Questions and Answers for Zinsser GARDZ 5 gal. Clear Water based Interior Problem Surface Sealer

A:  It will have a slight sheen to the painted area. Not bad but a little sheen. I love guardz..

A:  Thank you for reaching out, Dine! Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer does offer more of a flat sheen. When the surface is properly sealed, the surface will have a uniform sheen. If you have further questions about your application, please give us a call at 888-855-1774 to talk with us. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  Gardz is the only product I've used that prevents bubbles and peeling of mud and sheetrock. It locks everything down. Been using it for 10 years.

A:  you don't need to use primer if your using Guards

A:  Happy to help! For the best results, we recommend sealing the whole surface with Rust-Oleum Gardz Problem Surface Sealer. Once the surface has been sealed, it can be primed and another coat of Gardz is not needed. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  Its purpose is to stabilize drywall for being mudded or painted. Once that purpose has been accomplished, treat the surface exactly as you would drywall.

A:  Gardz should have been used/is made to be used on the brown paper damage of Sheetrock. It keeps the moisture from the mud from bubbling the Sheetrock. But yes you need to prime any new mud. At that point any primer will do. Gardz is like putting a layer of plastic on whatever problem walls it is used on. It basically prepares the damaged area for further steps of restoration.

A:  I applied the Gardz to the torn paper spots and then skim coated the spots and sanded to blend the spots in. Primer over it will make for a nice finish but is not necessary. If dust is the reason you don’t want to sand use a wet sanding sponge. Home Depot has them.

A:  Why do you want to recoat with Gardz? Once you have stabilized the drywall paper, just treat it like regular drywall. While you can paint Gardz, I would recommend that you use a primer before paint.

A:  Gardz is an excellent primer for any of the mentioned projects. Basically how it works is start with Gardz primer. It is like putting a layer of plastic water proofer on the damaged area. If you used mud, you need to sand. No one can avoid that. If your ceiling is not smooth it will show more so that on walls, because ceilings are reflective of light. Yes Gardz can be used on entire ceiling. It will pull loose parts tight and keep it from bubbling when you apply paint.

A:  Gardz creates a film that seals - and doesn’t sand well. I would prime right over it without sanding the Gardz, or more likely use regular primer directly over the mud. The magic of Gardz is between the old adhesive etc and everything above it. Unless you’re using a really cheap paint, your top coat probably has enough stick to go right over the Gardz without another primer, if that’s what you want to do.

A:  Great question! Sanding it not required prior to priming over Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer. We do recommend priming over Gardz before painting for the best coverage of the topcoat. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  Due to the exposure to foot traffic, we do not recommend Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer for use on floors. This product is also not designed to help block odors on the surface or kill existing mold. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  Yes, at least in my experience. Remove as much glue as possible by scraping and sponging, then seal with Gardz. It will form a plastic-like film that will stop the glue from reactivating under the compound/paint.

A:  Great question, Sam! Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer is great for sealing in residual adhesive which can ruin water-based topcoats and texture finishes. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  Yes you can.....that is the main purpose of this product. Make sure to apply a complete coat. Also be careful when you roll it because the viscosity of this product is like water and very thin.

A:  We scraped the residual glue off the wall as best qe could. We then applied the GARDZ sealer. We then painted and ha not had any issues. Still

A:  That is what this product is supposed to be able to do. The one thing you must do to avoid problems is to make sure that ALL wallpaper backing is removed because we had problems with the small amounts of paper I left bubbling up when texture was sprayed on. (If the skim coat is thick enough, this might not be a problem for you, but I wouldn't take the chance.) We did notice that the "bubbled up places seemed to flatten out over time. Hope this helps.

A:  Skim coat and then use Gardz. Paint won't stick to drywall mud but the Gardz gives it a good surface to adhere to.

