How to clean paint off old air vents?

Billby

Hi Everyone, I've just moved into an older apartment which has air vents on the walls in each room. Unfortunately the two vents in the bathroom have paint on the mesh from when the walls were last painted. I'd appreciate any advice please on how to remove the paint. I'd like to keep the vents as we have a lot of issues with mould in our area. Thanks!

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Billby. It's amazing to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about removing paint from vents.

That’s pretty common in older homes as layers of paint can build up on vent meshes over the years from repeated wall painting. I’ve had the same issue at my place, and mine are even more caked up with paint.

Unfortunately, there isn’t really a simple or quick fix. If the paint isn’t too well adhered, you might be able to carefully scrape it off, though it can be quite a tedious job. Another option is to apply a small amount of paint stripper with a fine brush to see if it softens the paint enough to start removing it. Just be gentle and go slowly so you don’t damage the mesh.

It’s definitely not an easy task, but with some patience and a bit of help from paint stripper, you should be able to get most of it off.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell