Three Tips to Remove Paint From Trim

Use a Paint Scraper

A few dried paint drips on natural trim can make a whole room look shabby. But you don’t need to strip the woodwork to get rid of them. You can remove paint drips—and the streaks of old paint that make edges of trim so hard to repaint—just by scraping, even if the paint has been dry for years.

First, scrape the paint with a metal putty knife. Paint doesn’t stick well to varnish, and often the paint drips will pop right off. Use a razor knife for corners. Finally, clean up any residue by rubbing the wood with denatured alcohol (Photo 3). Use matching stain or a stain marker to touch up any light spots.