Removing paint and skim coat

67twinkie · 11-04-2009, 02:15 PM

Any thoughts on removing paint and joint compound from vinyl wall covering? We have a '67 Overlander and PO tried to smooth the vinyl texture

Don't know why, but it is a pain to remove. Have been using Citristrip and green scrubbies, but it's getting old fast. Thanks.

**Mel** · 11-04-2009, 02:24 PM

I attempted to remove the paint from the vinyl in our '67. Like you, I used Citristrip and while some sections came out great, others didn't look so hot. After about two full weekends of stripping paint, I decided the results weren't going to be what I hoped for and repainted the whole thing. The upside is, the off-white I painted with was better than the combination of dark green, pink, and blue that were decorating the trailer when we first bought it.

67twinkie · 11-04-2009, 02:34 PM

Thanks for the response. We also plan on repainting, but I would like to get the surface as smooth as possible. The skim coat is cracking/flaking in some areas and I worry the new paint won't stick. Thanks for your input.

Shacksman · 11-04-2009, 04:02 PM

Try washing it off with hot water. If it's joint compound it will melt away and leave the original plastic walls.

Bowmans · 11-04-2009, 11:02 PM

Just use 220 grit sandpaper with an electric sander. You will need to sand the vinyl clad for paint to hold anyway. That should chip off any lose pieces and get you down to sanded vinyl. The rear bedroom in ours was painted with latex which was chipping some. This method worked well.

67twinkie · 11-05-2009, 07:08 AM

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I will give these methods a try and hope for the best.

Xbob2 · 11-05-2009, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 67twinkie

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I will give these methods a try and hope for the best.

Sodablasting?
Bob

ventport · 11-05-2009, 08:12 AM

How about a heat gun and remove the vinyl.

Bowmans · 11-05-2009, 07:49 PM

Ventport,
We tried using a heat gun on the latex in ours and it only heated the wall. I figured at least the latex would melt some and peel off but I didn't have even that much luck. The vinyl clad wasn't phased by the heat (we didn't want the vinyl off though so was good for us).