3 Easy Ways To Remove Fingernail Polish From Wood Furniture
If you drop nail polish on a furniture, such as table, particularly one made of finished maple wood, it might not be simple to clean up the mess. Accidents happen, and they aren't always simple to fix. Because nail polish is a type of lacquer, it can have merged with the finish on your table if that finish is also lacquer. This is what occurs when fresh lacquer is applied over a firm lacquer finish, and it explains why you may spray-finish furniture with multiple coats of lacquer. If you can access the nail polish while it is still wet, that would be ideal. If you can, try doing so and using a cotton swab to remove the nail polish. Nail polish remover can be used to soften hardened nail polish, but doing so will also soften the surrounding finish. Once the nail polish is removed, the finish will need to be repaired. Although it isn't really that tough to do, you might need to put in a little more effort to get it perfect.
Things You Will Need
- Cotton Swab
- Rubbing Alcohol, Nail Polish Remover Or Acetone
- Hair Dryer
- Razor Knife
- 120-Grit And 400-Grit Sandpaper
- Spray Can Of Clear Lacquer
Way 1: Nail Polish Remover Or Acetone
- You have time to swiftly grab a cotton swab and dab the nail polish off the table if you actually notice it drop. Applying pressure will cause the nail polish to mix with the table's lacquer finish, which is usual. This will result in a spot of discoloration that you'll have to sand out.
- On hardwood floors, where the finish is more durable, nail polish remover is typically safe to use, but lacquer-finished tables should be avoided. It might be helpful to soak the cotton swab in rubbing alcohol, which shouldn't harm the table's finish but will dissolve the nail polish as long as it's still tacky. Don't rub; merely use dabbing motions to prevent enlarging the discolored area.
- Acetone or nail polish remover are other options that essentially accomplish the same thing. Use acetone with caution and sparingly as it is a stronger solvent than alcohol and will undoubtedly dissolve the nail polish but also risk damaging the table's shine. You don't want any solvent to drip on the finish, so dampen the cotton swab but don't wet it. Never use the bottle's included brush to apply nail paint remover; instead, use a cotton swab.
Way 2: Remove Nail Polish By Scraping
- You may have gotten lucky if the nail paint creates a firm droplet rather than pouring into the table's finish because there's a strong chance you can scrape it off. If the table top is coated with a material other than lacquer, such polyurethane, or if the temperature in the room is high enough to cause the lacquer to solidify quickly, it may condense into a droplet. Before you begin scraping, you can wish to further harden it with a hair drier because hardened material is simpler to remove.
- A single-edge razor that fits into a razor knife or, even better, a razor knife itself are the greatest tools for scraping. If you want to prevent cutting yourself (which you do), use one of these. To detach the droplet from the table, hold the blade at a low angle in relation to it, tuck the edge beneath it, and gently push. Although you'll undoubtedly scrape off some of the finish in the process, you may fix it by sanding and spraying new lacquer. This method may even help to remove nail polish that has seeped into the varnish.
Way 3: Removing Nail Polish By Sanding
- The ideal strategy is to remove the nail polish spot as if you were mending a scratch if scraping doesn't work. Sand the region as little as possible while using 120-grit paper and concentrating on the discolored area. If the nail polish hasn't worn through too much of the finish, you should be able to remove the stain without entirely sanding it down. In this case, simply level the area surrounding the stain with 400-grit sandpaper, apply a layer of clear lacquer, and you're done.
- Make sure to stop sanding before you remove any of the wood stain if you need to sand all the way down to the wood to eliminate the discoloration. If not, you'll need to address that as well, and since color matching is difficult, you might need to contact a specialist. After sanding the area to remove the stain, level the repair by using 400-grit sandpaper and spray new finish. To make the finish smooth, you'll probably need more than one layer, and it will be simpler to do that if you let each coat dry and sand it before applying the next coat.