A:  Thank you for reaching out, Mary! Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer penetrates calcimine more effectively than oil-based coatings and has much lower odor. GARDZ prevents water based topcoat or paint or texture finishes from softening up calcimine layers. For the best results, we recommend removing any loose or peeling paint and ensuring that the surface is clean and free of dust. If you have further questions, please give us a call at 888-855-1774. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  We like the way you think, Rae! Yes, Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer is suitable for use on new drywall. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  Yes I’ve used it to seal fresh drywall. Then 2 coats of paint. It worked well

A:  Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Water-Based Problem Surface Sealer is suitable for on wallpaper and it can be primed or topcoated with water-based coatings. Please keep in mind that it is recommended to remove wallpaper when possible to ensure a smooth finish with a new coat of paint. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  I stripped the surface covering of my wallpaper and sealed the paper backing to the wall. This worked very well for me. KEEP IN MIND: GARDZ is very fluid and is a SEALER. It does not disguise imperfections such as overlapped wallpaper seams, dents, etc. You can paint over the sealed surface but all imperfections will still be visible. GARDZ is a wonderful product for specific applications but it isn't a miracle cure for surfaces with visible imperfections. I cut strips of textured wallpaper and pasted over my seams, then painted. The picture shows wallpaper strips over GARDZ-sealed wallpaper backing - prior to painting.

A:  Hi Macy, I found this product on youtube. It's main purpose is to seal drywall (paper), so it can be painted over with a sealer. I'm not sure if this will work for wallpaper, or not? I would hate to say yes and it doesn't work. You can always try a test piece and see if it will work or not?

A:  Yes, this product will seal wallpaper.

A:  I have scraped a popcorn ceiling then skim coated to achieve a smooth finish. Then primed/sealed with Zinsser Gardz, then rolled two coats of Sherwin Williams Eminence ceiling paint. No issues so far and it came out awesome. You can see pics at www.jnghandyman.com , under Gallery, 5th row down of pics all the way to the right (as viewed on a Desktop).

A:  I’ve used it over mostly-removed wallpaper adhesive and directly over skimcoat and it seals perfectly. Goes on watery, dries with a slight texture. Not sure if primer is recommended, I used primer tinted for my topcoat.

A:  Happy to help! Rust-Oleum Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer prevents bubbles that form when damaged drywall is skim coated with spackling or joint compound. Please keep in mind that since this is a sealer, a coat of primer may be needed to ensure full coverage. This sealer can be topcoated with either oil or water-based products! - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3

A:  Yes you may use Gardz over raw mud and no additional primer is needed

A:  I am not an expert but I would say yes you can use it directly over a skim coated ceiling. I used GARDZ on walls that were badly damaged after removing wallpaper that had not been properly primed. The wall paper was fused to the drywall so much of the drywall paper was scraped off with the wallpaper. I first used GARDZ to seal the damaged walls. I then skim coated the walls and used GARDZ again to seal that in. I then painted directly over that without the need for a primer. GARDZ acts as a good primer and the walls look great. A word of caution; GARDZ is very thin to allow it to penetrate into the surface but it will drip and splatter. If you are using a roller to apply it then don't over-soak the roller and go very slow or else you will get a face full of it. Please make sure you wear proper eye protection.

A:  Yes, I did; though a skim-coated kitchen wall. Ceiling or wall, makes no difference. I've used it under primer and without any primer, color and condition dependent.

A:  Depends on the porousity of the walls - If it's new bare drywall & drywall mud, 1 gal. will cover about 1 large bedroom and bath. If it's going over painted surfaces, maybe twice that.

A:  Gardz is super thin so it goes about 450 square feet per gallon.

A:  Appr. 450 square feet

A:  Hi Mona, thank you for reaching out! Our Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer will seal 350-450 ft² per gallon. The coverage will vary depending on the porosity of the surface, and thickness that the sealer is applied. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 2

A:  This product covers up to 400 sq ft per gallon.

A:  at least 450 sq feet, really depends what you are priming