To clean drywall mud off concrete, begin by mopping floors and wiping walls to soften the globs of drywall mud. If the joint compound has already hardened, use a square shovel to quickly scrape the chunks of drywall off unfinished concrete. If your concrete surfaces are painted or finished, use a handheld scraper to pop the large chunks of joint compound off the concrete. Next, use a scrub brush and hot water to remove drywall residue. If you are cleaning a large area, it is easiest to rent a walk-behind floor scrubber to get rid of drywall residue quickly.
What Dissolves Drywall Mud?
Unpainted drywall mud can be softened and dissolved with water. Even drywall mud that seems rock hard will quickly become easier to remove once it’s wet. Since water won’t damage concrete walls and floors, you can use water to remove drywall mud from these surfaces. However, there are some essential tricks for removing drywall mud from a wall.
- Water dissolves drywall mud.
- Hardened drywall mud can be softened or washed away with water.
- Painted drywall mud won’t be broken down by water.
Painted drywall mud won’t soften when exposed to water. The paint will protect the joint compound. In these cases, you’ll either have to sand the paint off, or scrape globs of painted joint compound off the surface.
5 Methods for Removing Drywall Mud From Concrete
Drywall work can leave globs of hardened drywall mud on concrete floors, walls, and other surfaces. The good news is, with the right techniques you can clean up the mess quickly and avoid getting on your hands and knees to scrub the floors.
Mop Before You Begin
Before you start scraping, soften the drywall mud with water. For concrete floors, use a mop and hot, soapy water. If the joint compound is on concrete walls, wipe it with a wet rag. This process will remove small bits of drywall mud and make the large, stubborn chunks much softer. Plus, it can help to clean drywall dust off concrete.
Use the Shovel Trick
If there are dried blobs of drywall mud on your concrete floor, you can scrape them off quickly with a shovel. Use a square shovel for the job. The head shape is perfect for scraping off drywall and collecting it for easy disposal. Just push the shovel along the concrete floor to easily pop off dried drywall. This solution is fast and efficient, but works best for unfinished concrete. Finished or painted concrete can be scratched by this method.
Scrape Finished Concrete Carefully
If your concrete slab is finished or painted, you’ll need to be careful when removing dried drywall mud. First, wet the drywall globs with water, to soften them. Then, use this plastic scraper set to carefully scrape away the drywall mud. Be careful to avoid scratching the finish on your concrete. It’s okay if there is some white residue. This will be removed in the next step.
Remove Drywall Residue the Easy Way
Once you have removed the largest chunks of drywall from the concrete, you may be left with white rings of residue where the drywall was. To clean the residue off, use this long-handled scrubber and hot, soapy water. This will remove the residue quickly and easily. Plus, you won’t have to crawl on the ground to scrub every spot.
Use an Electric Floor Scrubber for Big Jobs
If you’re cleaning drywall residue from a large concrete space, such as a big basement, it’s best to rent a walk-behind floor scrubber. This rental scrubber can take the place of a mop or long-handled scrubber. You’ll get cleaner floors faster, and with less manual labor.
How Do You Get Dried Drywall Mud Off Concrete?
You can remove dried drywall joint compound from concrete quickly and easily. Follow our tips for both finished and unfinished concrete surfaces:
- Mop the concrete to remove small amounts of residue and soften large drywall blobs.
- Use a square shovel to scrape drywall mud off unfinished concrete.
- For finished concrete surfaces, use a plastic scraper to remove chunks of dried drywall mud.
- Remove white drywall residue from concrete with a long-handled scrubber dipped in hot, soapy water.
- To clean drywall residue in large areas, rent a walk-behind floor scrubber.
These quick tricks take the work out of removing dried drywall compound. So, you can quickly return concrete surfaces to a like-new appearance.
