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

Any repair begins with surface preparation. And then we are faced with the question - how to wash off the whitewash from the ceiling and in what cases does this need to be done? The process of removing whitewash itself is not too complicated, but due to the fact that the field of activity is located 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 should whitewash be washed off?

It is clear that if you plan to install a suspended or suspended ceiling, then there is no need to remove old whitewash and chalk. An exception to the rule would be a situation where mold stains have formed on the ceiling. In this case, all the chalk must be washed and the surface treated with a fungicidal composition.

Whitewash must also be removed in the following cases:

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

If you are just planning to freshen up the finish, you can leave the old chalk. In this case, you will need to re-whiten the ceiling with approximately the same composition that was used to whiten it previously. At the same time, there should be no stains of grease, mold or dirt on the surface - otherwise all this will show through the fresh repair.

Advice

You can find out what kind of whitewash was used on the ceiling using a simple test. Water is sprayed onto the surface - if the drops are absorbed, then it is chalk, and if they remain, then it is lime whitewash.

Preparing for work

Washing the whitewash off a ceiling is a rather dirty task. Therefore, furniture is removed from the room, and the remaining items are covered with plastic wrap. Cover the floors with cardboard or newspapers.

Prepare the appropriate equipment: overalls, a cap, safety glasses and rubber gloves. If you are going to remove the old coating using a dry method, 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 off 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 will need a large foam sponge or cotton rag, a bucket of warm water and a stepladder. Just wet the sponge and use it to clean the ceiling from chalk, dust and dirt.

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

Scraper

How to clean a ceiling from lime-based whitewash? To do this you will have to use a spatula.

• Before removing the whitewash, it must be moistened with water. This can be done using a foam roller or spraying water from a regular hand-held spray bottle. To treat large areas, you can use a sprayer or a vacuum cleaner attachment (a special device that fits onto the air outlet).
• Let the water soak in for 10 minutes.
• To remove the old coating, use a spatula. 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 over your hands, let the surface dry a little; if dust forms during the cleaning process, moisten it again.

Advice

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

Cleaning with paste

How to wash off whitewash from the ceiling with minimal damage to the room? There is an answer - use 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 saucepan with boiling water. After cooling, the paste is ready for use.

The paste is applied with a roller to the ceiling. After about 10 minutes it will dry out and should be removed with a spatula along with the whitewash. The old coating will come off in pieces, without dust or dirt.

Advice

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

We use paper

Newsprint will help remove old whitewash. Sheets of paper are glued to the ceiling using the same paste or wallpaper glue. One corner is left unattached so that you can grab it with your hands and remove it. After drying, the paper is torn off from the ceiling, and the old coating falls off along with it. Finally, go over the ceiling with a wet cloth using a mop. Dirt stains are cleaned separately with a spatula.

Cleaning solutions

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

You can prepare cleaning solutions 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 table salt. To do this, dissolve 1 kg of table salt in a bucket of water. The solution is used warm.

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

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