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Drywall problem

dumbson | Posted in General Discussion on April 22, 2020 06:49pm

Removed stubborn old wallpaper and damaged the drywall in areas down to the brown paper.  My dumb son then took a paint sprayer and heavely sprayed primer all over the walls before repairing the damaged areas.  I sanded a small area to try and remove the primer but not sure this is the way to proceed.  Any suggestions on how to fix this mess!!

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  1. calvin | Apr 22, 2020 07:25pm | #1

    Have you tried to patch the damaged spots?

    And, most drywall paper I’m familiar with would be off white or slightly grey. Now, wallpaper backing or base often appears light “brown”.

    Are you sure the wallpaper is completely off? And, was the drywall primed before they papered it?

    You might want to post a picture here both close up and from a distance.

    Thanks

  2. dumbson | Apr 24, 2020 12:35pm | #2

    My dumb son sprayed the primer paint before damaged spots could be repaired. All wallpaper has been removed. It is an older home that was done back in the early 70s. Some of the paper came off very easily. 2 rooms took a lot of work scoring the paper, using DIF and damaged the drywall. Don't know what was done to the walls prior to papering. A series of pictures (large areas are in a different room) show what it was after paper removal and after I tried sanding off the primer paint. One picture shows the painted wall which looks like there's nothing wrong but damage under the paint shows in the light at certain times of the day. I have more pictures but this site only allows 5. Thanks for your help

    1. calvin | Apr 24, 2020 10:02pm | #4

      Number 1 and 3 .......if you just mud it over, a lot of the light paper will ripple and dry. Some of the brown paper area can resist adhesion of joint compound.

      They must be spot primed with Bins or Sheilds primer to seal the paper. Then you can patch area or skim coat the wall with compound.

      So, your son wasn’t as dumb as you think.

  3. User avater
    Plumb13 | Apr 24, 2020 06:59pm | #3

    You don't have a problem. Drywall mud bonds to primer.

  4. BlueThumnail | Apr 24, 2020 10:49pm | #5

    Hello, I'm new to this site. I'm a 30 year remodeler and I love to talk remodeling. Also, I'm always looking to learn something new from anyone and I think remodeling always has something new to be learned from someone. I just finished repairing some kitchen walls where the owner let a young girl remove their wallpaper. She DESTROYED the wallboard down to the gypsum in large areas!!Worst case I'd ever seen! SO, I would like to say that Calvin is right. From your photos, I will say that your problem is very light. 1) lightly sand the raw paper to a suede finish. 2) seal the raw paper with a generous 'oil-based' primer such as Calvin suggested. DO NOT use a water-based primer! 3) Lightly sand again after it is well dried 4) apply a 'skim coat' of wall mud & let it dry. Apply a second coat if needed. 5) Sand lightly again and then prime the new repair before painting. BTW, I am a former dummy who is self-taught. (They don't teach you these things in Drywall College.)

  5. dumbson | Apr 25, 2020 09:23am | #6

    Okay guys, I'm a bit confused (maybe I'm the dumb one). I know from your answers and what I researched that the brown paper needs to be sealed before repair. The white water based primer paint he sprayed was the mistake. The areas where I sanded the primer paint off (#2, 3, & 4) will now need to be sealed as well. Does this mean I need to sand the entire room or just the areas that have bubbled? Or do I just mudd the entire room over the primer paint.
    By the way, he's not really dumb, he's just trying to fill shoes after losing his brother & father. He just lacks patience. This is a house that has been in the family for 130 years and was just vacated by an 80 year old 23 year tenant. We could have filmed the next episode of 'we buy ugly houses' in there.
    Thanks for the help guys

    1. BlueThumnail | Apr 25, 2020 11:01am | #7

      Good morning. If you have put anything water-based on the wall and the paper has rippled up, here's what you need to do: Take a utility knife with a good point on the blade. Use the tip of the knife to cut 1/8 inch deep around the perimeter of the booboo, leaving a clean, sharp edge on the paper outside the circle. Peel off all the paper inside the circle and dampen the brown raw paper and rub with your finger to remove as much as you can (don't worry about a little residual paper). Then, prime it with oil-based primer (liquid or spray such as KILZ ). Once that dries well, sand to remove any burrs so that you can run a drywall knife across it without rippling your mud. Then, apply a 'skim coat' of mud across the entire area. Let dry. Lightly sand and feather off the edges. At this point, you must prime the spots again. Otherwise, your spots will drink up more of your paint than the surrounding 'sealed areas' and it will appear a flatter sheen than the surrounding areas. So, always prime any raw mud repairs before you paint.

  6. vogisos | Sep 14, 2020 03:59pm | #8

    Can you post the result here to see clearly the outcome? There should be some settings that will allow you to amend it

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