How do I remove sand paint from the walls of a small bathroom?

Amuse
by Amuse
Thought it was clever and a great look until I realized that if you fall against the wall it would scrape worse than a fall on cement. My husband is elderly and the least scrape can cause serious bleeding. I want a safe and quick way to get rid of the sand paint and replace it. Thanks
  14 answers
  • Sharon Sharon on Jul 06, 2018

    I think I would just skim coat the walls with joint compound to start over..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeGWbgAUvCM

  • Oliva Oliva on Jul 06, 2018

    I'm afraid you may have to sand it down, unless someone knows of a paint that would be thick enough to cover the sand. Using a "mouse" sander might be easiest, although they're quite small. You could try an old fashioned sanding block. Newer electric sanders may be too heavy to hold on vertical surfaces.

  • Cindy Hagemann Cindy Hagemann on Jul 06, 2018

    You might be able to sand it off with an orbital sander.

  • Beth W Beth W on Jul 06, 2018

    Can’t make out the depth of the sand in your photo but it doesn’t appear to be stucco so you may be able to use a self leveling paint which would be the easiest fix. If it is more like stucco, plaster is the answe. Good luck!

    • Donna Muse Donna Muse on Jul 07, 2018

      Never heard of that but it sounds much easier-will look into that. It is just like sand on the surface not a lot of depth.

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Jul 07, 2018

    Hi Amuse,

    Take a look at this website and hope it helps.

    www.hunker.com/.../how-to-remove-sand-textured-paint

  • Jackie Jackie on Jul 07, 2018

    Someone has the bright idea to so the same thing in the bathroom of my husbands family home which we now own. My son who did drywall and painting at the time said the best remedy was to recoat it with drywall mud which he did for me. It came out great and if your handy it is easy enough for a diy. Just make sure you use a primer before you paint or the paint will peel.

  • April Rose-Sharp April Rose-Sharp on Jun 01, 2020

    I would strip it. Paint on citristrip, let it sit until it bubbles, then use a plastic putty knife to scrape it away. I always discard the goo in a cardboard box as I work. You may need to repeat this until the paint is gone. For the detailed bits, use a wire stripping brush and scrape away the paint. When you're done, you will need to clean the whole thing with mineral spirits until it's not sticky anymore. Let it dry and sand what you can to smooth the wood. Then refinish it how you want.

    Citristrip is nice because it doesn't smell awful as you work.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Jan 26, 2023

    If you are elderly, Pay someone else to do the job for you because it will be a messy dirty job with dust everywhere. That way atleast they will do it quicker than you could.

  • If you don't want to remove it all, I would put a beadboard panel over it or you could go with a really rustic look and get faux brick sheets that can be applied to the wall. I think removing it will be a nightmare.

  • Mogie Mogie on May 01, 2023

    I would look into using a self leveling paint they are made to smooth out and level as they dry. They seemed to be used a lot in kitchen areas since they leave a blemish free appearance.

  • You could try sanding it off but an easier fix may be to skim-coat the walls.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Nov 05, 2023

    Maybe you could tile over it!