- Preparing damaged drywall for painting

My wallpaper was glued directly to the drywall with no layer of paint in between. When removing the paper some of the drywall covering has stripped off as well. Is there anything I can do to still be able to paint the walls?

Tip:

When you become aware that there is no paint or sizing on drywall under wall paper before trying to remove the paper use a paper ripper (paper tiger) available at paint and decorating stores. This will perforate the wallpaper and allow steam from a wall paper removing machine to penetrate and release the adhesive on the paper without affecting the drywall.

To prepare your damaged drywall for painting first make a mixture of 1 cup liquid fabric softener and 1 quart hot water. Wearing rubber gloves and using a sponge wash the wall. Rinse well with clear warm water and allow to dry. This will remove any residual adhesive left on the wall sur-face.

Mix 1 cup WELDBOND GLUE and 1 quart warm water and apply to entire wall using a roller. Allow to dry. Using a lightweight spackling compound such as DAP FAST & FINAL and an 8 inch plastic spackling knife fill the areas where the paper face has torn away. Allow to dry. Little or no sanding will be required.

Apply a coat of fast dry alkyd primer over entire wall and then proceed to paint with best quality interior acrylic latex.

Article courtesy of: Shell Busey