# painting back of drywall



## hellothere123

the drywall was installed the wrong way? You can paint it but the texture will look off...probably best to reinstall or cover with drywall is my suggestion


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## I need help now

*dry wall wrong side to inside room*

I have a chair rail 33 inch high, below is the problem area. I thought of that too but since drywall is 1/2 inch thick it would not work. I guess I would have to take it out and place new drywall, oh what a bummer.

Home Depot paint guy said use a drywall primer.


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## user1007

Wow. An HD person actually offered halfway decent advice. 

Use a thick nap roller and a paint store, not HD, high bond primer though. It will look fine.

Just curious. How did noone notice they were hanging drywall the wrong side facing forward?


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## I need help now

*dry wall wrong side to inside room*

I was removing wallpaper below the chair rail. I used the steam method first and everything came off incl. paint which left a white powder behind. Than I tried wetting with the same results. I thought it looked wrong so I went to HD and sure enough, the cardboard side is the back and that is what I am looking at now.


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## user1007

So prime it as suggested. Two coats of finish paint and few but us on this site will ever know. The idiot drywallers did not tape it from the other side of the studs right? You do have nice taped and mudded seams? You are in big trouble if they climbed inside your 4" walls and finished the proper side screwed to the studs.

By the way, and I should have thought of this. You mentioned removing wallpaper and chair rail. Very early wallboards did have the company name and all that crap on the front side of the material. Is your home vintage? If it is post 1920 or so? Or new construction. God help us all for hanging the board backside facing out.


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## 1910NE

Are you keeping the chair rail? If so, the break in the plane of the wall is going to mask a lot of the difference between the finish above and below. Not saying its right, just an observation. Another option, before you rip down and replace drywall (again, below the chair rail,) would be to install bead board/ wainscoting. You can find the stuff almost anywhere, and I think 3/8ths would work for your needs.

Good luck, and post some pictures if you can.


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## I need help now

*Dr*

Thank you both. The house was build in 1986 so this should not have been done this way, drywall then was the same as now white on the side facing the room. I guess the workmen just slammed the stuff in and the homeowner then did not check up as the building was going on or did not know it was wrong. I am keeping the chair rail had purchased two different shades of lavender prior to starting the wallpaper removal. Darker under the rail, rail snow white. I am still going strong but getting very tired of this removal. Pulled off wallpaper in the bathroom today and it came off without a hitch just need to prime before painting. By now you can tell I am doing several rooms, lucky me!! It will be worth it. I am not a professional but think sometimes I do a better job since my time is not $$$ like a contractor/painter. I will do it right the first time so there is no cont. fixing. Thanks again !!!


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## Snav

I need help now said:


> Can I paint the back of drywall it was installed that way. I found this when taking off the wallpaper.


Are you sure it's the 'back' - brand skins have changed over time. . . certain older drywall sheeting had a brown paper - but it's not the 'back' of it. . . but would be treated like any other wall-surface: prime first.


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## Gymschu

Snav said:


> Are you sure it's the 'back' - brand skins have changed over time. . . certain older drywall sheeting had a brown paper - but it's not the 'back' of it. . . but would be treated like any other wall-surface: prime first.


Can't believe anyone in their right mind would install drywall wrong side out. What a nightmare it would have been to finish the joints. I'm guessing you pulled the paper facing off the FRONT of the drywall exposing the brown paper that holds the gypsum in place. This may be an instance where priming and skimming the walls comes into play.


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## boman47k

I think I might would test a small area of the "brown paper" with water and a scraper. That steamer may have done more than you wanted it to.


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## I need help now

*dry wall wrong side to inside room*

My drywall is getting new life tomorrow, skimcoat by a contractor with texture to near match? of the wall above the chair rail.

