There was a time when fake paneling was all the rage and people put it on their walls to give their homes a rustic feeling. The paneling would come in sheets and most people would either nail or glue the sheets to the wall. The problem with gluing the sheets to the wall is that the drywall behind the sheets will rip when you pull the old paneling sheets off of the walls. You will have to remove any remaining glue and repair the torn sections of the drywall before you can paint it and make it look good. This is a project most homeowners can do by themselves in a day or two – depending on how much paneling was on the walls. If you are taking old paneling sheets off of your walls, here is how you can repair the glue damage to the drywall.
Scrape Off Glue
There will normally be globs of glue stuck to the wall after you remove the paneling. Cut around the edges of the glue with a utility knife. This will prevent you from tearing the skin on the surface of the drywall when you remove the glue. Take a metal putty knife and scrape the glue off of the wall. Unfortunately, you may remove the skin under the glue and expose the brown paper underneath the skin.
Cover the Brown Patches
The next step will be to cover and seal the brown paper patches after you have removed the glue. You should use an oil-based primer to put over the brown paper or on any exposed drywall material. The primer will prevent the brown paper from soaking up the drywall compound you will apply to the wall. Apply a coating of primer to each spot where you removed the glue.
After the primer dries, sand it down with a fine grade sanding sponge.
Apply Sheet Rock Joint Compound
Use a wide-blade putty knife to apply a thin coating of sheet rock compound over the brown patches. Allow the compound to dry. Drying time varies depending on the type of compound you use. Check the label on the compound to make sure you know how long to wait.
Apply a second thin coating over the patches and let that coat dry.
Sand Compound
Use 120-grit sandpaper to sand down the compound after it dries. This will smooth out any ridges that were made by the compound and make the surface of the wall flat. Use a clean rag to wipe away any dust left on the wall after you sand it.
Paint Wall
You can now paint the wall to give it a new finish and make it look good. Make sure you apply at least two coats of paint to cover the areas where the brown patches were located.
For more information, see companies like Property Service Agency LLC.
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