Remove textured walls?

Question

I am looking for ideas on what to do with these textures walls. They are a pain to clean and if something hits them some of it chips off. Remove or paint? Any ideas would be helpful. In this room there are 3 walls that have this 'texture' and arches, the 4th wall is just like an ordinary smooth wall.

RCooper @ thoughtsbyher.com · Answer

Hello fellow Colorado Springs person!!! When I lived in St Louis I had a house that had HIGHLY textured walls. To me it was one of the biggest drawbacks of the house. When we painted the walls, the texture just kind of faded away. They almost looked like a suede finish. That texture was different than yours but I find myself wondering if yours would look almost like a Venetian plaster finish once painted. My thought would be to paint them to see how you like them first. If you still aren't happy with the look then look into removal. Best of luck!!

Marion · Answer

When you find a solution,please let me know.Lol...Walking into my home is like going back to the 70's.I was told to sand the walls,or remove and replace Sheetrock .I too,would love suggestions.

Rsd1152999 · Answer

You can remove the texture easily with a large putty knife to scrape it.  Just lightly sand it to break through the paint that is sealing it then use a spray bottle with water to wet it.  It will peel off with the scraper.  If you don't want to remove it all the way down to the wallboard, just scrape the peaks off.  If you remove it all you will probably want to retexture with a lighter touch.  Use paint with primer.

Cathy Matthews · Answer

Here is a link that may offer some good info. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cover-rough-walls-30309.html

Jeanne Lentz · Answer

We ended up sanding our down! Then repainted!!

Cindy Clark · Answer

I purchased a 1948 cottage in 2012 and loved the textured walls in the two bedrooms, bath and hallway. At least it looks better than the painted paneling in the living room. I had not realized that it was nearly non-existent in places. I had noticed a spot in the 2nd bedroom that was dirty next to the light switch a week or so ago. When I went to lightly clean it, the texture came off all the way down to the wallboard. Now I'm wondering what to do with the wall board. I'm coming off of several years of unemployment, underemployment and don't have the resources to pay a friend's husband to fix this small place. I would also like suggestions as to what to do at this time. The only place that appears to have this issue is next to the sole light switch.

Sharon · Answer

Use a wallpaper steamer to soften then scrape off. Messy but it works.

Lucid Designs · Answer

Sharon's wallpaper steamer is a good idea. Another idea is to sand them down with an orbital sander that has the dustless bag attachment... connect a flexible hose between the sander (where you've taken off the bag) and a shop vac (tape both ends secure and make sure both the sander and shop vac are turned on during this process), and you should be able to sand this down without any dust. If dust does start flying around, empty the shop vac.

Janet A · Answer

Thank you all for your suggestions. It's a large project that has me kinda scared. I am thinking just to knock off some to cut the projections down some and then paint. Thoughts on that?

Jodi · Answer

I did this in 2 rooms of our house 17 years ago. We had just lost a son in a car accident and I just didn't want to concentrate on taping and sanding anymore drywall I had just hung. Our bedroom is fine for me. It's painted a pretty blue but my living room has to go! I'm going to put new drywall up because since this has been painted there is no way a steamer will soak it off. I tried sanding a spot that is covered by furniture and that isn't going to be an option either. I'm being honest here! Consider drywall replacement! Odds are it's a good thing because you can add insulation if needed.

Barb Burnham · Answer

I think I would take a wide trowel and joint compound and go over then to a softer texture, prime, repaint. Removal is an utter mess when you can go over it and make it smoother with less effort. I have done that with painted popcorn ceilings too. If too hard to remove, cover it up. Good luck.

Ruth wallace · Answer

Mist your wall with two parts water and one part paint thinner until it becomes like a thick biscuit, then use wide putty knife to gently scrape.

Paula Olds · Answer

We scraped ours off using a technique similar to Ruth Wallace's. We used water and vinegar instead of paint thinner and a heavy duty paint scraper to get it off. It was messy, but not too hard. I would suggest laying down a drop cloth to catch the bulk of the paint chips/shards. http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/i/m/image_22410.jpg

MBLori · Answer

Easiest way is to hit the walls with a good sander. You can take it down to a level where it's not so bumpy. Take off the adjoining rooms or your house will fill with dust. While you're at it, think about removing the popcorn ceilings. It's easy to do and definitely worth it. (Just make sure they're not asbestos first!)

Annie · Answer

You didn't mention the age of your house, but if it was built prior to 1978, you might want to test for lead paint first. Any sanding would throw lead paint particles into the air and into the a/c and heating ducts. You don't want to breathe that and especially don't want children to come into contact with it. Good luck with your project!!

Barb Burnham · Answer

My idea is WAY faster and easier with no threat of disturbing lead based paint.....go for it!

Lyn D · Answer

Drywall over them and start clean. It is worth it believe me :) You will never have to revisit that texture again. Just did it to a ceiling, 'BEAUTIFUL'

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

You can rent a special sanding tool that is mounted on a pole. It connects to a special vacuum that will handle most of the dust. This drywall sanding tool will make quick work of the texture as most likely its spackle. You will still need to cover everything with plastic as it still will be a bit dusty, but not nearly as bad trying to do it by hand or using a electrical sander. it takes a bit of strength to hold this tool for a few hours, so you will want to enlist the help of a few people. Once done, a good primer and paint and you will never know it was there.

Mcgypsy9 · Answer

Hi Janet...these walls are nothing more than mud put over flat drywall to make them look more decorative. Get a spray bottle and fill it with warm water. Put down some drop cloths as it does get messy but not too bad. Get about a 6' scraper like you would use to scrape popcorn ceilings off with. It should be plastic as a metal scraper will gouge your walls too much. Just spray the warm water on the wall in about 20x20 inch area and let the water sit for a few minutes and then scrape it off with the scraper. It will take just a few hours to complete. If you do gouge the walls at all just get some drywall mud and fill them back in and sand them down smooth. You may also want to get a pan and hold it under where you scrape it off as this makes it less messy. Good Luck!

Marta Schulenburg · Answer

I liked the idea of adding more to smoothe it out a little. Sounds a lot less messy and probably faster. The painting could look pretty cool with a base color then rag wash with a darker color to give it some character. Just a thought...

Marion Nesbitt · Answer

Would remove it using the 'water' method as suggested.

Karin L · Answer

I have a similar problem with ugly dirty white stucco, inside my enclosed patio. Will any of these suggestions work? We were thinking of knocking some down with a scraper, then painting over it.

Jbird68 · Answer

We have a bathroom that was plastered over and then sponge painted. Two walls are exterior walls and the paint has started to crack, big time. I've started scraping off what is loose. But after the loose parts are done then it gets hard to scrape off the rest that hasn't cracked. The walls themselves are plaster-lathe. So if I use water to soften up the thick paint, will is also soften the original plaster-lathe? I can already tell this is going to be a pain in the rear. Once I get this thick paint off I think I will try textured wallpaper over the original plaster-lathe and paint it.

Sue Ryan · Answer

I would take a scraper and remove the high points and cover with bidboard.

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