More often than not people used to buy homes that had wallpaper on the walls. When deciding to spruce up the home, they wanted to remove the wallpaper and paint a color of their choice. Not everyone was a big fan of wallpaper. When the wallpaper was removed, often there was a residue left from the glue, which presented a big problem.
The glue did not always want to come off easily. Therefore, many solutions have resulted. Several are home made strippers that started as trial and error methods of removing the wallpaper glue. Some had very good results and some did not. But, the ones that did are still being used today.
Always Prepare First
One thing you will want to do before attempting the removal of the wallpaper glue is to purchase some drop cloths or get some old sheets to protect your floors. You will save yourself from the mess you may have to clean up later if you have carpet on your floors or even hardwood floor. If you have to melt the glue, you will not want it dripping on your floors.
What are Some of the Methods Used?
This glue must be removed or the new wall – painted or papered again – will not be an attractive wall. There are several methods for removing the glue. One is a solution of TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) that can be purchased at most hardware stores. Mix this with warm water and the strength of this soap should remove the glue from the wall.
Another method that has been used successfully is wallpaper stripper. By applying this to the glue that is left on the wall, it will often soften it so that it can be removed. If this does not work, don’t worry; you still have options.
Another recommendation for removing this stubborn glue is 100 grit sand paper and a pole sander. This will often remove the glue and if you end up with some rough spots, you can use drywall mud and a knife to fill in the bad spots and sand them smooth again. You may have to use a palm sander if the pole sander does not work so a bucket of drywall mud will be a good investment.
One type of home made stripper that has shown good results is mixing hot water and a teaspoon of baking soda together in a spray bottle and applying this to the wall. A variation is hot water and fabric softener. Approximately four tablespoons of fabric softener added to the bottle of water should be sufficient.
A little of everything has been tried to remove wallpaper glue that is left after the paper is removed. Another home solution for removing glue is vinegar and warm water. This can be mixed in a bucket, using two cups of vinegar with the warm water and a sponge to wash the walls. Often the vinegar will cause the glue to dissolve.
Sometimes if you are very lucky, just a mixture of soap and water and a brush will take this glue off the wall. This is not always the case however and it may take several attempts before getting all the glue removed. Many people have said that steam works wonders for melting the glue and then all they had to do is wipe the walls with soap and water.
The area can also be wet-sanded and this will remove the wallpaper glue effectively sometimes. There are also products on the market today made from citrus. The citrus extract in the product is what makes it work. These products are part of the environmentally responsible products that are being manufactured today.
With all the methods available for removing wallpaper adhesive from your walls, one is going to work and you will be left with nice smooth walls to paint or decorate however you want to decorate.
About the Author:
Crowder Painting is a Colorado Springs Colorado house painting contractor specializing in interior and exterior re-painting, new construction, detailed specialty finishes, wood finishes and custom cabinet refinishing.
