If you’re wondering how to remove silk paint from walls, you might be happy to know that you can in fact simply paint over the top of your existing silk walls with washable matt emulsion without having to remove it.
However, if that hasn’t convinced you then the best method of removing large areas of silk paint from walls is to use something called Peelaway 7.
Peelaway 7 is a paint remover that allows you to remove large areas of paint all at once by simply peeling it off.
Here are the steps you need to take.
Step 1: Get yourself some protective equipment
If you’re going to be using Peelaway 7 indoors, it’s highly recommended that you not only adequately ventilate the room but that you also wear lots of safety equipment. Recommended equipment includes:
- Coveralls
- Eye protection
- Chemical resistant gloves
- Face mask
Step 2: Test it on your silk paint
Before going crazy and applying the Peelaway left, right and centre, it’s best to ensure there are no adverse reactions to your wall. Choose a small patch to test it on. Follow the instructions as if you were carrying out the whole process and if the paint removes properly, you know it will work on the rest of your wall.
Step 3: Apply the Peelaway 7 liberally
Using a paint brush, apply the Peelaway 7 paste liberally (around 0.5cm depth) to any area of silk paint you want to remove. For uneven walls you might want to add around 20% extra in terms of depth.
Step 4: Apply the blanket
Peelaway comes with an adhesive blanket which sticks to the paste you’ve applied. Gently press the blanket onto the paste to ensure it sticks properly. Ensure that any air bubbles are popped.
Step 5: Let it work its magic
Peelaway typically takes around 2 days to fully work its magic so give it a couple of days before removing.
Step 6: Remove the blanket
As the name suggests, slowly peel away the blanket from the wall. Most of the paint should be stuck to the blanket, leaving you with a pristine wall.
Step 7: Scrape off any remaining paint
If you’re one of the lucky ones, the entirety of the paint has come off along with the blanket. If not, you’ll need to use a wall scraper to remove any paint residue that’s been left behind.
Step 8: Neutralise the wall
As Peelaway is an alkaline-based product you’ll want to use the acid provided to neutralise the wall. Neutralising the wall will prevent any adverse effects when painting over it.
Final Thoughts
Vinyl silk is one of those paints that all decorators would love to have banished from existence so it’s no surprise that you might be looking to remove it from your walls. Using Peelaway is my go-to method, especially when dealing with larger areas as it’s minimal effort.
The alternative would be to thoroughly sand back the surface with a high quality orbital sander such as those produced by Mirka but this is not only hard work but will also be expensive to purchase or rent the equipment.