Strip serious amounts of wallpaper?

Mark M

Mark M

Mark M

Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2006
Posts
3,423
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
The new place is covered with hideious wallpaper in virtually every room so its coming down. Hopefully it comes off ok as I tried peeling some off and it came off without too much difficulty but looking for any tips to make the process as quick as possible.

I can borrow a small wallpaper steamer but any other tips or tricks appreciated.
 
Steamers are crap, they usually do more damage than they solve. Only time you want a steamer is for stripping artex or stubborn woodchip.

Zinsser have the best system on the market - you'll need a paper tiger, some zinsser DIF and a decent scraper (the kind which doesn't allow you to dig in the corners).

Once you've scored it with the tiger use one of those "pump" sprayers to give the wall 2 or 3 soakings with the DIF solution and it should come off in great sheets as easy as you like. You might need to do this twice but it's by far the quickest and easiest way to do it.
 
Sounds perfect! Just searched for a Paper Tiger and also the DIF and not many places seem to stock them sadly and I need to get it today! Dulux Trade Centres dont seem to stock those particular products. Any other ideas? I know you probably wont know the area but I can see if we have a particular stockist here.
 
Do not under any circumstances use a steamer. Dislodged all the plaster underneath when I did it. Never again.
 
Tried calling about 8 different places and it seems no where local stocks DIF!" Are there any alternates that I can get from the likes of screwfix?
 
Do you not have a decorators merchants near you?

Brewers/ Johnstones usually stock that kind of stuff

Dulux decorator centre is crap - overpriced and poor range of products. It's more of a DIY place.

You could use a standard perforator and instead of DIF use fabric softener in the water (keeps it wet longer). Most sheds would stock that although you'd be giving yourself more work in doing that.

EDIT: http://www.zinsseruk.com/stockists/

There's a few up newcastle way stocking Zinsser stuff, the independents are usually best for this kind of thing.
 
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Johnstones dont stock it and there isn't a Brewers up this neck of the woods sadly. I could move onto another job first I suppose and buy it online and hope its delivered on Monday.

Edit - just noticed your Ninja edit! I had tried all of the places on that list bar one which didnt answer but IVe just rang them again and they actually stock it so Im heading over this afternoon and my weekend will be pain-free wallpaper stripping!
 
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dobbsy said:
Do not under any circumstances use a steamer. Dislodged all the plaster underneath when I did it. Never again.
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How long did you leave it on for?? I have used a steamer on quite a few occasions with no issues. I just leave the steamer in the room for a while for the steam to build up and to fill up the room with steam and it slightly penetrates the paper then just use it on small areas holding it on the paper for 10-20 seconds then scrape off.. It may not be the easiest/quickest but it certainly works and I have never had any problems with it ruining plaster. However when I bought a proper wallpaper scraper its so easy to take a gouge out of the plaster and you have to filler it.
 
ZXSpectrum said:
How long did you leave it on for?? I have used a steamer on quite a few occasions with no issues. I just leave the steamer in the room for a while for the steam to build up and to fill up the room with steam and it slightly penetrates the paper then just use it on small areas holding it on the paper for 10-20 seconds then scrape off.. It may not be the easiest/quickest but it certainly works and I have never had any problems with it ruining plaster. However when I bought a proper wallpaper scraper its so easy to take a gouge out of the plaster and you have to filler it.
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Depends on the condition of the plaster and how long the paper has been up, but often it can blow out plaster.

Plus it's slower than soaking entire sheets and it'll make you work in ball soup within half an hour.

Mark - If you really want stress free wallpaper stripping enlist nephews or the like to do it for you while you have a beer. Drop them £20 at the end of the day ;)
 
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Steamers can be problematic and it does depend on what type/age of paper you're removing, the state of the plaster behind the paper and how you do it.

I used a steamer in my last house and some rooms were fine, some resulted in lost plaster. You need to adjust how you use it when you suspect/find plaster is coming off.

Just this week I have stripped my living room and dining room using a steamer and had no issues at all. The paper was probably >10 yrs old and had been overpainted several times. The top layer would come off relatively easily, but the backing paper was held on by some sort of super-tacky, super-adhesive that laughed in the face of a damp sponge or spray-gun. It didn't have a chance against the steamer though.

I actually broke the steamer I was using, by standing on and snapping where the hose entered the 'kettle'. A replacement was found on Amazon for less than £24 and delivered next-day.

If you don't over-do it, i.e. hold the plate on the same spot for several minutes, you shouldn't* have a problem.

* I accept no responsibility should all your plaster fall off.
 
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Have they changed the forumla for DIF? Currently trying to remove the wallpaper in my house. DIF, even after 3 coats and scoring the paper with their tool and my scrapper, wont touch the wallpaper. There is no plastic cover I can remove, but it is vinyl. It also has lining paper behind it. The only tiny bits that have come off are in small areas. Going to have to use a steamer unless anyone has any ideas?
 
I used to used a spiked kind of roller like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-245130-Wallpaper-Perforator-480mm/dp/B0015NRK36

And have a spray bottle ready with a mix of warm water and I think dish soap to break down adhesive that I sprayed on after spiking holes in the paper.

The holes would allow for the moisture to seep behind and penetrate the adhesive making it easier to peep off.

Absolute b*****r of a job but it made it a lot easier for meobviosuly after spiking and spraying leave the paper for a little while for it to really soak in and use more water/hole sir you need too
 
Whole house was covered in nasty wallpaper and we used a steamer. No issues with the plaster.

Only issue was the different types of wallpaper as some more problematic than others. Soaking and scoring several times done the worse of it.

Whatever you do will take a bit of time.
 
dobbsy said:
Do not under any circumstances use a steamer. Dislodged all the plaster underneath when I did it. Never again.
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If the steamer takes off the plaster the plaster was shot! I’ve steamed the paper off every room our house and the only player that blew was an old lath and plaster stud wall that was already crumbling.

If you are taking paper off in an older house be prepared to either re-paper or skim everywhere as you are unlikely to land up with walls you can paint and have them look nice without significant filling and sanding.
 
Thanks for the heads up, will try a steamer when i get a chance. They say it never rains but it pours, and it's true. Discovered a leak from the upstairs toilet, and then from the water supply type to the toilet! Had to turn the mains off as it was pouring through the kitchen ceiling :(
 
casper_uk said:
Thanks for the heads up, will try a steamer when i get a chance. They say it never rains but it pours, and it's true. Discovered a leak from the upstairs toilet, and then from the water supply type to the toilet! Had to turn the mains off as it was pouring through the kitchen ceiling :(
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Good news, the leak is fixed! And then as if by magic... now got a bird stuck behind the fireplace!
 
if the steamer takes off your plaster, your plaster is shot. Ask me how I know haha. If your plaster is in good shape a steamer is a good way of getting paper off.
 
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