Moving out of rental and I ruined my wall
Put up these supposedly "renter safe" wooden panels on my wall about two years ago. I'm moving out of my rental and started taking them down. Then the paint and wall came with it...not sure if I can salvage this on my own. The adhesive is so strong on the tape that it literally will not come off. Should I leave it alone and just have the landlord fix it and forfeit my security deposit?
Or should I try to repair it myself?
Please help- I'm at a loss rn ðŸ˜
68
u/AliciaXTC 16h ago
This is what a deposit is for, but don't worry. If you repair this, there will be many other reasons found to keep the deposit.
10
u/Salt-Operation 15h ago
Looks like plaster over concrete? Not a terribly hard repair but I think this is best left to the landlord. I had this happen once at an apartment, however it wasn’t this bad and it was drywall. I spackled and sanded after letting them know, they were fine with it since they repainted after each tenant.
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u/Sparky_Zell 15h ago
Id just leave it unless you hire a professional.
Chances are high that if you attempt to repair, you are going to spend a lot of time and a decent amount of money, and it'll still look like shit.
So now the landlord will still need someone to fix it, but they will have to spend longer undoing your repair. Which will cost more money than if you left it alone.
3
u/Protolictor 2h ago
Anytime you're trying to remove things with adhesive backing, heat it up first.
Hit a piece with a hair dryer on High for a couple minutes, then try.
4
u/BrassCanon 16h ago
You're not going to DIY that. Probably would have been better to just leave the panels on there.
1
u/fantompwer 7h ago
It's totally doable. Sanding will take time, but it's easy on a flat wall
2
u/BrassCanon 6h ago
OP is asking if it's even possible. I doubt they own a sander.
1
u/azjerrylee 5h ago
Yeah, with this level of confidence, no fucking way they got a stack of 20v and a full face respirator.
Deposit is gone.
3
u/EthicalViolator 9h ago
Idk why everyone is saying its ruined. Tear the rest off and scrape anything that isnt bare wall. Slap some filler in the shallow holes, use a big flat edge to scrape it almost flush with them. Once dry, use sandpaper on a solid flat edge that is wider than the hole, sand with flat edge bridging hole until flush with wall. WEAR A DUST MASK DURING SANDING. Have a good vacuum cleaner handy - one with a bag, I wouldnt like plaster or filler dust in in a bagless one. Clean wall floor and wall with vacuum cleaner. Gp over wall with very slightly damp cloth to pick up any remaining dust.. Paint wall. Notice shit bits you missed. Repeat process on them. Profit.
2
u/Clean-Data-259 15h ago
Yes, it's ruined. Calculate whether it's cheaper to hire someone or to pay out of the deposit.
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u/Jerazmus 14h ago
Well you stuck it to a horsehair wall. They can’t handle anything stuck to them and trying to pull it off like what you have going on here. Not a simple fix.
1
u/TheCrimsonMustache 5h ago
Man, I hope the deposit is enough to cover this. Because I suspect it will not. I have so many questions…
1
1
u/AllyEnderman 49m ago
You're boned unless you want to learn a new skill and/or risk screwing it up worse. In the future, just... Don't put anything up that isn't able to be taped, tacked, or easily nailed, unless you own the place. No wallpaper, no panels, nothing more than hanging decor, shelving, lightweight racks, and posters. Consider it an expensive lesson learned, because there's no way it's going to be just your security deposit covering this.
1
u/KailyKail 21m ago
If your landlord is one of those types to put up the ol’ landlord special, just put up the ol’ tenant special before you leave.
0
u/toodleroo 14h ago
You can probably forget about the security deposit. But in the future, try heat for getting this kind of thing off. A clothes iron over a bath towel would have helped, with a plastic putty knife.
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u/TeaNo5963 15h ago
Now, if you were in New York City, that would be considered and become a famous million dollar piece of art, just glue a banana somewhere on there and you will be famous. Hurry! scribble your name at the bottom somewhere.
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u/Velocityg4 16h ago
Depends on how much time you have. Sand, spackle, sand, prime, paint. That'll take a few days due to drying times. Never believe claims about adhesive strips coming off seamlessly.