Professional tricks on how to quickly and easily remove lime from walls

Anyone who has ever renovated their home is familiar with the unspoken rule: the quality of preparation of rough surfaces before finishing determines the appearance of the room after the remodel.

And if everything is clear with old wallpaper, then not everyone knows how to remove lime from the walls or ceiling.

Recommendations from experienced craftsmen will help you understand this issue and clean the walls of lime as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Preparation

The preparatory process can be divided into two stages.

Instrument

In order for the process of removing lime from the walls to proceed as quickly as possible, it is necessary in advance Make sure you have the following tools:

• soft sponges;
• spatula (wide and narrow);
• spray;
• ladder;
• rolls;
• water container;
• rags, rags for cleaning.

Lime removal work cannot be carried out without personal protective equipment. Construction glasses, a respirator, a headscarf or scarf, and work clothes will protect the skin and mucous membranes from fine particles of lime in the air and splashes of dirty water.

Premises

To prevent the whitewash removal process from developing into a global cleaning, it is necessary to cover the floor covering with plastic film or sheets of plywood.

Windows and doors are also covered as much as possible with cloth or polyethylene (lime splashes leave white spots that are quite difficult to wash off). Before work begins, especially valuable items and furniture are removed from the premises.

How to remove old coating?

Conventionally, methods for removing lime from walls are divided into “dry” and “wet”.

The “dry” or, as it is also called, the mechanical method, consists in the fact that the surface of the wall without pre-treatment with any compounds clean with a spatula, wire brush or sander.

The “wet” method involves impregnating the lime layer with liquid, after which it becomes loose, ready for quick removal with a spatula or brush.

Putty knife

The most common way to remove limescale from a wall is with a spatula. This process is quite labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it is the spatula that helps clean the surfaces efficiently.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Using a soft sponge, wide brush or roller, thoroughly moisten the lime layer on the wall with warm water and leave for at least fifteen minutes.
2. As soon as the lime has absorbed moisture, the soft, swollen layer is removed with a spatula.

This way the entire surface is cleaned layer by layer. It is important not to rush, to carry out work locally, wetting small areas of the wall and quickly removing the swollen lime layer.

How to clean with a grinder?

One way to “dry” remove whitewash is to use a sander.

An emery wheel with the coarsest grain is fixed to the tool.. Having protected the eyes with construction glasses and the respiratory tract with a respirator, the remaining limestone layer is removed from the wall using gentle rotational movements.

Soap solution

To quickly remove the limescale layer from the wall, you can use another proven, inexpensive solution - a soap solution.

Algorithm of actions:

• in a bucket (7-10 l) with warm water, dissolve the shavings of half a bar of laundry soap;
• using a soft sponge or a wide brush, apply the resulting soap solution to the wall and leave for five to ten minutes;
• as soon as the layer of lime is saturated with liquid, it can be easily removed with a soft cloth (if necessary, dry areas are cleaned with a spatula).

As an option, to prepare a soap solution, you can use liquid dishwashing detergent or washing gel (2-3 tbsp is enough for 10 liters).

Paste

A paste will help to clean the wall of the lime layer without dust and difficult to wash off dirty streaks.

Algorithm of actions:

1. In a large saucepan (5-8 l), bring water to a boil.
2. Separately, add flour or starch (2 tbsp) in a thin stream to a small amount of boiling water (no more than 1 liter). During the preparation process, the solution must be stirred all the time.
3. The resulting mixture is poured into a saucepan with boiling water (do not forget to stir all the time). The result should be a solution whose consistency resembles thick sour cream or jelly.
4. Using a soft wide brush, apply the paste to the wall.
5. After the adhesive mixture has dried, it can be easily cleaned off along with the lime with a wide spatula.

Washing vacuum cleaner

A washing vacuum cleaner can quickly remove a thin layer of lime on the wall. Using a special nozzle, water is sprayed over the surface, after which the softened lime layer is sucked up by a vacuum cleaner.

A washing vacuum cleaner is used to clean small, local areas walls covered with lime. This household appliance is not designed for this kind of cleaning, therefore, with a large load, there is a high risk of breakdowns.

Spray

Treating the surfaces with a vinegar solution through a spray bottle will help to quickly soften the layer of lime whitewash.

The steps are simple: dissolve 1 tbsp in five liters of warm water. vinegar. The resulting liquid is sprayed onto the wall through a spray bottle and left for five to ten minutes. As soon as the lime layer swells, it is cleaned off with a brush or spatula.

Unnecessary newspapers or wallpaper

Remaining lime on the wall will help remove newspapers or thin paper wallpaper.

It's simple:

1. Wallpaper glue is diluted in a wide basin (the consistency of the mass should resemble thick sour cream).
2. Using a roller or a wide brush, thoroughly coat the layer with lime and glue and immediately apply newspapers or old wallpaper.
3. After two or three minutes (the glue should set), the pieces of paper are torn off along with the lime layer.

After cleaning, sweep the surface with a brush (if necessary, clean up the whitewash residues with a wide spatula).

Acid and water

In a situation where, using a soap solution, paste or a washing vacuum cleaner, it was not possible to completely remove the layer of lime from the wall, acid solutions will come to the rescue.

Algorithm of actions:

• concentrated acetic or hydrochloric acid is diluted with water (no more than 30 grams of substance per liter of water);
• the resulting liquid is applied to the wall with a brush and after the lime begins to bubble, it is easily cleaned off with a spatula.

Acid is added to water, not the other way around. This rule will help avoid the occurrence of hazardous, toxic fumes.

Safety regulations

Lime whitewash is a very caustic substance. Work to remove it from the wall can only be carried out adhering to certain safety rules:

1. Wash off lime only with rubber gloves, goggles and a respirator.
2. During work, the room must be periodically ventilated (there is a high risk of poisoning with toxic fumes).

Adviсe

Water will help determine the approximate composition of whitewash on the wall. You need to apply a few drops to the surface and see what happens next.

If the drops are quickly absorbed into the surface, the whitewash is chalk.. Drops remain on the surface - lime whitewash.

There is no need to rush and try to cover a large area of ​​the lime layer on the wall at once. By washing off the whitewash in small sections, you can clean the surfaces much faster and, importantly, with better quality.

If in the process of removing lime from the wall, White spots have appeared on the floor, potassium permanganate will help remove them. It is enough to dissolve a few granules in two liters of warm water and rinse the dirt with the resulting solution.

Conclusion

Removing an old lime layer from a wall is a labor-intensive, time-consuming job, which can be made easier and faster with the right tools and cleaning methods.