Wallpaper stripping
Discussion
Hi All,
Big problem.
House purchased (large) which has got wallpaper in everyroom, including the ceilings. This is a 1930 house and the top layer of wallpaper has been there since the 70's.
So apart from get 10 mates, all armed with proffesional wallpaper stripper from the local hire shop....what options do I have?
TIPS welcome.....I'm going to need them !!
IceBoy
PS.This might take weeks...even for 10 people !!!!!! aaarrrggghhh !!!!
Big problem.
House purchased (large) which has got wallpaper in everyroom, including the ceilings. This is a 1930 house and the top layer of wallpaper has been there since the 70's.
So apart from get 10 mates, all armed with proffesional wallpaper stripper from the local hire shop....what options do I have?
TIPS welcome.....I'm going to need them !!
IceBoy
PS.This might take weeks...even for 10 people !!!!!! aaarrrggghhh !!!!
The only way is to do it properly i'm afraid. Hire some semi pro equipment and book some days off. Also be mindful that you will probably need the walls "skimming" in places. It can get pricy....
But i really must stress if you want a decent finish and overall qualitity look, its elbow grease, larger, and mates....
Best of luck
But i really must stress if you want a decent finish and overall qualitity look, its elbow grease, larger, and mates....
Best of luck
As has been said, no easy route unfortunately. Just elbow grease.
Get a good stripper (fnnaaarr fnnaaarr), score the paper to get through to the backing paper, apply steam and scrape away.
Hold the steamer on too long at your peril though, owing to the age of your property the plaster is likely to have blown in a lot of places and there is nothing more efficient at removing it from the bricks than excessive steam.
Might be worth starting another thread now asking for plastering advice
.
Get a good stripper (fnnaaarr fnnaaarr), score the paper to get through to the backing paper, apply steam and scrape away.
Hold the steamer on too long at your peril though, owing to the age of your property the plaster is likely to have blown in a lot of places and there is nothing more efficient at removing it from the bricks than excessive steam.
Might be worth starting another thread now asking for plastering advice
.If you plan on painting afterwards I'd get a few quotes on having the whole place skimmed afterwards just so you know what you're in for.
From experience stripping mine recently you can spend a lot of time filling the imperfections left by the paper (and stripping knife if you get carried away) and it's just not worth the time/hassle.
From experience stripping mine recently you can spend a lot of time filling the imperfections left by the paper (and stripping knife if you get carried away) and it's just not worth the time/hassle.
First of all, do not score the paper unless it is hard to get off. Likewise with a steamer, it can cause cracking of the plaster.
If any of the paper is vinyl coated, peal the coating off first. It is usually easy enough to get a thin-bladed scraper under the edge of the vinyl and pull it off in large sheets.
Then, using hot water (if possible) with a squirt of washing up liquid in it to soften the water. Apply with a large brush, then leave for ten minutes or so to allow water to penetrate. Or, soak all the walls in the room and, by this time it should have soaked enough to start stripping. If still not easy to strip then apply another coat of water. Time, and enough coats of water, will often be all that is needed.
ETA: If possible put old dustsheets down around the skirtings to soak up any excess water. I say do not score the paper because; if it comes off easy, it is often possible to pull the paper off in sheets.
If any of the paper is vinyl coated, peal the coating off first. It is usually easy enough to get a thin-bladed scraper under the edge of the vinyl and pull it off in large sheets.
Then, using hot water (if possible) with a squirt of washing up liquid in it to soften the water. Apply with a large brush, then leave for ten minutes or so to allow water to penetrate. Or, soak all the walls in the room and, by this time it should have soaked enough to start stripping. If still not easy to strip then apply another coat of water. Time, and enough coats of water, will often be all that is needed.
ETA: If possible put old dustsheets down around the skirtings to soak up any excess water. I say do not score the paper because; if it comes off easy, it is often possible to pull the paper off in sheets.
Edited by robinhood21 on Monday 18th January 21:01
This stuff really works
Took four or five layers of mixture of papers off the wall. Most of it came off in strips.
Probably only washing up liquid or similar in the "patent" potion but the sheets hold the fluid against the paper allowing it to soak through rather than run off.
Took four or five layers of mixture of papers off the wall. Most of it came off in strips.
Probably only washing up liquid or similar in the "patent" potion but the sheets hold the fluid against the paper allowing it to soak through rather than run off.
I hate stipping - and I really hate woodchip wallpaper!
Elbow grease, several mates with steamers and scrapers are your only realistic option - and appreciate you are very likely to need a plasterer in to skim the walls once it has all been removed. You can't skim over wallpaper,so it all has to come off.
Although I like the sound of the stuff the poster above has used - you will still need the plasterer if the plaster is starting to come away from the wall. I know it can increase your budget dramatically, but you will get a perfect finish to start decorating on, and unless you have perfect walls (and there's usually a reason why they have been papaered), attempts at hand filling chips and holes over anything more than a small area youself looks frankly s
t.
You don't need to take the 2-3 inches of plaster back to the brick as unless it's literally falling off the walls, this is usually stable enough and can be fixed, pre-skim with a coating of PVA.
Think very carefully about ceilings. If the ceiling looks, or is likely to be cracked, and is papered, get the plasterer to put plasterboard up and skim over that. Will save you a lot of time with hot water and glue dripping in your eyes removing the paper, only to find you have to replaster anyway.
I usually find Test Match Special gets me through the days when I am stripping.
Elbow grease, several mates with steamers and scrapers are your only realistic option - and appreciate you are very likely to need a plasterer in to skim the walls once it has all been removed. You can't skim over wallpaper,so it all has to come off.
Although I like the sound of the stuff the poster above has used - you will still need the plasterer if the plaster is starting to come away from the wall. I know it can increase your budget dramatically, but you will get a perfect finish to start decorating on, and unless you have perfect walls (and there's usually a reason why they have been papaered), attempts at hand filling chips and holes over anything more than a small area youself looks frankly s
t.You don't need to take the 2-3 inches of plaster back to the brick as unless it's literally falling off the walls, this is usually stable enough and can be fixed, pre-skim with a coating of PVA.
Think very carefully about ceilings. If the ceiling looks, or is likely to be cracked, and is papered, get the plasterer to put plasterboard up and skim over that. Will save you a lot of time with hot water and glue dripping in your eyes removing the paper, only to find you have to replaster anyway.
I usually find Test Match Special gets me through the days when I am stripping.
Get one of these bad boys http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/z/ZINPT...
Yup, stripping paper off walls, steam caused paper to come off ceiling. Appears the paper on the ceilig was structual. Loud crash behind me and I could see into the loft. Wahoo!
Mine's 1930's lath and plaster. Both rooms I've done have required all the walls either skimmed or refloated (back to the brick). One room at a time, Budget for ruin.
Mine's 1930's lath and plaster. Both rooms I've done have required all the walls either skimmed or refloated (back to the brick). One room at a time, Budget for ruin.
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