Without noise and dust, or how to remove whitewash from walls yourself

Removing whitewash from walls is one of the stages of construction work when renovating premises. Removing a layer of lime or chalk is dirty and labor-intensive work.

Knowing how to clean whitewash from walls and applying them in practice will help you cope with the task as quickly and easily as possible.

We'll tell you in this article how to remove whitewash from walls.

Preparation

Regardless of the means used to whitewash, preparation is required before removing it. Since the upcoming work is accompanied by the formation of a large amount of dust and dirt, necessary:

1. Remove as many furnishings as possible from the room. It is especially important to remove upholstered furniture.
2. Those pieces of furniture that will remain in the room during repair work should be well covered with polyethylene film. Fabric covers are not suitable for these purposes.
3. Prepare a stepladder, the height of which will allow the worker to reach the top of the wall.
4. You need to prepare tools for work in advance (their list depends on the approach to cleaning the walls).
5. Place a wet rag on the threshold of the room being repaired.
6. It is important to ensure that the room is isolated from other rooms. This is necessary so as not to spread whitewash throughout the house. In addition to closing the door tightly, you should fill the cracks with foam rubber or seal them with tape.
7. If you need to protect the floor from whitewashing, it is best to use cellophane.Newspapers are not effective for such purposes, as they have low strength, and upon contact with water they tear, allowing dirt to pass through.

It is necessary to take care of personal protection before starting work. – clothing and headgear for repairs, as well as a respirator and safety glasses.

How to quickly remove an old layer?

There are several options for removing whitewash from walls. In terms of simplicity of execution, mechanical ones lead. In its pure form, dry coating removal is accompanied by a large amount of dust.

Sander

Using a sanding machine is the fastest way to remove whitewash from walls. The disadvantage of this method is the formation of dust and dirt in large quantities.

Procedure:

• put a coarse nozzle on the device;
• turn on the device;
• walk the tool along the surface of the walls;
• after large parts of the layer are removed, the surface of the walls needs to be finalized.

Putty knife

Cleaning walls from whitewash using a spatula allows even a non-specialist to carry out the work. The thicker the layer of coating on the walls, the more labor-intensive the work ahead.

Surface treatment principle – pry up a layer of chalk or lime and scrape it onto the floor.

If it is necessary to remove the whitewash completely, areas that are not easily removed the first time can be further treated with sandpaper or a small scraper.

If the whitewash layer is very thick, then you can first tap the walls with a hammer so that some of it comes off and crumbles.

Spray

So that during the process of removing whitewash there is less dust, and the layer comes off in large pieces, It is advisable to moisten the surface. In this case, the process of cleaning the walls will move much faster.

You can moisten the whitewash in any way that seems most convenient. Most often, a bucket of water and a wide brush or spray bottle are used for these purposes.

Procedure:

1. Using the selected device, you should moisten the surface of the wall with an area of ​​no more than 2 m².
2. Move to the next area and moisten it too.
3. Clean the first treated area.
4. Moisten the third area.
5. Clean the whitewash from the second one.
6. Moving from area to area, treat all walls.

This video will show you how to quickly and dust-free remove whitewash from walls and ceilings:

Washing vacuum cleaner

A washing vacuum cleaner will help remove whitewash from the walls. The device is set to washing mode and the water in the tank is replaced as necessary. The advantages of this method are dust-free removal, minus - there is a chance of ruining your household assistant.

Paste

Using paste is one of the popular folk methods. To prepare the composition you will need starch and water.

Component proportions:

• water – 5 liters;
• starch – 200 grams.

Preparation of paste:

1. Pour water into a designated metal bucket or boiling pot.
2. Place the container on the fire.
3. Boil.
4. Gradually, stirring, add starch.
5. Reduce heat.
6. Stirring, cook until the mixture thickens.
7. Cool.
8. Apply the composition to the wall with a brush directly over the whitewash.
9. Wait until it dries and a thick crust forms.
10. Clean off the paste along with the whitewash.

Newsprint

The so-called “glue method” using unnecessary newspapers will help in the difficult job of removing whitewash.

Procedure:

• coat newspapers with glue (you can use any inexpensive one);
• glue the paper to the wall so that one corner does not touch the wall;
• leave for the adhesive to set on the wall covering;
• pulling the free corner, remove the paper along with the whitewash adhering to it;
• clean the walls with a spatula or scraper so that there are no missing islands.

Stripping solutions

In order to avoid the formation of dust when removing the layer covering the walls, special solutions are used. You can make them yourself or buy them in a store. As a result of their reaction with whitewash substances, the layer that needs to be removed softens and comes off without effort.

Homemade

Homemade solutions are not only very easy to prepare, but it also saves money, since all the necessary components are not expensive and are always on hand.

To wash off lime

If the walls were treated with lime, you will need the following medications:

• vinegar;
• shower gel or shampoo;
• warm temperature water.

Procedure:

1. Pour 5-5.5 liters of water into a bucket.
2. In a separate container, mix 1 small spoon of vinegar and half a glass of shower gel.
3. Pour the gel and vinegar mixture into a bucket.
4. Stir.

To remove chalk

In those situations when the walls were whitewashed with chalk, The following components will be needed for the solution:

• soda;
• laundry soap.

Procedure:

1. Grate the soap at the rate of 50 grams per serving of solution.
2. In a separate container, mix the resulting soap shavings with 30 grams of soda.
3. Fill a bucket with 5-6 liters of water.
4. Add soda-soap mixture.
5. Stir until dissolved.

Purchased

In addition to self-prepared washes, you can use purchased professional formulations. You can purchase them in construction stores or order them online, even with delivery.

Examples of effective washes:

• ALFA-20;
• Metylan;
• PROBEL;
• Quelyd Dissoucol.

The average price is from 600 rubles. for a volume of 5 liters.

If the thickness of the whitewash layer is large, then before applying special agents, the walls must be treated by cleaning, for example, by grinding with a machine or with a spatula.

Safety regulations

When removing whitewash from walls The following safety precautions must be observed:

1. It is mandatory to use personal protective equipment.
2. You should not experiment with solvents that are not intended for whitewash removal. Reckless and unjustified use of serious chemicals can lead to unpleasant consequences - stains on the walls, the formation of toxic fumes in the room, etc.
3. Using a grinding machine is only possible after reading the instructions for the device and following all precautions.
4. The floor should not be wet or slippery.

7 recommendations to help

In the process of cleaning the walls from whitewash We advise you to take into account the following recommendations:

1. If after a day of work the solution for removing whitewash is not completely used, and the treatment is planned to be continued the next day, it is better to pour out the remaining solution. The next day you need to prepare a new solution.
2. It is more convenient to clean whitewash with two people than alone, especially when the work is carried out close to the ceiling.A partner will always be able to help - for example, hand over the necessary instrument.
3. It is advisable to wash off the whitewash before the putty layer. This will increase the quality of adhesion of the new coating to the wall.
4. When removing the whitewash layer, you need to ventilate the room.
5. After washing off the whitewash from the walls, you will need to wash the floor several times.
6. Even if you plan to apply whitewash again in the future, it is advisable to wash off the old layer.
7. Complete removal of the old layer should be completed by washing the walls with water and a sponge.

Conclusion

You can remove whitewash from the walls on your own, even if the layer is thick and the surface is in poor condition. If you select the right tools and follow all the rules, the work will be done efficiently and will not take very much time.