I pulled all the wallpaper out of two large rooms, and I don't know what to do about the glue residue. The paper has all been pulled away, even the little stubborn strips. The wall was painted white underneath and is in good shape with a few dings here and there. I plan on painting the walls.
Must I remove all the glue residue before I put the primer on?
I've been washing the glue residue away slowly with vinegar and water, which works OK. But I'm getting lazy/worn out/frustrated and wondering if I really have to remove it if I am going to put primer on anyway.
works great especially since you have the paper off already
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Keep it wet with the solution then a stiff putty knife will scrape most of the schplech away.
finish up with a washcloth dipped in the stuff to scrub stubborn spots. Wipe the wall down with a clean wet rag and you can primer as soon as it dries.
If you leave paste on the wall and paint over it, the texture will show. Paste comes off relatively easy if you just spray it with warm water a couple of times, give it a few minutes to soften, and then wash down with a rag. Probably need to repeat, but spray a section while another soaks. Messy, a little time consuming. Easier than sanding a whole room, IMO. You can usually tell when all the paste is gone, as it will stop feeling slimey.
If the wall is already painted or primed, you don't need to prime it again.
works great especially since you have the paper off already
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Keep it wet with the solution then a stiff putty knife will scrape most of the schplech away.
finish up with a washcloth dipped in the stuff to scrub stubborn spots. Wipe the wall down with a clean wet rag and you can primer as soon as it dries.
reply:
Let me share my experience from stripping two 1800 sf houses of wallpaper in every room ........
Most of the glue is a vegetable based glue that softens with water. You don't need any solutions that cost a cent. Warm water is fine. Spray with common spray bottle, then let it sit for at least five minutes. Rub with cotton rags, washing them out frequently. Look at angles to see when it is all off, and don't scrub any more than necessary to remove the glue, or you will get into the paper. Let the water do its work, for as soon as the glue soaks up the water, it comes right off. If it has to be scrubbed, it hasn't absorbed as much water as it needs to. Mist it again, and wipe in a minute or so.
This is the final step, and the amount of time you spend making sure it's all off will have a huge result when you paint. Again, use the light, and an angled view of the wall to see all the remaining boogers. Rinse the rags frequently.
I find that a "green" or "black" 3M pad, the type with a handle bonded to it, they sell them for cleaning BBQs. Wet the wall, let it soak in, then gently scrub with a wet pad, rinsing the glue out of the pad frequently. Still tiring but works quickly as the pads have more cleaning action than a cloth and are easy to rinse out. When done an area, then wipe with a damp cloth to remove excess gluey water, again with frequent rinsing.
What I did to get it off was to spray it several times with water, maybe 5 minutes apart, then scrub it gently with a fibrous scrubber or a sponge with a fibrous scrubber on one side. Then sponge it off, rinsing frequently. The scrubbers really make a difference, and the coarser ones with a handle work really well.
I've used old terry towels, which work fine. Newbies might scrape into the paper coating of drywall with scrubbers - the water should be allowed to do the work of softening the paste; that's the solution.
ALL the paste has to come off. I double drop the perimeter of the room then go around and around with a garden sprayer with plain hot water on very fine spray. If the water runs to the baseboard you are going too heavy. You do this until you can scrape the paste off with a finger nail. It is now softened enough to remove without wall damage. At that point wash it off with a tile sponge and a 5 gal bucket of warm water. Change the water often. After you're done, go around 1 more time to rinse. Allow to dry overnight. Sand out. Spackle and repair as needed. Sand out again. Prime with a good quality 100% acrylic primer/sealer such an Ben Moore Fresh Start. NOW you're ready to paint. Shortcut the process and it will come back to bite you in terms of peeling paint and a nasty uneven textured look. It sounds like a lot of work because it is.
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