Well you don't want to paint over primer that isn't dry yet. You need to figure out the reason that the primer won't dry. I don't think it's because the primer was old or because you didn't stir it. Something is probably up with that wall space that is keeping it from drying...moisture, space behind the wall not insulated, etc. A week is a long time for paint not to be dry.

After everything is dry I would just paint with 2 coats of the finish paint....no need to reprime.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....what you are describing sounds like reactivated wallpaper paste. Did you prime the entire room with GARDZ or just the repaired sections?

Michael

After stripping the paper, I washed down the walls with vinegar and water. Then I primed with Gardz all over. Then I went back and spot-primed with the Kilz where there was new drywall and in a couple spots where some of the old white primer had come off fromstripping the paper just to make it uniformly white. Maybe you're right and there was still a little paste that got reactivated. We didn't notice it being sticky anywhere after the Gardz, but maybe we just didn't notice it. I thought the Gardz was supposed to keep the paste from reactivating, though. So, how do you think we should proceed?

Is this oil based Kilz? How old is it?
Doesn't sound like old paste because after a week that would have dried out (may crinkle but would be dry).
Are the sticky spots soft enough to leave a fingerprint when touched? Will a tissue stick to the wall?

I was just studying the area and now think it may be the GARDZ that is sticky because in the spots where I know I painted the Kilz, it is not shiney and is dry. The areas that are sticky are shiney like the GARDZ, and I'm not sure but I don't think I painted those spots with Kilz. So now I am thinking perhaps it is the GARDZ that is still tacky because although it is water based, it has a urethane in it or something. Tissue does stick to the tacky places. The Kilz was water based primer sealer. I don't know how old it was - maybe a year? The GARDZ was just a couple weeks old. Would it work to just reprime the whole room with Kilz?

Sanding a gummy area would be a mistake, the paper would clog immediately and the goo would just smear. Sandpaper works by cutting the surface into powder.
The products don't seem to be old enough to have gone bad however that doesn't mean something else is at work here.

The rest of this I am just guessing about. Painting over or trying to seal over goo is a risky choice. I would try first to wash off the soft spots with water and a sponge. If the Gardz comes off you may damage some drywall compound in the process but that's just the way it is. If the Gardz does not dissolve then I would be tempted to try the Kilz and wait a day or 2 to see if it firms up. I have used other clear acrylic wallpaper primers and have found them to dry with a very slight tack and to turn milky when re-wet with water, but then dry again clear. If the tacky spots are over previosly painted (sealed) surfaces this may be the case. If the tacky spots are over porus areas (new drywall) then frankly I have no idea what's going on.

Wish I could be more help.

Thanks for the advice, weed_cutter. When you say that painting or priming over the sticky areas would be risky, what could happen? I'm wondering because the Kilz seems to have gone up okay.

I just tried washing the areas briefly and didn't see much change, but I'll have more time to spend on it tomorrow. Are you saying that it may be tacky if I applied the GUARDZ over a sealed surface, because that is the case. I primed 11 years ago before wallpapering, and after stripping the paper and washing down the walls, I applied the GUARDZ over that origianl primer. It is shiney and feels slightly tacky in all areas where the GUARDZ shows but there are a couple areas that are much stickier than the rest of the wall. The areas where I brushed on Kilz over the GUARDZ aren't sticky at all, though.

If wiping it down doesn't help, do you think an oil based primer would work better than the water based Kilz, or is the Kilz okay?

Thanks again for you help.

Hi Karoloke,
Clarification questions here...

1) Were a couple of CLEAN WATER rinses done after washing-off glue?
>>> Reason I'm asking...It doesn't take much vinegar-residue to mess up even a light coat of Gardz.
2) How long did your initial coat of Gardz dry before applying Kilz?
3) In your opinion, was a good, FULL coat of Gardz applied...OR, applied fairly thin?
4) Exactly which Kilz-latex was used?
5) Was a FULL coat of Kilz used...or just thinly rolled on "here & there"??

There could be (as Michael & others have stated) a couple of wallpaper-glue related issues here...we'll wait for your answers!

Faron

1. I had a bucket of water with a little vinegar and wiped a section with a sponge. Then I'd take another sponge, wet it in the sink and wipe over the area and rinse the sponge in the sink again and wipe again. There was no glue that you could see when I started or finished, and I tried to feel if it was gone, but I it was hard to know for sure.
2. I really can't remember how long I waited before I applied Kilz. It was at least overnight, but I think it actually may have been a couple days later.
3. The GARDZ can said to apply it liberally but not too thick or it may sag. I thought I rolled it on thick enough, but who knows. Actually, the stickiest areas are in spots where I would have brushed it on around the door and shower. Does a brush apply it thicker than a roller?
4. It was Kilz 2 white latex sealer, primer, stainblocker.
5. No, a full coat of Kilz wasn't used. I just brushed on Kilz over the GARDZ on about a 3'X3' section of new drywall below the window, and around the window, and in several other very small spots where the orignal primer had peeled off a little. But those aren't the tacky areas - it is tacky where it is just the GARDZ and most tacky where I would have used a brush.

What kind of mess have I gotten myself into? Sigh! Why is it risky to just prime back over it and then paint? Thank you all for trying to help!

Risk is a future paint failure by taking shortcuts and ignoring a problem.

However - I think you're OK. I think the tack is a characteristic of the Gardz applied over an already sealed surface. The Gardz doesn't have anything to soak into. I recommend you apply a coat of the Kilz you have used over the tacky areas. If the Kilz dries OK then go ahead and paint.

What kind of mess are you in? Just another home project. They always take twice as long with 4 times the work. Keep in mind nothing is ever easy, nothing only takes 15 minutes, be amazed when things turn out like they should.
But have fun with it.

After trying to let it "dry out" for over 3 weeks with no success, about an hour or two ago I decided to try Kilzing over one of the really sticky areas in my bathroom - just in a small spot in case it went really wrong. It now feels smooth and dry, so I'm thinking it would be okay to apply a full coat of Kilz over the whole thing, paint and be done with it. I did call the Zinsser Gardz number and asked them why they thought happened and what I should do, and the guy thought I should try rubbing it off with mineral spirits. I tried it, but it didn't do anything. So that's why I just primed a small spot with Kilz.

My question now since I'm continuing on is.......If I experience some kind of paint failure, how soon would it be, and what would actually happen? Would the paint slide off, become sticky, peel, or what?

"However - I think you're OK. I think the tack is a characteristic of the Gardz applied over an already sealed surface. The Gardz doesn't have anything to soak into. I recommend you apply a coat of the Kilz you have used over the tacky areas. If the Kilz dries OK then go ahead and paint."

Go on with your plan. The paint will be fine.
Just to answer your question, in the now highly unlikely event of a paint failure it would crack or peel off sometime in the time frame of 30 minutes after painting to 50 years from now. I really think you don't need a cure as there is no disease. Finish the job then start thinking about the next project.

Thanks so much, weed_cutter! That's what I'll do.

Reading this April 11, 2008 as I contemplate using Gardz on walls in a large bedroom that I just removed pre-glued wallpaper from. The walls have been washed, scrapped and sanded, and a lot of patching plaster applied, and yet to be sanded. I am considering Gardz because I am not sure all the glue of off the wall, now I wonder, the above thread reads like a horror story. karoloke, hows the paint job holding up, and would you ever use Gardz again?

Go ahead and use it, Gardz was made for this purpose.If there was a lot of patching done I would give it 2 coats.