Advice on removing paint splatter from grill cloth?

[muel]

A really lame painter I hired (quickly fired) managed to splatter white paint on my black grill cloth. The cloth is in perfect condition otherwise. I'm hoping for some advice before I test a dab of alcohol or paint thinner on the cloth. I'm not sure if it might be some Kilz primer or white latex that he splattered as he was using both. My guess would be latex. This happened years ago and the speakers were out of view so I hadn't noticed until a while back.

I'm hoping to not need to replace the grill cloth. Any thoughts on how to clean this ?

[T2K]

If the frames are plastic and you can remove them you might try laying them in a tub with warm water. Might loosen the paint enough to gently remove it.

[Groomlakearea51]

Put a rag underneath the "spot". Apply warm water to the spot, and fold up a rag damp with warm water and place over the spot. Check often and if it's latex, it should soften after a couple hours. Just don't let the water soak the grill cloth towards the edges where the glue retains it on the boards or the masonite (if they are a non-plastic type of grill). You can also try the "ice pick" method; just gotta be real careful not to cut the fibers. When latex paint is very old, it can sometimes be "scraped" or "picked" off leaving a residue that will clean up with a rag and some warm water. Maybe that is of some assistance.

[dollar bill]

Scissors[]

[artto]

There's a product called "Goof-Off" (most hardware stores) that might help. Not sure if it will work on grill cloth but it might be worth looking into.

[WMcD]

This article say that rubbing alcohol will disolve it. If so, it might spread out the resulting solution. http://www.techlib.com/reference/paint.html There are other articles on the internet. Certainly you don't want to use a paint stripper.

Do you have something like a Little Green Clean Machine around the house? That could wash and suction off the solution. Otherwise, have some TP or facial tissue to absorb the solution.

Another thought is that scraping is suggested. Maybe a razor (like on your face) can be used to remove small splatters. I have used this to remove nubbies from the collars of white cotton dress shirts. You'd think the razor would damage the fabric but not so, in my experience. No shaving cream used.

The razor might not be a good idea if you have the coarse weave Klipsch fabric. But if smooth fabric, it could work.

Wm McD

[muel]

It has taken me some time but I've tried your suggestions (except for the scissors) and nothing I tried removed the paint! [:'(] I'm sure it doesn't help that I waited so long.

Ran across some fabric dye spray paint the other day that I think I will try as a last resort prior to new grill cloth.

Thanks for the suggestions and I'll let you know how it goes!

[fini]

Are they tiny dots of paint, or larger blobs? Can you post a photo? How many spots are we talking about? If the paint does not add any objectionable texture, perhaps the fabric dye is a good choice. A Sharpie pen might work to hide them, too, if the color is a match.

[muel]

... A Sharpie pen might work to hide them, too, if the color is a match.

EXCELLENT idea! I haven't found the spray locally yet so I'm giving the Sharpie a try.

A black sharpie is a little too black and is obvious from about 5 feet away but the 3 spots I tested are hard to see once you take another step back! This is way better than spots of white paint! 10 feet away and I can't see them anymore. The picture is a little bright from the flash... I can't see any white. There are many different colors of these pens so I might be able to match a little closer. I can certainly live with this for now!

THANKS for the idea! I'll say a toast to you with a beer later tonight! [Y]