How to Remove Paint From Plaster

If you’re ready to give your walls a new paint job but your current paint is peeling or cracked, you might be wondering how to remove paint from plaster.

Fortunately, removing old paint from plaster walls isn’t a difficult process all things considered. And to make the process even easier, we’ve put together this handy step by step guide so you can ensure you get a perfectly smooth finish with your new paint.

Tools needed for the job:

  • Sanding block
  • 180 grit sandpaper
  • Plaster filler
  • Wall scraper

Step 1: Scrape away any loose paint

When preparing your walls for new paint, the good news is that you don’t need to completely remove all of the old paint from the plaster. With that being said, any loose, peeling or cracked paint should be removed using a wall scraper.

Simply target these areas and scrape the paint off of the plaster.

Step 2: Using wall filler

If your old paint is peeling or cracked, chances are the plaster isn’t entirely smooth. Fortunately, all you need to do to fix these areas of plaster is to apply a bit of plaster filler and smooth over with your wall scraper.

The filler coat is going to be pretty thin and so should dry quickly but for best results we’d advise waiting at least a day before moving on to step 3.

Step 3: Sanding down the surface

Using 180 grit sandpaper attached to a sanding block, sand the entire area of plaster that you plan to paint. This fine sandpaper will remove any other loose specs of paint from the plaster but more importantly will provide a key for your new paint to adhere to.

Summary

Removing emulsion from plaster is a simple process and in most cases you won’t even need to remove the entirety of the old paint. Simply put, all you have to do is scrape away larger pieces of cracked or peeling paint, fill any holes in with plaster filler and finely sand the entire wall.

Once you’ve done all that, your wall is going to be as smooth as glass and once painted will look incredible.