Remove Golele

The gotelé is a finish that many people like because it gives a certain character to the walls, but its complicated and more demanding maintenance has led to the search for how to smooth walls, to make them easier to clean and paint on later occasions, in addition to spend less material.

The decorative and painting styles on the walls change over the years and the gotelé, a quite popular finish a few years ago, is no longer so current, especially because it is a bit difficult to take care of. In this sense, some users prefer to remove it before trying to repair their gotelé.

How to make gotelé

The gotelé finish is a technique in which thick tempera paint is used to cover the walls. Doing it this way creates clumps that help hide surface imperfections as well as add texture to a smooth wall.

One of the advantages of gotelé paint is that you will not need special tools to apply it, such as a gotelé paint roller, for example, since it can be done with a common one. However, the gotelé cannot be applied with waterproofing paint or sealant, as this could directly affect the effectiveness of the product.

Types of gotelé

There are basically 2 types of gotelé: tempered and plastic. Each one has its own requirements and reactions to the products to remove the gotelé, so, before looking for how to remove the gotelé, you must identify its type.

In turn, keep in mind that you may need to apply a layer of eco-stabilizer before trying to scrape the wall, depending on the type of gotelé. To identify it, simply dilute a little of the paint in a glass of water: if it dissolves, it is tempera. If not, it’s plastic.

How to remove the wall gotelé

If you want a change of style in your home and you want to learn how to get rid of the gotelé finish on the walls, in the following space we will show you step by step what you must do to renew your decoration:

1.   scrape the walls

The first thing you should do is minimize the gotelé finish. You can do this in various ways, but one of the most efficient and economical is with a spatula, although it works more than anything with small droplets.

To reduce the gotelé, you will simply have to scrape the walls until the finish is leveled as much as possible. This will prevent you from using more repair product than necessary and speed up the subsequent drying processes.

2.   Putty Application

For the next step, you should get a thick roller that allows you to easily apply the repair putty as well as a spatula with which to cover the edges and corners.

Start by inserting the roller into the pot of mixture and soak it completely. Place it at the base of the wall and take it up making the necessary finishes. In addition, we advise you to cover areas 1 meter wide and furrow, before continuing with the next one to prevent it from drying out prematurely.

3.   Use of scrapers

You will now need to gouge the surface of the walls to level out the new wall finish and remove excess material.

To do this, you will need squeegees: one striped and one smooth . Start by passing the stripe in a horizontal direction over the entire surface of the wall, and then pass it in a vertical direction and thus obtain crossed grooves with the same leveling. When you are satisfied, finish by passing the smooth scraper firmly, to eliminate any groove and let dry.

4.   Second layer of putty

Before applying the second layer of putty or even painting the walls, you must wait for them to dry for a period of not less than 24 hours or more than 48 hours. When this deadline is met, you can continue with the next step.

The second layer of putty is usually applied if it is still possible to notice the gotelé under the leveling paste. This tends to happen more than anything with a large paint drop finish and to do this you simply have to follow the same steps that you did when applying the first coat and, in the same way, wait for the recommended drying time.

5.   sanding of the walls

Now you will need a wall sandpaper with the recommended grain level according to the amount and thickness of the remains that may have remained after the application of the repair putty.

You can use it directly on the wall or also mount it on a wall sanding handle , which is more ergonomic to handle. Either way, you’ll want to make sure you remove all blemishes and end up with a completely smooth, bump-free finish so you can paint the color of your choice.

Additional Tips

Before carrying out the process, we advise you to take photos of the walls with a good SLR camera such as the Canon EOS 4000D. Opinions agree that this way you will be able to notice the finish in more detail and check if you are satisfied with the change in the aesthetics of your home.

As an alternative method, if you don’t want to spend too much time scraping or the scuff is very difficult to remove, a fairly efficient scuff removal machine is the orbital sander. This tool can quickly remove the gotelé leaving a smooth surface ready for painting.

Another popular alternative is to spray the gotelé with household paint stripper to loosen the paint before attempting to scrape it off. You can do this by mixing equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle, then moisten the walls and let stand until absorbed.

Finally, if you don’t want to make big changes or work on the walls, you can also place sheets to cover gotelé , which are available in all kinds of designs, colors and sizes, to allow you to elegantly cover the finish of the walls.