Stripper the wallpaper, spec me a sander

Soldato
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31 May 2009
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Just finished removing 4 layers of wallpaper from the bathroom, seems between layer 2 and 3 there was paint and 2 layers of paint over the top, in addition to this it seems the wall was painted as a single underlayer in pink.

Now looking at it in all its glory, marks everywhere from one rail screwed in the removed and repalced etc, also the paint has disintergarted in parts and i am looking at bare plaster popmarked with remianing paint bits, and bare stud plasterboard in a similar stituation.

Assuming it would be best to clean the whole lot back fill the holes in and sand the walls, as i plan to paint it not to paper again.

Suggestions please?
Price location etc important
 
I'm in the exact same situation now but with a bedroom, the walls are bare after stripping paper, full of holes, different layers.

We're just getting someone in to plaster it all, as it's going to be painted.
 
I had to do 5 rooms in a similar state to what you chaps have described. I found after a bit of experimenting that lightly scoring the wallpaper with a sharp blade (note - lightly) and spraying with a mix of warm water and washing up liquid worked a treat, really have to soak it and let it get into the layers for about 10 minutes though whilst you're scrapping off another part.

I used a scrapper from B&Q, large 4 inch razor blade on a metal handle, incredibly sharp but it could get in between the layers with ease and once it's properly soaked it tended to come off in pretty bit sections. The last room I did took about a tenth of the time of the first one once i realised how vital soaking up through the 60 years of wallpaper was! The lucky sod that buys my flat doesn't have a sheet of wallpaper anywhere :)

i had to do a bit of filling but no great amount of sanding, just did it by hand as my sander tended to like eating the top later of paper covering the plasterboard.
 
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If the plaster is looking knackered, then it'll need taking down an plastering. Prob best to get a pro for this :)

If it's just a few holes, I'd be tempted to apply liberal amounts of filler and sand it down, and then put up some wallpaper underlay (or just blank, non-vinyl wallpaper) and paint that. :)
 
Damn 4 layers of wallpaper bet that was fun to get of.

If your planning on just plain painting i'd have a plasterer in tbh, if the walls are really bad.
 
to be honest mate, its a case of how much are you willing to spend?

Option 1. Have the lot skimmed
Option 2. Heavy (Thick) Lining Paper, two layers in opp direction, one run over a decent undercoat and paint.
Option 3. Fill the holes, get yourself a Belt sander with a mixture of grades and make a lot of mess.
Option 4. There is a new paint that is more like tar, you paint it on and it fills aswell as drys as thick as you apply, a bit tricky to smooth it out though.
 
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions thus far.
Really don't wish to spend too much money on this, stuff I can do myself would be best as i will be moving on to other rooms and hallway/stairs at some stage.
Options 3 and 4 looking like possibilities, I want to avoid 1 and 2 if i can.

It was an atrocious mess, and clearly previous folks have painted then papered over to hide the mess they made of the wall underneath.
The actual removal of paper took around 2 hours, it is a small bathroom but lots of fiddly bits.
One section had more paper on it that others, where some chump had clearly tried removing vinyl paper, got to the tough fiddly bits and decide to leave it and paper over.
Then another layer had been added in later years, Unsurprisingly there was bloody mould between the layers in this area, so now I am back down to plaster (mostly plaster) I can wash the walls down with light bleach solution over a few days and dry the room out properly before I do anything to it.

Really my main conumdrum currently is the plaster has small areas of paint remaining on it, in places this is totally gone,a nd in others it remains. I assume if i wish to avoid underpaper, and I really do wish to avoid this, i would be best removing whats left of the paint.

The holes I can fill in easily and sand them off, the plaster isn't in that bad a shape, problem is the remaining patches of paint make it look uneven.
Is a sander the best way forward for that?
Wonder regarding 'tar' paint, any experience using it, or anyone got a link?
I do wish to use proper bathroom paint eventually, or something equivalent.
 
The holes I can fill in easily and sand them off, the plaster isn't in that bad a shape, problem is the remaining patches of paint make it look uneven.
Is a sander the best way forward for that?
Wonder regarding 'tar' paint, any experience using it, or anyone got a link?
I do wish to use proper bathroom paint eventually, or something equivalent.


Id just give everything a quick rub down and paint it - then when its dry you will see anything that needs filling, fill it, wait till dry then rub down and paint again.
 
Just going through this with my dining room after having to scrape off 100 years worth of **** wallpaper.

Getting the room skimmed tomorrow!
 
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