Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Getting Unwanted Adhesive Off the Wall
The exhilaration of tearing off an unwanted mirror or paneling dissipates quickly when faced with removing the adhesive that held it in place. It's not an easy job. The Neanderthal tactic of chiseling the adhesive off the wall results in gouged and damaged wallboard or plaster. If any of the adhesive remains on the wall, it bleeds through and discolors paint or wallpaper applied over it. Chemical solvents don't do the trick either, they just spread the adhesive around.

The strategy that works for us is a two-part approach using a razor scraper followed by a heat gun. We devised this attack by trial and error when we had the undaunted challenge of removing painted cork tiles from a 15-ft. long wall. A broad razor scraper is effective to chip off the large chunks of hardened adhesive. A heat gun softens the adhesive and the underlying paint which allows you to scrape away the remaining residue with a 6-in. wide blade putty knife.

If this sounds like a tedious job, you're right, it's not fun. Hopefully your job is a small one. You'll need a 4-in. wide razor scraper with replacement blades, a broad taping or wide putty knife, electric heat gun, safety glasses, leather gloves, heavy drop cloths, and a cardboard box.

Before you begin, protect the floor and surrounding area where you're working with a heavy drop cloth or several layers of newspapers. Be sure to wear eye protection when you are chipping the dried adhesive off the wall, and open a window for ventilation before using the heat gun because the heated adhesive gives off unpleasant fumes.

Begin your attack by chipping off the large globs of hardened adhesive with the razor scraper. It's easier to remove adhesive from a hard plaster wall because it doesn't gouge easily; if you have wallboard, work carefully so you don't damage it. When the razor blade becomes dull, replace it with a new one.

When you've removed as much dried adhesive as you can, plug in the heat gun and put on leather work gloves. Direct the heat gun nozzle at a glob of adhesive so the hot air hits the wall just in front of it. Don't hold the gun in one place for more than a couple of seconds, keep it moving around the area so you don't burn or scorch the wall. The adhesive will bubble up or soften so you can scrape most of it off the wall, this is the messy part. Hold the broad knife in your other hand and push it along the wall just behind the heat gun. The adhesive you scrape off the wall is hot, so be careful not to touch it. If the goop sticks to the broad knife, wipe the blade on the side of a cardboard box. When the adhesive has cooled, chip if off the edge of the box and let it fall inside.

When you're finished, the wall will be pock-marked with stains outlining where the adhesive was. Sand the wall with 80 grit abrasive paper to smooth out the rough areas and then apply a barrier coat of a pigmented shellac (we use Bin [TM]). This helps prevent the adhesive from bleeding through your new paint job or discoloring the wallpaper. If the adhesive bleeds through the shellac, try a thin coat of aluminum paint, which is available in a spray can.

Patch the rough area and gouges with a coating of drywall compound. Allow the compound to dry and then apply a second thin coat. Sand the wall smooth and give it a dusting. Then apply a coat of latex wall primer.

written by the editors of HouseNet
Copyright HouseNet, Inc.

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