Latex Paint Remover.

I'm jotting a synopsis, if you will, down about my experience w/ a few latex paint remover methods that I have tried. During the painting of Ismaiil's Green Room I experienced a lot of carelessness of primer distribution. Primer "somehow" had gotten below the base board (applied w/ a 2" brush) and droplets where the plastic tarp wasn't covering the floor. I hadn't thought of having a wet rag and pail of water on hand, "just in case".

Method 1:
Fingernail paint peeling does not work unless there are paint droplets formed on floor. This method does not work on smudges.
Method 2: Goof Off. Absolutely NOT. It takes EVERYTHING off of your floor. Not only does it remove the paint but it also removes a layer of varnish! It's very toxic and should only be used in a well ventilated room. Windows open please! Actually don't use this product at all!! It's stinky and makes the surface that it was on sticky.

Method 3:
The final product and greatest is Orange Squeeze citrus oil that I purchased from Lowes. I didn't think this would work but this was the second time that a rep from either HD HQ (Home Depot Headquarters - my secret obsession) or Lowes had recommended a citrus oil. I purchased a small aluminum pump bottle and tried it out! Love it. Here are photo's.

This is the bottle next to a blue latex paint stain that had been on the floor most likely for over a year or two.
Here is a close up of the blue paint.
This is less than 10 seconds after I sprayed. ..and here are the results. There are a few ingrained flecks of blue but that's because I can't reach the crevices. As a bonus here are two photo's of the mess I made. Not as exciting as the blue paint. after

So this Orange Oil gets 5 stars! It smells great, it's non-toxic and takes no time at all.

FYI: This oil seems to work on coated (for lack of a better word), non-porous surfaces (varnished wood, laminate and vinyl). I have not tried this on any other surface. This is an oil-based product so wearing old, "work" clothing is recommended.

Ismaiil's going green! - Part I

Yes, my 9 year old son (1 week short of turning 10) is going green. He absolutely LOVES the color green. If it's green, it's for him. I really have to keep a close watch to monitor his green intake.... clothing in particular. Luckily blue jeans aren't ..green.
Anyway, so we moved to a new place on October 1st and I had this fabulous notion that I was going to have ALL the painted completed before moving in. Needless to say we're bunking together in my room until his room has been completed. It's taken me weeks to get the green concept in order as it pertains to a tween and not so much a young child. Ish has a 'stache for goodness sakes. No primary colors, please.
After several trips between Home Depot and Lowes we found the perfect color that was a bit cheery, but not bold enough to be mistaken for a chroma key on the next set of a Hollywood Blockbuster. Glidden's Lucky Shamrock it was. So, what else goes w/ lucky shamrock green for a tween boy? Ah ha.. DENIM.. and navy! After one dreary afternoon of primer painting and a runny wall (note: don't leave windows open when it's raining and when there's excessive moisture in the air) that I thought was irreparable, we went from a royalish blue to our beloved Lucky Shamrock.

Accessories:
I thought of this bright idea to build his desk and shelf (note the wood sitting on the floor next to the green wall). After taking 2 or more trips to a co-workers cubi' for tips and tricks on Home Improvement and plywood, I purchased my materials and came up with a cube shelf and desk/table top. . These have yet to be painted Glidden's Rich Navy with IKEA Vika legs attached. I however have made Ismaiil's curtains. It took a whopping viewathon worth of the new season of teen mom on MTV to complete my first "detailed" grommet curtain project. I made them wide/long enough to cover the brown window frames that cannot be painted per the lanlords request. Oh, and they are snap grommets! The "end caps" of the conduit pipe are capped w/ two metallic spray painted foam balls that will be replaced shortly being that they look like bunched up foil (click on denim curtain photo for a closer look). The conduit piping idea replaces the flimsy PVC, short hardware store dowels and more expensive commercial wooden or metal curtain rods for a whopping $1.67 at Lowes! JACKPOT!

Well, stay tuned for Part II (since I have not completed the room past making the curtains.)..........