How to get spray paint off concrete – (7 Simple Methods)

Are you worried because your child mistakenly throws the spray paint on the walkway or roadway side of your home on concrete? Don’t worry; here are some easy ways to get spray paint off the concrete.

Removing spray paint off concrete is not a tricky process but requires a lot of effort and time. Although multiple methods of removing spray paint from the concrete, you can select and use the one according to your interest and budget. Some methods need maximum time, and some methods need money. At the same time, following some tips can make the overall process effortless.

So, if you are a newbie wondering how to get spray paint off concrete, read this full post.

How to Remove Spray Paint from Concrete?

As mentioned above, some spray paint removal methods from concrete are less costly, and some are expensive. Following are some important methods you can easily use at home with less effort and cost.

Method 1: Using Soap and Water

If you are tired of following other expensive ways to remove spray paint from concrete, this is the best method I recommend. Hence using soap and water is not only good for removing water-based spray paint but is also useful for oil-based spray paints.

Required Material

Procedure

1. Take a clean bucket or any other beaker and fill it with warm water
2. Now add some amount of soap and make a solution
3. Prepare the affected concrete surface with warm water and keep it wet
4. Now add some amount of warm water to the affected surface and then add the soapy water prepared in the second step
5. Now allow some time to react the soapy water with the surface
6. Rinse the surface with warm water after the soapy water has enough reaction
7. Take the towel and clean the surface such that it is absorbing all the water from the surface

Pros

• Easy and affordable to implement
• It is eco-friendly and does not emit foul-smelling or environmental chemicals.

Cons

• It’s not useful for dry spray-painted surfaces and porous concrete surface

Method 2: Using Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)

Trisodium Phosphate is an important chemical also named sugar soap. Using TSP has been an effective way for concrete and all other spray paint surfaces for decades. You must note that TSP is a highly toxic chemical that irritates the eyes and other sensitive body parts. So, wear a complete safety dress and glasses to avoid irritation, allergies, and injuries.

Required Material

Procedure

1. First of all, wear a safety dress, goggles, and gloves. A respirator is required when you feel breathing issues during this process.
2. Now mix some amount of TSP powder in one bucket of warm water
3. Throw the solution of the spray-painted concrete surface
4. Allow 30 minutes to mix up the solution to mix and react well with the surface
5. After that time, you will see that the paint started to remove from the surface
6. No wash the surface with warm water and see if the paint is removed completely
7. Sometimes the paint does not remove completely because the paint is too dry, throw the solution on the surface, use a brush to rub the solution with the surface, and wash the surface with warm water.

Pros

• Easy and effective to use
• Requires less time
• Affordable

Cons

• It’s not much eco friendly
• It can irritate your eyes and cause allergies in other sensitive body parts.

Method 3: Using Power Wash

A power washer is an important device that pushes off all the substances, including spray paint, mud, and others available on the surface. Ren Wash advises using a TORC cleaning system for areas of large aged paint, it’s a more advanced power wash that uses a swirling vortex of water and a fine granulate. Using a power washer for the painted surface or any other surface is highly eco-friendly. The reason is that it does not emit bad smells or chemicals. Its only function is to push off the objects and particles from the surface with the help of air pressure.

Required Material

Procedure

Before starting the procedure, ensure that your machine is easy or runs at 4GPM, and the washer can offer pressure of about 2000 to 3000 psi. In my experience, The reason is that low pressure is not enough to perform the job as it can’t pick up or clean away the paint quickly, and high pressure is not good as it can fade up the colors. Also, stand 10 miles away from the area that you want to clean where spray paint is applied. Now follow the steps I gave below:

1. Just start the procedure by following the instructions that are mentioned on the machine to remove spray paint from the concrete surface
2. Turn the sprayer on the spray paint washer machine and set the pressure to 2000 to 3000 psi
3. Now use side-by-sweeping motion just as you do to clean a floor with the help of a wiper or any other machine; hence, you can easily clean the area.
4. A large nozzle is recommended, and you can buy a washer with a small nozzle for the smaller areas. Also, ensure the nozzle angle while removing spray paint from the concrete is 40 degrees, 45 degrees, or around this range

Pros

• Affordable and requires less time
• Eco friendly

Cons

• You need some experience in using a pressure washer

Method 4: Using Angle Grinder

If you still ask the question of how to get spray paint off the concrete, I would recommend using an angle grinder. An angle grinder is a device that aims to remove unwanted particles from the concrete or any other surface with the help of push force. It works just like a sander.

