# priming over wallpaper backing and glue



## "The Drywall Guy"

What is the best primer for going over wallpaper backing and glue... We got as much of it off as we could but are running out of time, so I want to just primer over everything before skim coating...any suggestions?


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## cazna

Give the walls a wash over with warm water and a little sugar soap, then sand it hard with a power sander 120-150 grit then use a oil base pigmented sealer is the proper way, gets rid of the glue which can cause paint to come off later on. But this is time consuming and the pigmented sealer stinks so everyone will get wasted on it, and the extra water when washing down can cause the wallboard paper to delaminate depending on how old it is. You need to get all the backing off or it will just give you trouble later on, either soak it off or sand it off, its time well spent.
You could try just sanding the walls down then use a waterbased sealer/undercoat/primer thinned down a little so it soaks into the walls and dosnt just sit on the top and come off when trying to skim or sand after skimming. Thats prob what i would try. Either way this is an arse of a job and the paint under plaster causes the plaster to get air pops all through it. Well in my part of the world it does anyway, a little dishwash liquid in the plaster helps stop some of the air pops. Hope this helps.


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## WhiteNorth

I assume you bought some paste disolver available in your local paint store. Sometimes water alone just doesn't work and maybe the liquid wallpaper stripper I mentioned above won't either. If it doesn't disolve the paste, then do your skim over top then prime with water based primer. 
The water in your mud may cause the wallpaper loosen and bubble. If so scrape of bubbles and re-skim those areas. The same goes for the water in your primer(that's why you use latex). So if your initial strip don't loosen the backing and if your mud don't loosen the backing and if your primer don't loosen the backing, you are good to go with any topcoat.


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## FOR THOSE ABOUT

After over 1000 hotel rooms in 7 years. Oil based KILZ over the mess you can't remove and skim over that. Only way...I have tried every other way this is the fastest way to achieve what you are doing. I am talking about vinyl wallpaper with no sizing behind it. The oil will take longer to dry, but it is your only option unless you want to go back and deal with pealing later on. Sounds to me like you are looking for the fastest way to complete the job and this is the way I have done it successfully.


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## "The Drywall Guy"

I have talked to a couple painters on my current project, and they all also said that an oil based primer is the only way since it won't react with the glue...and then skim over that.....so thats what I will do....I'll let you know how it all turns out...


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## Whitey97

gardz by zinsser, it's way better smelling than oil paint, with the same result


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## rhardman

Up to 3 or 4 layers, if the paper is pourous, no foil or rubber/plastic gloss finish, a coat of shellac will soak through and adhere everything to the wall below leaving a solid surface to skim over.

In 20 years, it worked for me every single time.

If the owner is a smoker, the surface should be washed first with TSP.

For removing paper, thin All Purpose or Topping mud to a paint viscosity and roll a heavy coat over the paper with a 3/4 inch roller. The mud makes the mixture sit on the paper while the moisture soaks through pulling the glue loose. Depending on how well the wall was papered, it may take a couple of attempts.


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## Frankawitz

I have been in the painting plaster trades for 30 years I have never done wallpaper stripping like that, there are products for stripping wallpaper. it's called DIF you put half a bottle in a garden sprayer then top it off with HOT water you spray the walls down then you do this 5 more times let the stripper soak in then take a 4" T handle razor wallpaper stripping tool and you shave the walls:whistling2: I am doing a bathroom now where I had three layers of wallpaper with backing, it took me 4 hours:thumbsup: I posted pictures on contracts talk under drywall heading.
I wouldn't apply any kind of paint of primer cause it can lift the paper or backing  Good Luck


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## vandy

1) Vigorously stick sand with lots of 80 grit

2) Coat with Gardz by Zinsser

3) Backfill deep gouges with durabond

4) Float out walls 100% (roll on and knife it off)


I recently did a whole Lord & Taylor store like this. Big time crunch. 20 year old wallcovering needed to be stripped and walls needed to be prepped. Job looked great when complete.


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## silverstilts

Frankawitz are u mainly removing from plaster or wallboard ? I agree there are many times myself bypass the priming process it all depends on how well the wall covering comes off. If only the outer layer comes off and leaves a thin layer of paper then I would definitely seal it if it is only some glue left the forget the sealant. If some of the paper on the sheetrock comes off then that has to be treated. I have found also this little trick if paper comes off the wallboard depending on the size I sometimes cheat and use some really wide mesh smear some mud over it then mesh once it drys there will be absolutely
no paper lift. Quick and do not have to drag out any smelly sealant. You can use any mesh I have several different widths that stucco guys use.


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