I just took the wallpaper in the bath off, came off just pulling but now I have some areas with glue residue. I guess I have to get the remover from HD. Tried washing off, I will be there forever. No wallpaper ever again I tell ya!!!:no:


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## chrisn

I need help now said:


> My drywall is getting new life tomorrow, skimcoat by a contractor with texture to near match? of the wall above the chair rail.
> 
> I just took the wallpaper in the bath off, came off just pulling but now I have some areas with glue residue. I guess I have to get the remover from HD. Tried washing off, I will be there forever. No wallpaper ever again I tell ya!!!:no:


 
Now that's just wrong
It is just this attitude that I am not hanging any wall paper.:icon_cry:

If the paper had been installed properly, with the proper PASTE, it would not be a problem removing. You are only having problems because a lazy, stupid, worthless, good for nothing" installer " did a crappy job.

PS Be SURE you either, get all the adhesive off the walls and or use an oil primer of better yet Gardz before painting. The Gardz should be applied before and after the skim coating also.


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## boman47k

Little off subject, but does anyone else see the tiny blue box right below the tag box that takes you to a Behr ad?


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## I need help now

I installed the wallpaper in the bathroom which is coming off without problems. I knew what I was doing when I hung it! All the glue is off the bedroom wall so skim coat should stick great. 
The bathroom wall will get primed with Kilz 2 times before any paint ever touches it. I did this in another room in the past and it worked great since I could not get all the glue residual off. The wall was nice and smooth to paint after Kilz.


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## chrisn

I need help now said:


> I installed the wallpaper in the bathroom which is coming off without problems. I knew what I was doing when I hung it! All the glue is off the bedroom wall so skim coat should stick great.
> The bathroom wall will get primed with Kilz 2 times before any paint ever touches it. I did this in another room in the past and it worked great since I could not get all the glue residual off. The wall was nice and smooth to paint after Kilz.


 
Kilz oil I hope.:whistling2:


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## jeffnc

Gymschu said:


> Can't believe anyone in their right mind would install drywall wrong side out. What a nightmare it would have been to finish the joints.


Whoa, this is getting way blown out of proportion. There is no "nightmare" - people do butt joints on drywall installed the right way all day long.

There is no problem here. A coat of Gardz would be great, but if you're using flat paint, a couple coats of that would look fine too.


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## user1007

jeffnc said:


> Whoa, this is getting way blown out of proportion. There is no "nightmare" - people do butt joints on drywall installed the right way all day long.
> 
> There is no problem here. A coat of Gardz would be great, but if you're using flat paint, a couple coats of that would look fine too.


Hugh? You are suggesting skipping a primer/sealer? Over potentially lingering wallpaper paste?:laughing::furious:


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## jeffnc

sdsester said:


> Hugh? You are suggesting skipping a primer/sealer? Over potentially lingering wallpaper paste?:laughing::furious:


No, I might have missed the context along the way here. I was talking about plain drywall paper.


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## jsheridan

jeffnc said:


> No, I might have missed the context along the way here. I was talking about plain drywall paper.


Who is Hugh?


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## chrisn

jsheridan said:


> Who is Hugh?


I believe that has been asked and answered elsewhere.:whistling2:


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## jeffnc

chrisn said:


> There is no "nightmare" - people do butt joints on drywall installed the right way all day long.
> 
> Is you're own astute words, read the post, they were talking about the backside of drywall.


Not sure what "is you're own astute words" means, but yes I'm aware we're talking about the backside of drywall. Now why exactly would making joints on the backside of drywall be a "nightmare"? There are no tapered edges, but why would it be any worse than doing any regular butt joint?


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## Gymschu

jeffnc said:


> Whoa, this is getting way blown out of proportion. There is no "nightmare" - people do butt joints on drywall installed the right way all day long.
> 
> There is no problem here. A coat of Gardz would be great, but if you're using flat paint, a couple coats of that would look fine too.


Uh, Jeff, have you ever finished the backside of OLD drywall? The old drywall from the 50's and 60's had a very coarse backing made up of the thick brown paper, and, yes, it would be a nightmare to try and finish it properly. Sure it could be done, but with much more effort than doing the front side.


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## jeffnc

Gymschu said:


> Uh, Jeff, have you ever finished the backside of OLD drywall? The old drywall from the 50's and 60's had a very coarse backing made up of the thick brown paper, and, yes, it would be a nightmare to try and finish it properly.


Not really relevant here. Did you read what the OP wrote? "The house was build in 1986 so this should not have been done this way, drywall then was the same as now white on the side facing the room."


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