You can even perform heavy projects using this grinder apart from the spray paint removal from concrete. It works on the principle of spinning a wheel to remove spray paint and other particles not only from concrete but from any surface.

Required Material

Procedure

1. Firstly, clean the area where you want to use a grinder with the help of smooth old cloth
2. Wear gloves, gear, and a safety jacket if possible. You can use any old but protective cloth from your home (This cloth should be made of plastic paper)
3. Now put a high spinning wheel on the grinder at the lower side where a specific space is made for it
4. Now align the angle grinder so that the wheel is towards the concrete but not its edges (Edges need to be avoided from the surface because they can damage and cause break issues in the machine)
5. Please turn on the angle grinder and start using it on the machine. Remove all the spray paint particles from the concrete by scrubbing them after using the angler grinder with a wheel

An angle grinder works like a sander that scrubs the particles from the surface. So, ensure you are not implementing enough pressure to avoid the structure change issues in the concrete. I again remind you to wear safety clothes and goggles to avoid irritation and allergic reactions by scrubbing off the paint.

Pros

• Affordable to use
• Environmentally friendly
• Do not use any chemicals 

Cons

• It would help if you were experienced enough to implement this procedure

Method 5: Removing Spray Paint off Concrete Using Vinegar

Using vinegar is one of the most effective and important ways which helps to remove spray paint from the concrete by maintaining the quality of the concrete floor. Vinegar is one of the important and reputed chemicals easily available in your home; if it’s not available, you can even buy it from the nearby street shop or market.

Required Material

Procedure

1. The first step is to clean your concrete floor where you want to use vinegar to remove spray paint. Any old cloth or a vacuum pump is good to use as your main purpose is to remove dust particles from the surface.
2. Now heat the vinegar at a medium fire range by placing it on a gas stove. Heat enough, but don’t allow boiling of the vinegar.
3. Now spread the vinegar on the sprayer paint surface.
4. Use a brush to scrub the paint and concrete just as you use it for cleaning the floor and removing spots from it.
5. After some time, paint bubbles and other particles are removed from the surface with the help of vinegar solution due to a reaction.
6. Wash the concrete surface with the help of warm water and remove water from the surface with the help of a wiper

Pros

• Easy to use and affordable process
• It is eco-friendly

Cons

• This process has no cons at all

Method 6: Paint Stripper or Solvents

Using a paint stripper or solvent is one of the easy and effective ways to remove spray paint from the concrete at your home. A solvent may include alcohol, acetone, or turpentine, which makes the process easy and does not affect your area. Hence, you can use paint after removing the spray paint without worrying about fading the color issues.

Required Material

Procedure

1. First of all, wear gloves and a safety cloth (a safety cloth is an optional requirement)
2. Now throw the solvent or paint stripper on the area where you applied spray paint.
3. Allow the solvent to sit on the surface for the complete reaction.
4. Paint will appear in bubbles, which are now very easy to remove from the surface.
5. Now use a brush or any other irregular item to scrub the solvent-affected surface. You can also use a sponge for this purpose if it’s available at your home easily, or you can use any other irregular item that provides enough force to scrub off the paint.
6. Now rinse the affected area with warm water. You can take this warm water from the hose, tap, or in the bucket.

Pros

• Easy and affordable to use
• No machine is required.
• Less time taking

Cons

• It can emit bad smells and chemicals.
• Cause irritation and allergies to the skin

Method 7: Using Graffiti Remover

This is the best method for those worrying about how to clean spray paint off the concrete. All the above methods are easy to use, and you can implement them easily at your home anytime.

