Removing wallpaper adhesive

Hot water, detergent, and a decorators' sponge has always worked for me.

Me too, but the description "rubbery consistency" suggests strongly that this ain't conventional wallpaper paste.

OP - do you know what it is? What sort of wall covering was it holding up? Cork tiles or something?

David

It was just holding up standard "flowery" wallpaper. It definitely comes off like a rubbery texture. It is a very thin layer on the plaster, and I don't think I will be able to paint over it effectively..

Paul...

I had a similar problem a while ago after we moved in here. It looked as if the previous owners had been _very_ generous in applying the paste. There was a fairly thick jelly-like layer of paste left after stripping the paper.

I asked Crown tech. support and got the following reply:

,---- | Thank you for your email enquiry. You can encounter problems when | using an emulsion on walls which have previously been wallpapered, | as you rightly say the residue paste can contaminate the surface. If | you cannot remove all of the paste then I would suggest that you | use and Alkali Resisting Primer on the wall surface as this will act as | a barrier to the paste. You can buy this from a trade outlet or the | International brand also make one which should be available from | B&Q stores. Please ensure that the room is well ventilated during | use and drying time. `----

I tried to remove as much gunge as possible with sugar soap and nylon scouring pads then applied the suggested primer. That was about 2 years ago and there's been no problems since.

The warning about ventilation is well justified, that primer stinks something terrible - and takes it forever to go away.