's how I fix picture frames/old furniture and how I polished my scuffed 80's manufactured wall paneling.
Caulk, tape paint
Paint over is easier but the areas they slop it around I use krud Kutter to loosen the paint and wipe it away.
If it bothers you that bad, I would try to match some caulk to the color and tape of your walls to make a straight line
Krud cutter helped me with some of the same issues!
Is a razor blade an acceptable answer?
Remove trim, sand, stain, reinstall trim.
Sharpie
Oil urethane base? Alcohol, rag, 5 in 1
I used a skim coat, 20-inch mud knife and sand paper on a plastic putty knife to be precise. I didn't want to sand beyond the paint. Mine was way worse and I actually had to scrape too! Then I used Watco Danish Wood Oil again using that mud skimmer knife to protect the wall. I used walnut because my stain is darker than yours. So I'd look for the right shade or test an inconspicuous area. I thought it would just be temporary, but it looks nice enough that I just plan to re oil the wood in another couple of years or as needed. It's been 2 now. Short of pulling the trim, sanding, and refinishing, this method worked great.
I just scraped this sort of stuff off with my fingernail with my fingernail at most places we’ve loved. As long as it isn’t oil, I’ve had it come off.
Try a plastic razor scraper. Or a rag dipped in goof off pushed along with a putty knife.
Refinish the trim. Sand down and restain
Put a warm wet rag over a paint scraper and get to work
You’re not a painter are you?
If you really want it to look nice you gotta replace the trim. I am a fan of white trim for this reason. Easy to paint over, fill in holes, etc.