How to remove construction adhesive from rendered wall?

simonmckb

Hello BW community.

The previous owners of the house we've bought stuck adhesive hooks to the porch entry. They have seemingly used a liquid nails / no more nails adhesive (brown marks) which is extremely stubborn to remove. We don't want to damage the rendered walls so we're looking for advice on how to remove.

I tried some Goof Off and it has had little effect. I have considered using a hairdryer or heat gun on it, but i have not yet tried this (as I don't want to damage the wall).

Any advice would be really helpful!

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @simonmckb. It's great to have you join us and many thanks for your question on removing adhesive.

Unfortunately, there is not much that will chemically break down construction adhesives like Liquid Nails once they have cured, so removal is usually more of a mechanical process rather than relying on solvents.

Looking at the photos, the texture left behind is actually quite similar to the render itself, so you may not need to remove every trace of the adhesive. The main goal is to take off any excess or high spots that are sitting proud of the wall.

A sharp chisel can work well for this. You can carefully shave back the raised adhesive until it is flush with the surrounding render. Take your time and work gently to avoid gouging the surface. Make sure to use appropriate PPE, including cut-resistant gloves and safety glasses. Remember to keep your free hand well clear of the chisel path at all times.

Once you have removed the bulk of the material, you can lightly sand the area to blend it in. Be careful not to over-sand and smooth out the render texture, as that will make the patch more noticeable.

After that, a couple of coats of exterior paint will usually do a good job of disguising any remaining residue and bringing the area back to a consistent finish.

A heat gun can sometimes soften adhesives, but on a rendered wall it carries a higher risk of damaging the surface or the paint, so it is generally safer to stick with careful mechanical removal in this case.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell