How to quickly and easily remove old whitewash from the ceiling?

Any repair begins with surface preparation. And then the question arises before us - how to wash whitewash from the ceiling and in what cases should it be done? The process of removing whitewash itself is not too complicated, but due to the fact that the field of activity is above your head, and even at a decent height, difficulties may arise. Recommendations from experienced craftsmen will help remove chalk and remove old whitewash with minimal effort and time.

In what cases do you need to wash off the whitewash?

It is clear that if you plan to install a suspended or suspended ceiling, then remove the old whitewash and chalk is not necessary. An exception to the rule will be the situation when mold spots have formed on the ceiling. In this case, all chalk must be washed and treated with a fungicidal composition.

Also, whitewashing must be removed in the following cases:

• before wallpapering;
• when painting with water-based paint;
• before facing with polystyrene foam tile.

If you plan to just refresh the finish, you can leave the old chalk. In this case, it will be necessary to re-whiten the ceiling with approximately the same composition with which it was whitened earlier. At the same time, there should not be spots of grease, mold and dirt on the surface - otherwise all this will appear through a fresh repair.

Tip

To find out which whitewash was used for the ceiling, you can use a simple test. They spray water on the surface - if the drops are absorbed, then it is chalk, and if they remain, then the whitewash is calcareous.

Preparation for work

To wash off the ceiling from whitewashing is a rather dirty activity. Therefore, furniture is taken out of the room, and the remaining items are closed with plastic wrap. Cover the floors with cardboard or newspapers.

Prepare the appropriate equipment: workwear, a hat on his head, safety glasses and rubber gloves. If you are going to remove the old coating in a dry way, then use a gauze bandage or a respirator to protect against dust.

You will also need a stepladder, a bucket of water, sponges, rags and some tools.

Rinse with water

How to remove whitewash from the ceiling? The easiest and most reliable way is to wash off the chalk with water. To do this, you need a large foam sponge or a cloth made of cotton, a bucket of warm water and a stepladder. Simply dampen the sponge and use it to clean the ceiling of chalk, dust and dirt.

True, with this method you can get rid of only chalky whitewash.

Scraper

How to clean the ceiling of whitewash made on the basis of lime? To do this, you have to use a spatula.

• Before removing whitewash, it must be moistened with water. This can be done using a foam roller or spray water from a conventional hand-held spray gun. To handle large areas, you can use a sprayer or a nozzle for a vacuum cleaner (a special device that is worn on the air outlet).
• Let the water soak for 10 minutes.
• Use a spatula to remove the old coating. It is advisable to have two tools on hand - narrow and wide.
• Well-moistened whitewash will be easy to clean from the ceiling. If the solution flows by hand - let the surface dry slightly, if dust forms during the cleaning process - moisten again.

Tip

To make the whitewash easier to wash off, apply a soap solution made according to the following recipe using a roller: for 10 liters of water, 5 tablespoons of soda and two tablespoons of laundry soap shavings.

Cleaning with paste

How to wash whitewash from the ceiling with minimal damage to the room? The answer is - use a paste or cheap wallpaper glue!

The paste is cooked according to the following recipe.

• For 1 liter of water, take 1 tablespoon of flour. Flour is diluted in a small amount of warm water, then poured into a pan with boiling water. After cooling, the paste is ready for use.

The paste is applied by roller to the ceiling. After about 10 minutes, it dries and needs to be removed with a spatula along with whitewash. The old coating will be separated in pieces, without dust and dirt.

Tip

When removing whitewash from the ceiling, you can attach a small plastic tray to the spatula. In this case, the pieces of the coating will fall into it, and not on the floor.

We use paper

Remove old whitewash will help newsprint. Sheets of paper are glued to the ceiling using the same paste or wallpaper glue. One corner is left unattached so that it can be grasped by hands and removed. After drying, the paper is torn off the ceiling, and the old coating falls off with it. Finally, walk along the ceiling with a wet rag using a mop. Stains of dirt are cleaned separately with a spatula.

Washing solutions

To wash whitewash from the ceiling, you can use special adhesive solutions for washing, sold in hardware stores. After applying such a solution to the surface, chalk and calcareous compounds are folded with a crust, which is easily removed with a spatula. Without dust, but dirt still can not be avoided.

Prepare solutions for washing can be at home. Here are some recipes.

• For five liters of water, take two caps of bath foam and one tablespoon of vinegar.
• Chalk is easier to remove using a 10% solution of sodium chloride. For this, 1 kg of sodium chloride is dissolved in a bucket of water. The solution is used in a warm form.

After the old coating is removed, the ceiling is washed with warm water with a sponge, rag or mop. Checking the quality of work is very simple: swipe the dry area with your hand - there should be no white mark on it.

So, how to quickly whitewash the whitewash from the ceiling, you now know: at your disposal are several ways. If chalk was used for coating, then it can be removed with a sponge and water. Lime whitewash will have to be removed with a spatula, after wetting the surface. To facilitate the process and prevent the formation of dust, use special washes or prepare a similar solution yourself.