You cant sand them off, you will sand off the texture of the plaster, and that will look worse than the squiggles. You might go to Lowes, or Home Depot and inquire about a solvent for the glue, that will soften enough, so you can scrape it off. Yes, a skim coat might work, but, I would try to remove the glue, because, you just dont see much plaster like you have anymore, and the walls will be beautiful when you get them painted. I would try to preserve them. The sand look is normal for plaster in a house of your age. One of my houses, was built in 51, and it had that same plaster all the way through. I loved it. Please do not pound nails into it, though, because, you will crack the plaster or chip it out. When you want to hang something, drill holes and use wall anchors, so you dont damage the plaster.

Thanks for your ideas cat_ky! I agree, the grit in the plaster doesn't bother me and could look nice. I'll explore solvents! And absolutely agree about nails in the wall - the previous owner left quite a mess. I had picture rail installed in the living room so that I can hang pictures without worrying about wall damage - it made a huge difference!

Yes, too many, try to treat plaster walls like sheetrock. Thats just not the case. Plaster is entirely different. Congratulations on your new home, by the way.

There are very heavy wall papers, that can be applied over walls like this.

Either skim coat the entire wall with drywall compound, or have a plasterer come in and skim coat a thin layer of plaster. The drywall compound you could do yourself. It is messy, but not brain surgery. A plasterer will put a bonding agent over the paint and then put a thin coat of plaster over the entire wall. With either process, it would not be a bad idea to sand down the high spots with a sanding block. This will allow for a slightly less thick application of compound or plaster. If you use drywall compound, no bonding agent is necessary.

I was going to suggest trying a) alcohol, then if that doesn't work, b) acetone (nail polish remover, best way to buy small quantity to test) to see if the squiggles could be removed. But it looks like the squiggles have been painted over, which makes removing them even more difficult. I would skim coat it.

Thanks geoffrey - tell me more! I actually like wallpaper, so if there are some that would actually cover this well, I'd be interested. Are you talking about anaglypta, or something even more heavy duty? If it has a special name, it would be helpful to know.

Ci_lantro - I tried scraping with a razor blade (for the aforementioned asbestos sampling) and it was pretty tough/brittle. It has been painted over, which might make a different. I did just try a carbide mini-scraper (for another application) and it wasn't that effective. I'll try again with better tools.

David Jensen - thank you! This is definitely an approach I'm considering. I've had friends suggest I give it try with drywall compound. I just worry it would look like, well, an amateur did it! (which would be true!) :)

graywings - I was relieved when you suggested alcohol, as I could use a glass of wine, but then realized you meant as a solvent - ha! I just tried both and they didn't do much - I probably need industrial strength solvents specifically designed for black mastic.

Google: Heavy Duty Wall Coverings - or talk to a paper hanger that does commercial.

You could also cover the walls with 1/4 inch sheetrock, and tape and mud them. You would lose the sandy look, that your plaster has, but, maybe that wouldnt bother you much?? If you do decide to go with a skim coat, please hire someone to do that. It will be worth it in the end.

I'd actually highlight the squiggles. Pick out a deep red paint, and trace over them with a brush as well as you can. Then call it accent marks. I think you'll find it looks really good. Just kidding.

Try a heat gun, and a paint scraper first. Should soften that old glue up really nice and it will scrape right off without too much hassle other than time.

Having the walls skim coated will give you the best results. It's not cheap, however.

AMS, If you don't have one already, buy a Bahco carbide scraper. #665. Best scraper that I own. Far and away better than anything else.

Ha, Sambah, you had me going for a minute there! :) I'll borrow a heat gun from my friends and report back.

Anglophilia - that was my fear! I plan to get quotes. When I get around to actually getting my kitchen done, I'm considering having the walls skim coated at the same time (if the trades will be here already).

ci-lantro - thank you for the recommendation - I will check it out!

I kind of wanted an excuse to do something ridiculous with fabric, but the wise ones have spoken - I see wall liner or skim coating in my future (though I will give careful scraping an attempt if the asbestos test comes back clean).

Also, FYI, found out the the adhesive does contain asbestos, so scraping it is no longer an option.

Sure it is. Just keep it wet while scraping. Use a squirt bottle. Don't be a BIG WIMP. The only people damaged from asbestos worked around it all day for decades. Not a one off baby job.

The squiggles are halfway encapsulated with paint. The adhesive is cured--hard and brittle, not fluffy & friable. Minimal amount of adhesive to start with and even less asbestos because the adhesive is not 100% pure asbestos. I would not have any worry about scraping it off.

People who were constantly exposed to asbestos on their job - for years and years - developed Mesothelioma. An occasional exposure, and wearing a dust mask isn't going to harm you.

samba and geoffrey-

It's not accurate to say an occasional exposure to asbestos is not of concern, or that the only cases of asbestos-related diseases were the result of longterm, industrial exposure. The epideiological data show many cases of disease from much lesser exposures, and there are even cases where asbestos-specific cancer developed with no known exposure. There is also a likely genetic component. Since there is no known safe exposure level, taking precautions is prudent. Wearing a dust mask gives a false sense of security as asbestos particles are so small they readily pass through standard filters. To properly protect your lungs, you need a respirator fitted with canisters that are specifically designated for asbestos.

Life can't be lived with concern for every single possible minuscule threat. Otherwise, we'd never leave the bed in the morning.

FUD - fear / uncertainty / doubt.

There's a middle ground between being paralyzed by potential risks and pretending they don't exist. I choose to exercise appropriate precautions when I can.

Thanks for the input - I didn't mean to spark a debate! :) I do appreciate the comments that this probably isn't a very high risk asbestos removal situation, and I think you're probably right. However, scraping the adhesive for the testing sample was so difficult I'm not sure I'd want to tackle it even if adequately geared up. Until I get quotes for skim coating, then I'm sure I'll change my tune!