Spray adhesive is a great way to bond two things together, but to put a twist on an old saying, what goes on must occasionally come off. Most of the time, it’s because you’ve sprayed a little too liberally. Sometimes you just want to pull apart two things you’ve glued together.
Because not all spray adhesives are the same, you might need to do different things to get different things off various surfaces. Not only will it help you dissolve a bond cleanly, but it will help you avoid unsightly stains.
That’s where we come in. We took a look at how to remove several different kinds of spray adhesives from several different kinds of surfaces and put what we found in this article. We hope you find it informative.
In This Article We'll Discuss
How to remove spray adhesive
One important determiner in how you remove spray adhesive is what surface you’ve sprayed it on. Surfaces more prone to damage and staining will require greater care, while you’re a little freer in what you use for hard surfaces like metal.
Acetone is the most effective thing to use to remove any kind of adhesive. The problem is that it will also dissolve paint and finishes. Be careful to only use it on unfinished surfaces and metals.
Rubbing alcohol and vinegar are slightly weaker substitutes for acetone. While not so powerful they will damage the paint and finish with a normal application, they can also get spray adhesive off most everything. Just don’t substitute volume for solvent power.
Using a solvent isn’t always ideal, which brings us to physically removing the spray adhesive. You’ll want to be careful removing spray adhesive off wood this way because you might damage the wood.
While sandpaper is a good option to get up most adhesives, we’d recommend you stay away from it. Spray adhesives usually don’t form a strong bond with what you’re adhering the second piece to, so you can use something a little lighter.
If you detail your cars at home, you already have a clay bar. That will work well to lift spray adhesive. Just rub it down the surface and it’ll pick up the spray adhesive.
In a pinch, you can also just use a normal scraper. Those are good to get up other kinds of globs of glue, although it might be a bit too much for what you need unless the pile of it is considerable.
A final suggestion is to call the adhesive’s manufacturer. They might have some neat tricks to get the glue up, and customer service representatives will probably readily share them to keep customers happy.
How do you get spray adhesive off walls?
The best way to remove spray adhesive from walls depends on whether the wall is painted. If it’s painted, you’ll want to take a little more care because what is great at getting adhesive up is usually pretty good at dissolving paint, too.
If the wall is painted, moist heat is a very good friend to you. Most wall paints are designed to withstand moisture and a little bit of heat, while spray adhesives are vulnerable to both.
Dampen a rag and wring it out. You want moist heat, not wet heat. Then lay it over the top of the adhesive residue you want to remove and blow on it with a hairdryer set to the lowest setting. Allow it to sit for several minutes and then wipe up with the rag. It should come right up.
If the surface isn’t painted, you can try to gently scrape it up with a plastic scraper or even a razor blade. If that doesn’t work, acetone or a vinegar solution usually works pretty well.
How do I Remove Gorilla Glue Spray Adhesive?
The best way to get Gorilla Glue spray adhesive up is to get it while it’s still fresh. Before it has cured, you can remove it by simply wiping it up with a dry cloth.
Once it has dried, it is still easier to clean it up than regular Gorilla Glue, which can be a bit of a nightmare.
In that case, greatly scrape it off while taking care to not damage the surface that it’s on. We’d recommend going the gentlest route first, either with a cloth or a plastic scraper. If those don’t work, you can try a razor blade or metal caulk scraper.
How to Remove Spray Adhesive from Wood
The question ofhow to remove spray adhesive from wood comes down to whether it’s painted or stained. If it is, you’ll want to try to gently scrape the adhesive up. A butterknife will work, as will a razor scraper. Just take care not to damage the wood.
If it isn’t painted, you can use acetone or vinegar to remove it. Both are natural solvents and spray adhesive isn’t the world’s strongest glue. There is also less risk of damaging the wood.
How to Remove old Spray Adhesive
Dried spray adhesive usually offers the biggest removal challenge. When it’s completely dried, the bond is the strongest. You can use the basic techniques to get it up, but there are handy tips to guarantee success.
A spray lubricant like WD-40 works wonders loosening adhesives of all kinds. Spray a little on the old glue and allow it to sit for a few minutes before wiping it up.
Heat and cold also work well. Either use a hairdryer set on the lowest setting to warm the glue before you wipe it up, or rub it with an ice cube to make it a bit more brittle. Either way helps break the bonds between the glue and the surface it’s on.
How to Remove Spray adhesive from hands and skin?
Removing spray adhesive from hands and skin isn’t a cause for alarm like removing super glue or other cyanoacrylates.
If you get to it before it’s completely cured, you can probably get it up either by rubbing it with a dry cloth or with simple soap and water. If it’s dried, use soap and water. It isn’t the world’s toughest stuff and that route should be more than enough.
If it still won’t come up, rub your affected skin with cooking oil or mineral spirits to dissolve the glue.
Conclusion
It’s easy to overspray a can of adhesive, but the good news is that getting it up isn’t very difficult. It’s not designed to create a very hard bond. If you know what to use and how to use it, it’s usually pretty easy to get your surfaces cleaned up.
In general, if the surface is untreated and resistant to staining, acetone or vinegar is your top choice. If you need to take care, a little bit of gentle elbow grease is probably the way to go.
We hope found this article helpful. If you did, we hope you leave a comment below or at least share it on your social media networks. There’s no telling who else might be in the same pickle you’re in.