Stubborn Wallpaper

[TW]Sponge · 4 May 2011 at 17:04

Hey guys, I started to (try) to take the wallpaper off in my hallway and landing. Seems like it has been there forever.

I started scraping = Fail.
Soaked it in hot water = Fail.
Got the steamer out (started laughing at the wallpaper as if I was some sort of evil paper killing machine) = Fail, even though it was a little easier, but my hallway and landing is rather big and will take me around 2 years I reckon.

Anybody got any other tips or know of any machinery that will make this job easier?

Cheers.

Paul. W · 4 May 2011 at 17:10

Steam it for longer?

I recently stripped our living room, one wall had five layers of paper on it. The steamer still didnt have much trouble.

LeJosh · 4 May 2011 at 17:12

Scrape the top layer of the paper off (usually the inked part if it's coloured) and you'll be left with just the white stuff. This stuff is extremely easy to get off.

I had to do this in my hallway, absolute nightmare but it still got done.

xGBHxPegasus · 4 May 2011 at 17:33

LeJosh said:
Scrape the top layer of the paper off (usually the inked part if it's coloured) and you'll be left with just the white stuff. This stuff is extremely easy to get off.

I had to do this in my hallway, absolute nightmare but it still got done.

What he said, did my bedroom couple weeks ago, had the cheap wallpaper come off just at the sight of the steamer, the more expensive stuff i had to peel the "top layer" off and then steam the rest

Blue160 · 4 May 2011 at 17:38

Chemical wallpaper remover, score the paper so it can penetrate (oo-er), then scraper and loads of elbow grease. Had this on the spare room ceiling last year. My shoulders ached for days.

Lamo · 4 May 2011 at 17:53

Tried and tested:

1. Take a stanley knife and score the wall paper ( I find a diamond pattern works bst)
2. fill a bucket with hot water and a small amount of fairy liquid
3. use a large sponge to wet the paper you scored in step 1
4. now you have soaked the whole wall, move to a starting point of your choice, give the wall another wet with the sponge
5. hold the steamer on this section for a couple of minutes
6. remove steamer and scrape the paper off the wall
7. repeat steps 4 through 6 until paper is removed
8. call the partner through to marvel in your awesomeness
9. hopefully have her/him (depending on your sex/prefrence) sort you out with a good noshing!

pieplough · 4 May 2011 at 17:53

Right click on desktop > Personalize... oh wait

Sgt Tackleberry · 4 May 2011 at 18:00

pieplough said:
Right click on desktop > Personalize... oh wait

ROFL, that's funny.

Spook187 · 4 May 2011 at 18:04

is it woodchip by any chance :eek:

Redman · 4 May 2011 at 18:19

Spook187 said:
is it woodchip by any chance

Oh that stuff's evil. My hallway was done in that, the original paper from the 60's I think, the hallway took longer than the rest of the house to do.

xJcBx · 4 May 2011 at 18:23

Lamo said:
Tried and tested:
8. call the partner through to marvel in your awesomeness
9. hopefully have her/him (depending on your sex/prefrence) sort you out with a good noshing!

LOL

the shadow · 4 May 2011 at 18:24

grenade

paddy · 4 May 2011 at 18:28

Our house (ceilings included) had 3 layers of wallpaper, under 4 coats of paint.

I gave up and took the walls back to bare brick with a demolition hammer.

Spook187 · 4 May 2011 at 18:28

Redman said:
Oh that stuff's evil. My hallway was done in that, the original paper from the 60's I think, the hallway took longer than the rest of the house to do.

Indeed it is,my parents 6 bedroom house over 3 floors was covered top to bottom in the stuff

,they just gave up on it and sold up and retired to a nice caravan in the country :cool:

[TW]Sponge · 4 May 2011 at 18:44

Lamo said:
Tried and tested:

1. Take a stanley knife and score the wall paper ( I find a diamond pattern works bst)
2. fill a bucket with hot water and a small amount of fairy liquid
3. use a large sponge to wet the paper you scored in step 1
4. now you have soaked the whole wall, move to a starting point of your choice, give the wall another wet with the sponge
5. hold the steamer on this section for a couple of minutes
6. remove steamer and scrape the paper off the wall
7. repeat steps 4 through 6 until paper is removed
8. call the partner through to marvel in your awesomeness
9. hopefully have her/him (depending on your sex/prefrence) sort you out with a good noshing!

Lol I'm single so that wouldn't happen!

Very good tip though I'm gunna try that tomorrow, cheers.

Bear · 4 May 2011 at 19:19

I had the same problem last year. The previous owner papered with woodchip and then glossed the paper and in some places there was two layers of glossed woodchip. The only thing that worked is using a special scraper with a long Stanley type blade which gets underneath the paper as its so sharp. It made really easy work of it after that and you don't need to steam the paper at all.