Prep work before painting General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[jaffacake2000]

Hi everyone

I am doing this for the first time, havent done this before, only training is watched and learnt..yers ago...

I have almost finshed stripping off all the wallpaper (just one wall left). While stripping off the paper i have at the same time removed the wallpaper residue and paste but do I have to wash the walls down before i paint over it ? if yes, then do i just use hot water and a sponge or add bleach to the hot water and wash it, and then rinse again with without bleached water ?

or how do i know all paste is gone ?

[theshedman]

Hi, yes you will need to wash all the walls. If you don't and there is still some paste on them the paint will not stick. Once you have all the paper off them give them good wash down with washing up liquid or sugar soap in the water then rinse them off. Then you will need to fill any cracks and give all the walls very light sanding to make sure there are no rough patches or bits of paper still on them. Then put a thin coat of emulsion on first and you will see if you have missed any bits of paste as they will make the paint bubble. If all is well give them couple of coats and it should be right. Good luck.

[jaffacake2000]

How do i tell if theres any paste left before applying paint on the wall ?

I cant see any paste left but i have used wallpaper stripper and on one wall no matter how many times i have been washing it with hot water this white soapy stuff, i think its the wallpaper stripper is getting on the sponge

Also instead of washing up liquid can i use bleach ?

Grime - do i really have to get if off ? its hard work...can i just paint over it when the walls are dry ?

[theshedman]

Hi, are you sure that it's the paste coming off the wall and not the emulsion. If you have given it a really good wash down after taking the wallpaper off and filled and made sure it is flat then you should be able to give it a coat of paint. If there is any paste still on the walls you will soon find out then you will be able to wash those bits off. I wouldn't use bleach as I wouldn't think it would be any better than warm soapy water and if you get it anywhere else, ie your clothes, carpet and possibly woodwork it will stain. Yes it is best to remove all the paste before painting the walls. Remember the more you put into the preparation the better the finish will be.

[chris_on_tour2002]

don't really see how you can ever ensure that all residue is removed to be honest.

Salt water works well in removing wallpaper paste from pasting tables, much better than plain water or washing up liquid so you could try that - whole tub of table salt dissolved into warm clean bucket of water.

personally i'd be inclined to line the walls with lining paper, relatively easy job for a diy-er, after a little research on this site.

that would solve your problem. size the walls first.