How to remove the gotelé? 10 solutions, step by step

The gotelé was a very popular technique in homes in the 70's.. At the time it was a solution to hide the imperfections of the walls of the houses and give them an interesting touch. It seemed to many that it had a suggestive decorative touch... and it became fashionable.

But after almost 50 years, the truth is that hardly anyone likes it anymore. Currently a smooth wall in color and texture is what everyone values ​​when entering a flat. For that reason, some people want to remove the gotele. How to remove it? Here we explain how to achieve it.

How to remove the gotelé? 10 solutions

To achieve the gotelé technique, paint is spread much thicker than that normally used. Because of this, the paint is thick and remains on the wall with bubbles and lumps that give it a rough texture.

There are two types of gotelé, each requiring different ways to remove it. On the one hand, there is the tempera gotelé that is easy to remove. And the plastic or acrylic gotelé that is the most common to find. To remove the gotelé, we have the step by step for either of the two.

How to remove the gotelé al tempera?

The gotelé al tempera has a water base. The color is applied in this mixture that is made of paint and paste so that in the end the wall has the desired tone. To know if it is gotelé al tempera, you have to immerse a piece in water, if it is diluted, then it is..

Sometimes a final coat of acrylic paint is applied. In this case, the gotelé is no longer tempered and it is considered to be a plastic gotelé. The good news is that tempera gotelé is the easiest to remove, so get to work to follow the steps and get rid of it.

1. Cover the furniture

The first step in removing gotelé is to cover furniture and other areas.. Although it is relatively easy to remove the tempera gotelé, it is still a “dirty” job so that furniture, floors and other objects can be damaged.

For this reason, the first thing to do is to cover furniture with plastic, as well as sockets and switches that can be protected with adhesive tape. Windows and doors must also be covered and the floor can be protected with cardboard or also with plastic.

2. Soften

To remove the gotelé more easily, it is required to soften it. To achieve this, you can use a pressure washer with a low power, although you must take care that it only gets a little damp and not that it is soaked.

An easier solution is to just splash along the wall. It must be done in small sections to moisten and start working without it drying out before its time. After this you can continue with the process of removing the gotelé.

3. Remove

After moistening the gotelé with tempera, it can be removed more easily. For this step you need a spatula and begin to remove from the bottom up in the areas that have been previously moistened.

Once the section is finished, another one is moistened, it is allowed to soften a little and then the spatula is used again to remove the gotelé. It is important to remember that this technique only works with tempered gotelé.

4. Prime

Before reapplying paint to the wall it is necessary to prime. Once all the gotelé has been removed, it is essential to apply a product to prepare the wall for a new coat of paint or any other finish such as wallpaper or vinyl.

There are many product alternatives on the market to prime and thus seal the wall. It is important not to forget this step as this helps to improve the finish and even optimize the paint.

5. Sand

After removing the gotelé and priming, it must be sanded. This last step will ensure that the texture and finish of the wall is completely smooth without lumps, bubbles or small edges. This is especially important if wallpaper or vinyl is to be applied.

The ideal for this step is to have an orbital sander, in this way it is faster to sand the entire surface and the dust does not spread throughout the house. But if you don't have this tool, it can be done with sandpaper manually.

How to remove the gotelé with acrylic paint?

The other type of gotelé is the one that was coated with acrylic paint. It seems to be the most common and also the most difficult to remove and replace with a smooth wall. Due to the thickness of the paste used and the adhesion of the product, it is difficult to remove the gotelé.

For this reason, there are special products on the market to apply over the plastic gotele and leave a smooth texture that can be painted or coated. It is also true that you need more work to achieve an ideal result.

1. Cover the furniture

Before starting the work to remove the gotelé it is important to protect the furniture. Due to the type of material with which you are going to work, it is best to cover the furniture with plastic. In the same way as to remove the gotelé al tempera.

To cover the acrylic gotele a paste is used. If this paste falls on textiles it can stain them and it is difficult to remove that stain. The windows and doors should also be protected so that you do not have to remove the dried paste at the end of the job.

2. Prepare the pasta

To eliminate the gotelé style that was made with acrylic, a paste is used to cover it. There is a special product, it is available in different brands and it is called cover paste. To know how much to use, you have to measure the height by the width of the room from which the gotelé is to be removed.

The approximate yield is 1 kilogram per square meter of pasta. Before applying it, you need to mix perfectly, so it can be done with a stick or a stirring stick to facilitate this task.

3. Apply the paste

Once the cover paste is properly mixed, it is applied directly to the wall.. The recommendation is to apply it with a roller and do it evenly and in one direction, so that it is as even as possible.

If the gotelé is thin, a layer of paste will suffice to cover the rough texture. If it is thicker, you have to apply two coats. This is determined by the naked eye as the pasta should cover completely and leave a smoother and more uniform texture.

4. Sand

Before painting you have to flatten and sand the wall. With a trowel you have to go over the entire surface to make the texture of the wall even firmer and ready. After this, the entire surface must be sanded to eliminate irregularities and edges.

As in the sanding step to remove the tempera gotelé, it is very useful to have an orbital sander with a vacuum cleaner. In this way the work is done faster and with greater precision as well as not dropping excess dust.

5. Prime and paint

To forget the gotelé, you have to paint the wall, not without first priming. Once the gotelé paste has completely hidden it and it can be said that the task of removing the gotelé is finished, it should be primed to prepare the wall before receiving the paint.

First you have to clean the wall to free it of dust, then the primer is applied and then the color is applied or the tapestry is placed. Now the wall has been smooth and firm giving it a modern and renewed touch.