# pvc primer cleanup



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

Purple primer? *ouch*

You'll have to sand pretty deep into pine to get that out.

DM


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## autx790 (Aug 30, 2009)

that's what i was affraid of. Yeah, that stuff is a whole lot of not good. :/


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## Docwhitley (Jul 19, 2010)

I agree with Danger Mouse... purple primer sucks... Here is what I do for future projects..... 

First when I get a can of Primer I pour part of it out.... I find it easier to control if it is half full..

Next... I only use clear in places where spilling it will cause a major problem. 

Last but not least... If I am working in an area that I must use Purple I will get a pan to place the can it... Usually the cheap tin pan from Dollar Store "Just in Case"

Now wood if going to be hard to get it out of but if the wood had enough protector on it you may want to try removing it with Clear Primer


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

Agreed. I thought about using clear primer to clean too, but unless the coating is REAL good on that area (read new aluminum oxide factory finish), you'll probably need to sand and refinish anyways. Untreated wood will soak that stuff right up.

DM


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## autx790 (Aug 30, 2009)

Thanks guys...I'm not sure about the finish on the floor but i'm pretty sure they're original to the 1839 construction. They've held up pretty well to some abuse they've received as I remodel but the purple primer was in my tool box and I must have pulled it out and knocked it over cause when I was looking for something else yesterday, I noticed it was laying on its side on the floor. I'm thinking it's been like that since last week. Sure would be nice if they made a bottle that didn't leak when turned on its side.

I'll have to see what the clear primer can do (if anything).


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## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

i think you might be stuck with a permanent purple stain in your floor.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Why is purple primer purple to begin with? Is it an inspection-aide type of thing?


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

Bud: Yup. 

OP: You could try to use clear primer and remove as much as you can, then try a little bleach on an area to see if that does it.
Who knows? Maybe you can avoid the stripping?

DM


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## Docwhitley (Jul 19, 2010)

Yes Bud... It is so the Inspector can glance and see it was primed.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> Yes Bud... It is so the Inspector can glance and see it was primed.


While sitting in his pickup???:laughing:


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

Bud Cline said:


> While sitting in his pickup???:laughing:


Well of course! How ELSE would he inspect the plumbing under your home?

DM


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

That's why I see a lot of those guys with binoculars in their trucks!!!:whistling2:


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## Docwhitley (Jul 19, 2010)

Now Bud.... I have had them look at my plumbing after it was covered with Dirt....


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

This topic just struck up a thirty year old memory I have. Back then I had a plumber friend and we would take turns helping one another from time to time. He did a plumbing job for a storage unit project that included an apartment for the managers. I helped with that and he called for an inspection. When the inspector showed up he never got out of his truck. No way he could see in the ditches from where he was. He did have a pair of binoculars though. He signed off on the job and drove away.We laughed it off for along time. Still smiling about it.


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## Hickspub (Apr 27, 2016)

I've found a way to remove the dreaded purple stain from hardwood! First off, I waited a day before I tried to remove the stain from my builder-grade hardwood floor (read: the stain was set). I first applied mineral spirits with a Q-Tip to the stain. After about an hour, I went back and sprayed the area with Murphy's Oil Soap. I wiped the soap off and scratched at the stain with my fingernail and it came up. I then proceeded to alternate between adding spirits (by now, purple was coming up onto the Q-Tip), spraying with soap, and gently scratching the surface with my fingernail. This process took about 2 hours (tedious) but it was not destructive. For good measure, I brushed on a super-thin layer of polyurethane a couple days later. Good as new!


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## JoeR3 (Dec 5, 2020)

Thought I would update this old thread with my recent experience. I too dripped purple primer on my 60 year old oak floors. Luckily this was a closet, but I wanted it cleaned anyway. I used a good amount of mineral spirits with a rag and some very fine steel wool. The stains are 100% gone. My floors did not have a high gloss to them, if yours do you may dull them a bit in the area where you used the steel wool.


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## dj3 (Apr 27, 2020)

I have an easier solution: cap the can, when not in use.


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

Or use clear primer. Unless it needs to pass inspection.

Sent from my Lenovo TB-X606F using Tapatalk


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Spilled more cans of the purple than I would like to admit. Now I cover any finished work areas with cardboard before I even think about opening the can. Including cabinet vanity bases. And I also, already mentioned, use it, screw the cap back on, set it out of the way, then grab the glue.


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## JoeR3 (Dec 5, 2020)

dj3 said:


> I have an easier solution: cap the can, when not in use.


I gotta use purple for inspection. Took all the precautions. Closed lid, newspaper on floor. Cleaned a 90 then knocked it off the newspaper with my size 13s. Of course it had a little puddle inside that spilled out on the oak. Doh!


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