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I'm removing wallpaper right now. Removing the paper itself was easy. The problem now is there is a ton of glue left over.

I'm removing the glue using water+vinegar and then scraping it off. Most of it comes off easily, however there are a few spots where it's stubborn and refuses to come off. There's not much there at all, it looks like a faint stain.

Is it okay to leave little bits like that? I plan on applying a skim coat of mud to the drywall next.

mj

4 Answers 4

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I also think removing as much old adhesive as possible is what you want to do. I made the mistake of not removing it all a few years ago and now I have to go back. Also, seal with kitz oil based primer. The skim coat sounds like a lot of work to get it smooth. Is the wall that rough? Af for the need to prime, definitely after skimming, or on any holes you patch. I wouldn't prime before skimming unless there was still glue left.

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  • BrianK, how much glue did you leave behind? I've got very faint, thin patches here and there. As for the skim coat, I damaged some of the paper in a few spots and I dug in a little bit into some of the old mud with my scraper.
    – mj_
    Oct 9, 2015 at 13:40
  • That's what I thought I had too - just faint patches, but it still showed through. But I did use latex primer sealer instead of oil based sealer. If you use oil based, you might be OK. You could always try a spot and see.
    – BrianK
    Oct 9, 2015 at 18:48
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You will have to remove all of the wall paper paste otherwise the spackle will not get a solid bond to the wall surface. The best tool for wall paper and paste removal is this one: http://www.lowes.com/pd_40627-97-0282018___?productId=3033147&pl=1&Ntt=wall+paper+steamer . It removes the paper in sheets as well as the glue.

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If you're skim coating, you might be alright. Though it's hard to tell without actually seeing it.

If it were me, I'd do my best to remove all the glue, even if I had to sand a few spots.

If you were planning to paint without skim coating, then you definitely have to remove all the glue.

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  • If I skim, do I have to prime before or after? I've seen comments on the Internet that say both ways
    – mj_
    Oct 8, 2015 at 2:37
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The wallpaper paste will bleed through layers of skimcoat and latex paint.

For best results, you will have to take a few steps. 1. Remove as much as the paste as possible. 2. Then use an oil-based primer over the wall. Oil-based primer will block wallpaper paste staining 3. At this point you will have a good surface to skimcoat over. 4. After skimcoating, another coat of primer (could be oil-based or latex). You need this layer of primer because of the uneven way paint drys over bare drywall compound. 5. Finish coat of paint!

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