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stu2900

The wallpaper's off, but the glue remains...

stu2900
15 years ago

Apparently I was pretty smart in 1978 and bought really good vinyl wallpaper. It peeled right off, but the plaster walls are full of glue. What's the best way to remove the glue without tearing up the walls?

Comments (15)

  • Michael
    15 years ago

    Chomp!

    Michael

  • budge1
    15 years ago

    What the heck is that stuff?

    We had tons of wallpaper to remove when we moved in and tried everything to get it off. I never ran across chomp. It even says it's none caustic.

  • sarschlos_remodeler
    15 years ago

    I just recently dealt with this. I used a combination of hot water, white vinegar and cheap fabric softener. I then used a primer that was specially formulated to stop wallpaper paste from bleeding through before I painted. I don't recall the name of teh primer that I used off the top of my head, but I will check when I get home tonight. The primer I used was very easy to use and cleaned up easily. It had an odor, but it wasn't strong and didn't last too long (of course, I was painting with an 8' window open, so that might make a difference). Worked like a charm.

    Before:

    During (that tannish color on the walls is wallpaper paste):

    After primer (please excuse the monkey who won't get out of the way whenever a camera is near):

    Finished with 2 coats of BM Aura paint:

  • joyjo
    15 years ago

    I've removed a lot of wallpaper and the best thing I have found to take off the glue is hot water and fabric softener. When I have most of it removed I use hot water and TSP to clean the walls and get rid of any residue.

  • THOR, Son of ODIN
    15 years ago

    And when you finally can't stand scrubbing anymore cover it with a coat of Gardz Primer.

    -Lena

    Here is a link that might be useful: More from the Paint Forum

  • sarschlos_remodeler
    15 years ago

    Gardz was the name of the primer I used but couldn't remember -- also based on the recommendations I found over on the paint forum. I didn't scrub the walls after the hot water/fabric softener treatment.

  • Pieonear
    15 years ago

    Your kids are so cute!

    I can tell by looking at your "painter's helper" that he's ALL boy! LOL He reminds me of my youngest at that age. There's nothing they can't find or get into. My son is now 26 so enjoy yours today. They grow up so fast.

    Your walls look great. You could never tell they'd been papered. Is the Gardz a roll on or spray? Did you mix the hot water and softner together and spray it on?

    Mammie

  • sarschlos_remodeler
    15 years ago

    Thanks! He is definitely all boy. The muscle shirt with the pickup truck was my little joke because he's such a boy. :)

    The Gardz is a roll-on. They have different primers for different purposes, so make sure you get the one for damaged and wallpapered walls. We had ours tinted to match our paint color, but it's not necessary.

    I used a green scotch pad and wet it with the fabric softener/water mixture. Others have sprayed it on. In all honesty, I probably worked harder than necessary because I was in a hurry and didn't have the patience to let the fabric softener soak into the walls before I started scrubbing. There was quite a lot of glue left when I gave up and started rolling the Gardz on. :)

  • no_green_thumb
    15 years ago

    well, my face is bright red!! I thought Michael was being funny with the "chomp" --- like eat the stuff off!! ---- and Michael is one of our resident authorities on painting!! ---- and I couldn't figure out the off-the-cuff remark ---- sorry Michael! Whenever you talk, I listen --- and as the saying goes "we learn something every day" - now I know what to remove glue with - but I no longer have any wallpaper left in my house - --

  • gbsim1
    15 years ago

    Zinsser Gardz.... it's clear and goes on sort of like water, but penetrates the sheetrock.
    Do a google search for the zinsser website, I remember them having good info. There is another primer that is tintable called Shieldz. The gardz is for damaged sheetrock where the paper is torn etc.

  • stu2900
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    So, Michael, where does one find "Chomp"? I absolutely plan on priming before I paint, and I think I used Guardz before for our last wallpaper removal. It's just been a long time ago. What's sad is I've liked really liked every wallpaper I've ever had. It's just such a pain whenever it's time to change it. So, only paint for me from now on. This bathroom is the last room in my house that still has wallpaper in it. I can't wait till it's done! Thanks!

  • lorriekay
    15 years ago

    What beautiful kids you have!

  • shebeeb
    15 years ago

    I just bought a rehab house that had many rooms with wall paper. Some of the wallpaper was easy to remove; however, the glue underneath must have been "industrial" strengh, and it was 1/4 inch thick! I used a sheetrock putty knife and scraped off cup after cup of glue. It just ran down the walls. It was a mess!

    I tried everything. A combination of very hot water and a towel worked fairly well. On the last room, I tried my steamer. It worked the best of all. I wish I would have tried it first!

    I then sanded the walls, and put a coat of PVC primer on the walls before painting.

    The Good News...the glue will come off.
    The Bad News...There are no magic fixes.

    Good Luck,
    ShebeeB

  • DanielTheCarpenter
    12 years ago

    Ok, so about 4 months ago i subbed a wall paper removal job to some painters i know. they washed the glue and sanded, as well as primed the walls with an oil based primer that the customer had chosen by recomendation from the paint store. Now, 4 months later i am getting calls about the glue bleeding through the paint, after running a humidifier in that room. the customer noted the stickyness of the glue and how it was all over the walls. i dont know what primer was used, but having personally done multiple wallpaper removal jobs with absolutly no problems, i am at a loss. so, i wounder why this happened, as well as what should i do now? do i need to remove the paint and start all the way from the beginning? or should i just prime it with 2 coats of the guardz primer and repaint? like i said i am at a loss and i want to make this right. any ideas?

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