However, if you are unable to achieve the required results or don’t have a specific machine to implement a procedure, using graffiti removal is still an ideal way. A graffiti remover quickly removes unwanted particles, including spray paint, from any surface, including concrete and all other surfaces.

Required Material

Procedure

1. Firstly, implement all safety measures, i.e., wear goggles, clothes, and gloves
2. Now clean and wash the spray-painted area with normal water so that all the dirt and dust particles are removed. Otherwise, these particles can cause serious issues during the procedure
3. Now throw the spray using a graffiti remover bottle
4. Allow sometimes to sit the graffiti remove on the surface
5. Take a brush and rub the surface until the paint comes out in the form of bubbles
6. Wash the concrete surface with warm water. You can use hose water or warm water with the help of a bucket for this purpose
7. Now wash the area with the help of soap and water
8. If you still see that area is wet, now use an absorbent towel or any cloth to remove unwanted particles from the surface.

Pros

• Easy to use and affordable
• Requires less time to implement
• Much effective comparatively

Cons

• It exits some chemicals
• It’s not an eco-friendly procedure
• Can allergies in the eyes and skin

Top Rated Graffiti Removers

Here are some top-rated graffiti remover products easily available on the nearest market and at the Amazon store.

1. Safe ‘n Easy Graffiti Remover

As the name represents, it is a safe and easy-to-use graffiti removal product. It works on the principle of a gel formula and is useful for all types of surfaces, including concrete. Specifically, if your surface is porous and you are feeling chemical reaction issues, this product is an ideal choice. It does not allow any chemicals to react to the depth of the surface or your skin.

2. Goof Off Graffiti Remover

This product is an ideal choice if you want to remove spray paint from the concrete surface. Instead of its availability in spray paint-like bottles, it comes in the form of an aerosol can. It’s not only useful for the concrete surface but also for the other surfaces and metals to remove spray paints. These surfaces include metal, glass, wood, and bricks.

3. Motsenbocker’s Lift-off Paint Scuff and Graffiti Remover

It is another important and well-reputed product for graffiti removal for concrete. It comes in a spray bottle, which a newbie can easily use. It removes all spray paint particles from the concrete with the help of scrubbing force using a brush or any irregular item.

Cleaning the Concrete Surface after Spray Paint Removal

Cleaning the concrete surface after spray paint removal is as important as implementing the whole procedure. The reason is that multiple substances and chemicals are on the surface that must be removed to avoid any long-term human health or concrete health issues.

Don’t worry; here, I provide some tips using which you can easily get rid of chemicals and all other substances from the concrete surface.

Tip 1:

The first and most important way to implement this is using a mild soap and water solution. Form a moderate-level solution on the spray paint removal concrete surface. Now take a brush or a sponge and rub the surface where you implemented the solution. Now rinse the solution with warm water and dry the surface with a wiper and an absorbent towel.

Tip 2:

You can also implement an acid or any chemical, including TSP. It is trisodium phosphate that quickly removes unwanted particles and cleans the surface. Just apply the solution with the help of a spray can (although most of the TSP products come in the form of a spray can) and then rub the surface with a brush. Now clean the surface with warm water and dry with the help of an absorbent cloth.

Safety Tips While Removing Spray Paints from Concrete Surface

Although all the methods I give above are very easy to use and require less effort, here are some tips for saving time, energy, and money. Moreover, these tips help you in safety protection when it comes to knowing about your health.

Frequently Asked Questions- Getting Spray Paint Off Concrete

Final Verdicts- How to Get Spray Paint Off Concrete

Hopefully, you now understand enough about getting spray paint off the concrete. All the above ways are easy to implement and are health protective. Implementing a specific method is not ideal, and one should try all the above methods and see which one is useful for you.

Still, suppose you are unable to get enough results. In that case, you can call the nearest professional for this purpose, as removing spray paint from concrete is not easy enough for a newbie. For more information on spray paint removal and painting tips, keep reading our latest posts here.