How To Remove Paint Drips From Your Baseboards And Walls

Paint drips on trim or baseboards can make an otherwise professional looking paint job appear amateurish. Drips draw the eyes like magnets, easily standing out from surrounding surfaces. While drips are easy to fix when the paint is wet, dried paint requires cautious work with a sharp blade. Use a putty knife and utility knife to strip away the drips in a few moments, leaving the trim and baseboard unsullied by errant paint drips.

Step 1

Place the edge of a putty knife against the trim or baseboard where the drip occurred. Hold the putty knife at about a 45-degree angle to keep the flat of the blade from scraping away the paint.

Step 2

Scrape against the trim or baseboard with the knife edge to pop off the paint drips. Take care not to gouge the trim or baseboard with the corner of the knife as you work. Work from the top down when removing the paint from trim pieces.

Step 3

Switch to a utility knife to scrape the paint from corners or other difficult-to-reach areas.

Step 4

Lightly sand the trim to remove any remaining traces of the paint, using 220-grit sandpaper.

Step 5

Wipe the trim with a cloth dampened with denatured alcohol to remove any residue of paint. Wait about five minutes for the alcohol to evaporate.

Step 6

Touch up any scratches in the paint from the removal process, using the paintbrush and matching wall paint. Touch up any marks on the trim with a stain marker. Give the paint and stain 72 hours drying time before touching the surface.