One task that many people encounter during remodeling or renovation is removing putty from walls. Knowing how to remove putty correctly is crucial for a smooth finish, whether you’re repairing a damaged area or prepping a surface for a new coat of paint.
Although removing old putty can seem difficult, it can be done effectively and without causing any damage to the wall underneath if you use the right tools and techniques. Knowing how much putty you’ll need is also crucial if you intend to reapply it.
In this post, we’ll demonstrate how to remove putty from walls safely and offer advice on how much is best for your particular project.
- Removing putty
- What you will need
- The usual method
- Radical method
- Video on the topic
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- REMOVE A LAYER OF PUTTY EASILY!
- How to remove putty from a wall
Removing putty
You already know how to use putty to level walls (see Aligning walls with putty in accordance with all the rules). However, there are situations when you need to make adjustments, in which case the putty needs to be taken out. Everything can be completed by hand, and there won’t be any fees associated with the work. The instructions are listed below. Prior to beginning any finishing work, the previous coating must be removed:
- All top layers of finish are removed.
- Then the putty is removed.
It’s difficult to get rid of outdated content. It’s important to tackle it from all angles. It is completed in multiple phases. Initially, the question is whether the putty needs to be removed:
- The wall is properly inspected. With a flat surface and a minimum of small defects and cracks, it is easier to leave the putty. Damaged areas can simply be cleaned, primed and puttied. Then you don"t have to deal with the whole wall.
- This is a good option if the previous repair was done efficiently and not very long ago. Sometimes the coating is dense and lies flat. But there are doubts whether it is wise to leave the material.
- In such cases, it is better to tap the surface. You can use a spatula handle. If the sound is dull, then you will have to clean off the putty. And when the wall is old, swollen in places, you definitely can’t do without removing the previous layer.
What you will need
It is simpler to have everything ready for this procedure ahead of time. You’ll require:
- Polyethylene film or newspapers;
- Spray bottle;
- A bucket or container for the solution;
- A large piece of cloth, a roller or sponge will do;
- A spatula, chisel, hammer;
- Angle grinder, sandpaper, a hammer drill;
- A stepladder;
- Respirator, gloves and glasses.
The room must be ready before work begins. After all, the work that lies ahead is messy, and cleaning up will take a lot of time. It is possible to cover the furniture with polyethylene or remove it from the space. Additionally, paper tape can be used to seal the gap between the door and the walls. Cover the ground with film or newspapers. A damp sheet is a better option to hang on the door. Don’t forget about safety either. Here’s where a respirator, gloves, and glasses come in useful. You can now get to work.
The usual method
This approach is the easiest to use, and it doesn’t require any practical knowledge.
- The surface is moistened with a spray bottle.
- After about five minutes, you can take up the spatula. Some people begin to remove the coating without wetting if it comes off well in certain places. But you can’t treat the whole wall like that. Therefore, it is necessary to wet it.
Be aware that sometimes material, even when damp, resists. Here, a starch solution will be useful. The preparation is simple. To a liter of water, add two tablespoons of starch. Everything is well combined and placed into a spray bottle. The surface is coated with the mixture. Once the material has been absorbed into the putty for 20 minutes, you can remove it once more.
- To save time and effort, it is best to determine the thickness of the finish if possible. If the coating is applied in one or two layers 2-3 mm thick, you can use a sprayer. But when the finish is dense, 6 mm thick, using a sprayer does not make sense. It is easier to apply the starch mixture with a cloth, sponge or roller.
Radical method
When starch is ineffective, use a thick layer of putty and the following instruments:
- The chisel is applied to the wall at an angle and sections of the material are chipped off one by one with a hammer.
Note: It is preferable to begin at the areas where the putty is less sticky.
- It happens that this method is also useless. Here, a grinder and a hammer drill will help.
- A shovel is inserted into the hammer drill chuck and the finish is simply destroyed.
- An alternative to a hammer drill is a grinder. Its circle is applied parallel to the wall and the coating is sawed off. Before this, a notch is made on the surface.
Of course, cleaning is necessary after such incidents. But they are dependable and quick. After the old material has been removed from the wall, coarse-grained sandpaper is used to clean it. Using a damp cloth, dirt and dust from the surface are easily removed. It is now prepared for further processing. You can putty and prime it. And use ornamental elements to complete.
While it can take some time to remove putty from walls, doing so is necessary for a smooth, new finish when painting or redecorating. In order to achieve an even surface, the old putty must be scraped off and possibly sanded. It may take a few hours to several days to finish, depending on the area’s size and the putty’s thickness. To make the task easier and guarantee the best results, proper preparation and the appropriate tools are essential.
Method | Time Required |
Scraping with a putty knife | 1-2 hours per wall |
Using a heat gun | 1-3 hours depending on thickness |
Applying a chemical remover | 2-4 hours, including waiting time |
Although removing putty from walls can seem difficult, it is a task you can accomplish with the correct tools and methods. Knowing how much time and effort it will take, regardless of whether you’re working on small patches or the entire wall, will help you make an efficient plan.
Using a chemical remover, sander, or scraper, you can gradually remove the old putty. Every method has a unique set of difficulties, so pick the one that works best for you. In order to prevent harming the wall underneath, always take your time and work in sections.
The size of the area and the layer thickness will determine how much putty needs to be removed. Knowing this will enable you to gather the required materials and determine how long the task will take.