Painting - New painter here w/ questions (VERY long!)

Oh God, where to start???

My house was built in 1980. I decided I wanted to remove the wallpaper in my dining room. The top sheet peeled off very easily (it was a crappy wallpaper job to begin with, all the seams were peeling).....Ive been able to wet down the backing to scrape off the remaining paper and glue.

It looks like what's underneath is sheetrock maybe?

I have a few concerns....one is, I have a 6month old and a 3 year old in the house. I live in Massachusetts (cold!)..Im concerned about any fumes that would be harmful to them. I haven't started to paint yet in fear of that. Im still removing the wallpaper and glue...even that is a little stinky, and Ive opened up the windows in the dining room to ventilate (brrr...its been in the minus degrees here). I do this after the kids go to bed and they are upstairs.

Once all of this is removed...what do I do next? Do I need to use a primer? What type of paint? The walls are not smooth...they seem to be bumpy in some areas and have some "seams".

What type of primer to use? And what type of paint? Is there anything out there that doesn't smell too bad and wont hurt my kids? I guess I might have to wait until It warms up to paint since Im nervous about the fumes for them...but God, I dont think I can look at that disaster of a dining room for much longer!

Also, is it harmful for the kids when I wash that glue off the wall and it has a smell?

Sorry for this being so long. This is my first real home improvement job and I just want to ensure that
1) Im doing it properly
2) my kids are safe

Thanks you!
Barbara

You are doing great so far.

Before proceeding with the painting, fix those “bumps” and “seams” you mentioned, otherwise you’ll see them later on and you’ll hate the results and you’ll feel like all the work you did was a waste.

So, how do you do this? Many people on this board will simply say to sand the bumps down. I don’t disagree with that, but the problem is that it is a simplistic answer that ignores the reality, which is that it is often very difficult to make any considerable headway on a hardened uneven surface just by sanding. Yes, try sanding first, but if you don’t seem to be getting anywhere, take a flat-head screwdriver and little by little poke out the part of the wall that sticks out. Just don’t go any deeper than you have to—say about 1/8” deep at most. But if you accidentally, go deeper don’t fret as it can be fixed.

Also, take a close look around and look for any other small protrusions on the wall that are about the circumference of a dime. These are usually the screws to hold the sheetrock in place, and weren’t driven deep enough. These bug the crap out of me. Mostly, they are hard to spot after a decent paint job, but I’m anal and if I know they are there, I have to get them out. Here I use the screwdriver and remove the plaster until I see the screw head.

Purchase a one-gallon tub of All-Purpose Joint Compound (either the green or blue label) for less than $5. Using a putty knife, apply over all the holes we just created and let dry. When dry, take a 220-grit piece of sandpaper and lightly sand the surface so that the patched area is level with the surrounding wall. Blend in the edges of the patched areas in particular so that the edge is seamless. Sometimes, depending on how deep the original hole was, a second coat of joint compound might be necessary (the wider the blade of the putty knife, the easier it is to get a level finish). Either way, just keep putting on more joint compound until you are satisfied with the results. You can always sand this down and remove excess quantities. Just make sure each application is completely dry before sanding and applying another layer.

Likewise, apply the joint compound to any seams you mentioned.

When you are happy with the wall surface, take a rag and wipe the walls of the excess dust (a simple wipe will do). Now it is time to proceed to painting. For $10, you can buy a one gallon can of UVA drywall primer at HD/Lowes. Brand doesn’t really matter. I’ve used the Glidden (HD) and Olympic (Lowes) brands, but they are pretty much all the same.

Roll one coat of this over the entire wall and your wall is ready for the final paint.

I would use an eggshell sheen paint, and if you can afford it, I would buy Benjamin Moore (about $26 a gallon), but if you get a cheaper brand and do everything else right, you should still get good results. I would roll a thin first coat to cover the wall, and then, a day later, a normal second coat that should give you a room to be proud of.

(By the way, Benjamin More paint has one of the strongest odors I’ve ever been exposed to, but, it is nothing to worry about—nor should there be any other fumes from this project that you should worry about if all you do is the above. I would block the doors with plastic to keep the dust isolated, as the joint compound can generate a lot of it).

PS: What a coincidence: Just last weekend, I started my own dining room re-do. House built in 1987, ugly wallpaper with seams peeling. I too live in Mass (you can see where on the left), and have two small children (with two on the way). Also, I should mention that I’m no professional, but a very anal (my wife can’t stand when I take out the joint compound for a project cause she knows I’ll be going over the walls with a magnifying glass looking for every last imperfection) DIYer with enough practical experience with this stuff to feel like I can weigh in. So, if someone trumps my advice, at least you’ll know where I’m coming from.

I would not worry about the smell from the wallpaper glue. But be sure you get all the glue off the wall. Paint won't stick to it.

Not everything that has an odor is hazardous. The fumes from latex paint are annoying, but rarely a problem. A good airing out, I know it is cold, will help immensely.

After you feel finished with the sanding of the joint compound, take a hand light and hold it near the wall in front of you. The defects will jump right out.