Tenant's paint overspray on garage floor, advice on actions

[Joe G.]

I need advice from the experienced property managers or landlords out there.

The floor of a two car garage from a recently vacated home has a good bit of black spray paint overspray on the floor. Power washing and some type of acid wash plus power washing did not remove the black coloration from the otherwise standard concrete color floor.

I need advice on how you would proceed; leave the floor as is since it is a garage and do not charge the tenant any more or have the garage floor painted and further deduct from the tenant? Or some other option.

The tenant has departed the home on good terms and there are no other issues with the home or property. Thank you in advance for the help.

[Greg Potter]

Joe G. - Personally I'd charge the tenant a nominal fee that covered the power wash and acid wash you've already performed and make this a lesson for myself to explicitly go over with future tenants that they should not paint the garage floor. My garage is nearly 100 years old and has seen a lot of wear and tear and I do not have a nice smooth floor so some paint on the floor isn't as big a deal for me. If your floor was nice and clean prior to the tenant's actions then I might take further corrective action.

[Patrick G.]

I am not an expert in this catagory, but I would really think that a graffitti removal product would get overspray off of a concrete floor pretty easily. Perhaps it's difficult to remove because it's been on for a long time?

If you are on good terms with the previous tentant, I would explain the situation, give him an oppurtunity to try and clean it. If it doesn't come off, then take a reasonable amount off the security deposit for the devaluation of the floor. I wouldn't paint the concrete unless prospective tenants actually complained. I wouldn't expect complaints unless it's a high end unit.

[Lynn McGeein]

If you had to sell that home for any reason, is it bad enough to detract any from the sale (would a buyer consider it something he'd have to take care of)? If it's an older home with already stained garage floor, I'd not be as concerned, but if it's a newer home with a nice clean garage floor except for the tenant's paint, I'd make it right and charge the tenant.

[Tom Goans]

If you feel it is a problem, paint the garage floor. This will also help reduce the problems of oil leaks.

Forget going after the tenant. There may be better use of the time and money. Move on and re-rent may be the better option.

[Matt Devincenzo]

Products to try Goof off( I think goof off 2 is water based). I used to paint horse fences with a trailer mounted sprayer. My white pickup had a beutiful coating of black oil based paint overspray from one end to the other....I used like 10 bottles of the stuff but the paint came off just fine and didn't hurt my truck paint.

I would also try the talk to him and give him an opportunity to remedy the situation tact first.

[Mike Hurney]

Hey Matt Devincenzo
"I would also try the talk to him and give him an opportunity to remedy the situation tact first."

ding ding ding ding... Correct!

That's the strategy that's saved me more aggravation, time and money over the years than all the others combined.

@Greg Potter 100 years old? Hey man you look like a young guy, what'd you have steam engines in your garage?

[Phillip Cailey]

Goof off is an amazing product. Its been awhile but I think you can buy a epoxy based garage floor paint at home depot for about 90 bucks last time I looked. Great stuff and makes, future clean ups much more manageable.

[Joel Owens]

I won't go into the long story but since Goof Off is being mentioned you might find it cool that my Uncle (my fathers brother) Larry Owens invented Goof Off.

That's right. I used to have a prototype can for it years ago but threw it away when we moved out of a house I grew up in.

Short version of how it happened. My Uncle used to have a paint and carpet company in his younger years doing turnovers for landlords. He was always an inventor trying to create things. One day he was going downstairs into his walk out basement for the lake house and fell down. He hit a big white bucket of various mixed chemicals that splashed against the concrete wall. The concrete wall had splotches of white paint on it. He noticed getting up from the wall it removed the paint.

He spent the next year or so analyzing the chemicals in the bucket. Went for broke with his house he lived in and paid a chemist over 50,000 to play around with things until they developed a formula. He applied for the patent which took a very long time about 3 years or so I believe. I was a very young kid at the time so do not remember every last detail.

At first he had some crazy technical name that the public did not understand what is was or what it did. So we as a family would get together once a year at their house. We were sitting at a table and he was asking all of us for names common people might catch onto and not inventors. We went around for about 45 minutes and then came onto Goofing off, Goofy, etc. and then came to Goof Off. He didn't know at first if he liked that but we all thought it sounded funny and would resonate with the public.

It started flying off the shelves. Patent gave him about five years to make his research costs and some nice profit back before sharing his formula. Not his exact formula but they make you share how you did it so that you cannot have a permanent monopoly on the market and gouge consumers forever. He invented the first type of this product period. Later on competitors came out like Oops, Goo Gone, etc. but my Uncle started it all. Back then Wal-mart was just growing big and K-mart and Sherwin Williams were the huge ones.

As a company it is easier today. Back then my Uncle had to travel the world to get his product known. They did not have all the technology they have today to communicate with the world. He sold off his company eventually to an as seen on TV company. They now have Goof Off 2 etc. He got a lump sum and then royalties I believe forever but I am not sure just going on what he told me. He is retired now in his 70's but was working on a hand cleaner last time we talked.

[James H.]

Since it's a garage, I'd probably just not do anything. I guess I'd have to see it. Got any pics?

[Patrick G.]

Cool story Joel!
I have a can of genuine Goof Off on my desk. I lent it to my cubicle neighbor because when he went on vacation I plastered 2230 stickers over his cube. It worked great to remove the residue.