How to Remove Paint Splatter from Wood Floors

I finished painting the existing trim in my office a couple of days ago.  I still need to install trim on one wall, but before that, I want to clean the speckles of paint off my wood floors.  Yes, one of the tips I gave was to protect your wood floors with construction paper, red rosin paper, or Ramboard.  As you can tell, I ignored my own advice because I was rushing through the paint job and ended up with this:

All those arrows are paint spots on my wood floors!

My friend, if this happens to you don't panic.  Step away from the wet paint.  Let it dry.  I'm serious.

Once the paint has dried, you can use something with a VERY dull and gentle edge like your finger nails and scrape off the dried paint spots.  It takes very little effort and the dried paint usually comes right up!  Easy Peasy!

But what if you didn't listen and went ahead and tried to wipe the wet paint and ended up with something like this?

There's still no reason to panic because my contractor introduced me to a product called Goof Off.

I just got the Heavy Duty Spot Remover and Degreaser.  Be aware that they have a Professional Strength line as well and I'm not too sure how well the line works.  Also, Goof Off is just the brand, but they have different products for different uses so remember to read the label carefully.  I wouldn't want you to ruin your floors!  The label also states to test in a inconspicuous area before actually using it in an area that is highly visible.  When I first got this product, I tried it on the paint splatter in my closets.  There weren't any signs of damage on my floors in the closet so I now use it everywhere in my house.

You are going to want to spray the spot remover onto the smudged paint like so:

Wait a couple of minutes and wipe the residue off your floors in a circular motion while applying light pressure on the smudge.  You can repeat if necessary.  Again, make sure you test this product before using it on your floors.  From what my floor guy has told me, different contractors use different types of wax and polish.

The end results should look similar to this.  The after shot was taken later in the day on Macro setting.  The before shot was taken earlier in the day on Auto.  The after picture is a more accurate depiction of the actual colors of my floors.  As you can see, the smudge is G-O-N-E!  The Macro setting shows a couple of white flecks, but in real life you can't see them.  If you try this, let me know!

Disclaimer:  This post only applies to paint platter and not paint spills.  I have not spilled a large amount of paint on my wood floors (knock on wood) so I'm not sure if dried paint spills would peel off as easily.  Again, please test this product before you actually use it in a large, visible area.  You do not want your wax or polish to have adverse reactions to this product.