Flooring Tile - Removing Adhesive

We found out that the tiles we have in our kitchen are plastic. They just pop right off wall :D . The problem we have now is that the adhesive is still on the wall. Is there a way to remove it? It has been up since approximately 1982 nearest we can tell. Replaceing the wall is not an option at this point.

Thanks.

Larry

What do you plan to put on the wall once the adhesive is gone? What color is the adhesive and was it troweled on or was it globs behind the tiles? Replacing the wall with new sheetrock would actually be the quickest method and at $6 a sheet, would be quicker than trying to get off the old adhesive and refinish the wall any way. If you are concerned with time issues, use a setting type joint compound such as Durabond. It's powder, comes in a bag and you mix with water. There are varying setting times from 20-90 minutes at which point you can recoat or sand, unlike joint compound in a bucket where you are waiting a day between sanding and applying your second coat.

We don't plan on doing anything but painting the walls at this time. The adheasive is brown in color and was trawled on the wall. It is approximately 1/8" thick at the peaks. The wall is alongside, not behind, some cabinets and we are not planning on replacing them until we can get the money together to do them all at the same time. We just didn't like the color of the tiles as they are a very, very, dark brown and really make the kitchen seem small.