How do I fix my basement walls?
by
Bonnie Davis
+5
I am redoing the basement in my house, and upon removing wallpaper from previous owner I discovered they applied the wall paper directly to the drywall with no paint. The wall paper was commercial grade vinyl. Now my walls are rough, how can I fix this easily, inexpensively, and quickly
Related Discussions
Suggested Project Book
Somewhat of a complex fix and it is time consuming but the results are worth it.
https://www.hunker.com/13418437/how-to-fix-drywall-after-removing-wallpaper
What I have done with walls like that, was scrape off any residue (or steam it off), sand, patch and sand some more. I wish people thought of issues like that before creating them. My pet peeve is painted over wallpaper. Good luck!
Hi Bonnie. You can remove the wallpaper by spritzing warm water on it and then scraping carefully. It's a tough job and will take a good amount of time. Then go back and fill any holes, scrapes or scratches. Allow to dry. Then come back and sand until smooth. This job will take a lot of elbow grease and patience. If you cannot commit to a job like this, you may want to hang new drywall. Good luck Bonnie.
One way or another, the walls will have to be sanded smooth, then you can repaint or wallpaper or panel or use any other treatment you please. Sandpaper is cheap, even for a hand electric Sanger, but it will take a lot of time. I suggest that you use steam or very warm water and scrapers to clean the wall again first. Much more wallpaper and hard places will come off, making sanding easier and save some time. Best wishes to you. Jewell
Hi Bonnie, it's so frustrating when people do that. You can use a drywall knife to scrap it off and then sand it down afterwards.
Hi Bonnie,
Is it possible that the prior owners used sizing on the dry wall? Sizing will leave a rough surface but it can be washed off. Wallpaper directions state to use sizing before applying wallpaper. Try a spot using warm water to see if that will work. Wishing you the best.
Here's a post that might help you - https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Wallpaper-from-Drywall
Thanks for the input everyone, i'm probably going to paper some paintable paper right over the mess. I can't even fathom having to sand everything down, even with an electric sander. My other thought is hanging a quality wall panel through out where I need it. They have some nice ones that look so real you have to touch them to see that they are actually flat lol