DIY Network

Dining-Room Makeover: Removing Old Paint and Wallpaper From "Restoration Realities" episode DRTR-104

	The project house: a 1907 Queen-Anne in a working-class area of the historic West Village district in Detroit. Today's project is the renovation of the dining room.

In this episode, DIY's Restoration Realities helps with the renovation of the dining room in a 1907 Queen-Anne in a working-class area of the historic West Village district in Detroit. In this second segment, repairs are made to the plaster ceiling, and work begins on removing the old paint and wallpaper.

Materials used in this episode:

Two 5-gallon buckets of gypsum drywall mud
Wallpaper stripper
Two 2-1/2-gallon garden sprayers
Plenty of hot water
Plaster
Gallon of bonding primer
Paper tiger (wallpaper-removal tool)
Cordless screw gun or drywall gun
Shop-vac
Several 1-gallon and 5-gallon buckets
Putty knives or five-way painters tools
Utility knife
6" and 10" to 12"-wide taping knife
Rubber base grout float
Large cellulose sponges
Scouring pads
1 bag of lime-based finish plaster
Drywall-sanding paper
Gel stain to touch up the base trim
Rags
Plaster washers
2" drywall screws
Paper drywall tape
Ladders and walk boards (or mobile scaffolding)
Drop-cloths and sheet-plastic
Paint poles
Roller frames and roller covers
2" and 3" paint brushes
Angle-sash paintbrush

Safety Alert: Parts of this project require the use of eye protection and dust masks.

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Ceiling Repair Tips

Moisture had caused the old paint to bubble and crack, so the ceiling was scraped to remove old paint. Later, a bonding primer and thin coat of gypsum will be applied. Rather than simply installing 1/4" drywall to cover the old plaster, efforts were made to preserve the plaster ceiling since it is more authentic to the period of the house.

In areas where the plaster had cracked and released from the lath above (figure A), plaster washers (figure B) were used.

Figure A

Figure B

These washers come in two varieties: flat and prolonged. The prolonged have teeth that help secure the washer in the plaster surface. The washers are secured in the plaster using 2" drywall screws. The screw is placed directly into the crack then sunk into the plaster using a cordless drill and screwdriver attachment (figure C).

Here are the basic steps used in the ceiling repair for this dining room:

1. Beginning with the ceiling, remove the trim inside the coffered beams.

2. Re-secure the areas of fallen plaster using plaster washers.

3. Apply a coat of "link" over the whole surface area.

4. Skim coat the whole surface using regular gypsum mud and a 10" to 12" drywall knife. Allow to dry and sand lightly.

5. Complete by painting with a flat finish latex paint.
   

   	Figure D
   	Figure E

Safety Alert: Always test to make sure that electrical outlets are turned off before working near them -- especially if you're working or cleaning with water.

• First, mask off all areas n top of baseboards and add a border of sheet-plastic to protect the baseboard and flooring.

• Use a paper tiger on the wallpaper that is in place. This is a scoring tool (figure D) that perforates the old wallpaper, allowing the wallpaper-removal solution to seep through the layers of old wallpaper and dissolve the paste.

• The next step is to mix an spray the solution. Using a garden sprayer filled with hot water and a wallpaper remover solution, spray it all over the surface and allow it to soak in (figure E).

  Safety Alert: Always wear protective eyewear when working with the spray stripper.

• Allow about 15 minutes for the solution to penetrate and loosen the old glue.
  

• Using putty knives and flat-scrapers, removed all the paper and glue, using caution to avoid removing any of the old plaster (figure F).

• Once you have loosened the edges, you may be able to peel back the old paper in some places (figure G). If you encounter stubborn pieces, spray the area again and repeat the steps.

  Figure F

  Figure G

  
  

  Figure H

• Once the paper is all off, remove the remaining glue-residue using the same hot water solution on a scouring pad until it is gone from the original plaster surface.

• A sponge and clean, warm water may be sufficient for removing the glue (figure H). If there is still glue remaining, you can spray the bare wall again and scrub some more until it is all removed. It's important that all of the old glue is removed. Otherwise the new paint will bubble and peel.

• Any rough or damaged areas left on the bare walls (such as from the removal of old molding) should be patched and covered with a skim-coat before priming and painting.
  

  	Figure I
  	Figure J

• Begin the repairs to the plaster walls by cutting out any loose plaster from the cracks.

• Re-secure the larger cracks where larger sections or pieces of plaster has pulled off of the lath, or where the lath and plaster have been pulled away from the wall, using metal plaster washers and ordinary 1-1/2" or 2" drywall screws. After they have been re-secured work can begin on the cracks.

• Begin by digging out the crack, removing all loose pieces of plaster from the crack. Depending on the width of the crack, we may need to dig back to the lath strips to anchor our plaster better.

• Wet the area surrounding the crack, and begin by applying our first layer of plaster.

• After it has set up, about and hour and a half, nock down any tips or high spots in the plaster, and begina finish coat, polishing it to look like the original plaster.

• After it has set up we can begin to apply our primer coat and base coat.
  

In the segment that follows, work continues on ceiling repairs, then priming and painting gets underway.

Note: This is a summary of steps included in the procedures shown in this episode of Restoration Realities. There may be variations in procedures for your particular restoration project based on the types of materials you select and the nature or extent of your particular project. Always follow proper safety precautions, and read and follow manufacturer's guidelines, diagrams and safety notices that come with materials or products that you select.

RESOURCES :

Victorian: American Restoration Style
Model: 0879058870
Author: Joan M. Brierton
Publisher: Gibbs Smith Publishers
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes
Author: George Nash
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561585351
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Renovating and Restyling Older Homes: The Professional's Guide to Maximum Value Remodeling
Author: Lawrence Dworin
Publisher: Craftsman Book Company
ISBN: 1572180293
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Selecting and Renovating an Old House: A Complete Guide
Author: United States Department of Agriculture
July 2000
Publisher: Dover Publications
ISBN: 0486409562
Order this title from Amazon.com.