How to Remove Paint from Textured Walls
Texture softens the look of a wall and it adds dimension to the design of a room. But when the texture is painted and the paint is peeling or fading, you might want to remove the paint and repaint over the existing texture. However, you can't remove paint lodged in the crevices of the texture without removing the texture itself. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Stiff nylon bristle brush
- 220-grit sanding block
- Respirator mask
- Protective eye wear
Instructions
-
-
1
Brush the surface of the painted texture with a stiff nylon bristle brush. This type of brush is available at hardware stores and lumber yards and it comes in a variety of sizes.
-
2
Move the brush back and forth with quick, light strokes to buff away paint from the textured wall. This will remove bits of peeling paint. Don't press too hard or you will remove the texture, too.
-
-
3
Sand the wall if it has a knockdown finish. A knockdown finish has indentations in the texture, but the surface of the texture is smooth. This texture also is known as "California knockdown" and "orange peel."
-
4
Use a 220-grit sanding block and sand lightly over the texture. Use a circular motion. Not only will you remove the paint, you might remove the surface of the texture because it is made from drywall compound, which is highly porous.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Roll a coat of stain-blocking wall primer over the textured wall after sanding away the surface paint. The primer will reduce the possibility of stains and old paint colors bleeding through.
If you want to remove all traces of paint from the wall, you will have to remove the texture. You can do this by spraying the texture with water until it is just damp, and then carefully scraping it away with a drywall trowel.
Do not use a drywall sander, which is intended to sand away drywall compound. It will strip off and ruin the texture's consistency.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
