DIY help

Sharp scraper. I've just removed all the woodchip from a 1902 house. Using a steamer often makes things worse
 
Steamers are a waste of time and messy, scrape and tear as much as possible then damp down with a fine spray (pump up garden type) then scrape all the goo then wash and remove all the glue with green brillo pads and lots of clean water.

And when I say scraper I mean one like this not this.

Top tip with a scraper it will have a bow in the blade, find out which way yours goes by looking 'down' the blade and use the middle of the bow down otherwise you just dig in with the two edges and create more work.
 
If i was going to wallpaper it i would at least attempt to patch it up, the wallpaper will hide any small imperfections.

If your going to want to paint the walls then you really need to get them skimmed to make the job look decent.

PS : go for the painted walls, wallpaper looks awful and when you want redecorate in the future you will have to peel all that off again.
 
Sorry for hijack (tell me to bugger off if you like) but what would you guys do with this? Was an airing cupboard but combi now fitted in kitchen so it's free space. Problem is it's part wallpaper but mostly crumbling plaster with large holes in places.

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I want to use it as a cupboard for the usual stuff, bedding etc., but as you can see it needs a lot of work.
 
Robbie G said:
Sorry for hijack (tell me to bugger off if you like) but what would you guys do with this? Was an airing cupboard but combi now fitted in kitchen so it's free space. Problem is it's part wallpaper but mostly crumbling plaster with large holes in places.

I want to use it as a cupboard for the usual stuff, bedding etc., but as you can see it needs a lot of work.
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It's a cupboard so not overly important to get a quality finish I'm guessing? I'd probably half inch batten it, plasterboard, tape, feather fill it then paint. No skim needed, quite cheap and a lot faster than patching.
 
Shaz]sigh[;23485197 said:
It's a cupboard so not overly important to get a quality finish I'm guessing? I'd probably half inch batten it, plasterboard, tape, feather fill it then paint. No skim needed, quite cheap and a lot faster than patching.
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What as going to say the same, could just dot and dab the left side too
 
I'd fill and repair the lh side then batten out the rest and maybe softwood t&g or a nice ply then it can be removed if necessary.
 
If you don't want to take on plastering, a good plasterer will be £120-150 a day + materials.

Only way to make a decent repair will be to strip that paper, get a zinsser paper tiger and a spray bottle. Give it a good going over with the tiger, fill the spray bottle with water and fabric softener, spray the wall, leave 20 minutes, spray it again, let it soak in. And using a decent scraper it shouldn't put up too much a fight.

Then it's just making good, taking away any loose plaster etc.
And prep for the skim (unibond the day before, the unibond again about 30 minutes before skimming).

Oh and you'll need to scrim tape any cracks or openings.

Then it's the skim.

Robbie, just overboard that, you don't need to batten out you can board directly on top of board if finish isn't key.
 
Robbie G said:
I want to use it as a cupboard for the usual stuff, bedding etc., but as you can see it needs a lot of work.
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Definitely just board that, no need to batten on the side walls. You should find boards big enough to cover each "wall", so no joins other than corners. The board will adhere to the wall with some gunned adhesive when doing small areas like that, so there isnt even a need for any mechanical fixings on the sides. Tiny bit of filler in the seams in the corners and it will look great :)
 
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Whoa, thanks for the tips guys. Will bear that in mind when I come to tackle it. First job though will be to move the pipes as the one you can see is only a few mm away from the plaster.

And shaz yes you are right, an immaculate finish is not important.
 
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Robbie G said:
Whoa, thanks for the tips guys. Will bear that in mind when I come to tackle it. First job though will be to move the pipes as the one you can see is only a few mm away from the plaster.

And shaz yes you are right, an immaculate finish is not important.
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Robbie, do you require them to be moved? I mean if you are putting shelves up either;

A) Box them off.
B) put the shelving up in front of them rather than moving them.

I have mine like yours but have shelves up in front of the pipes and you can't see them.
 
Robbie G said:
Whoa, thanks for the tips guys. Will bear that in mind when I come to tackle it. First job though will be to move the pipes as the one you can see is only a few mm away from the plaster.

And shaz yes you are right, an immaculate finish is not important.
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This is why i said about sticking the board to the sides, but not the back :) Batten the back wall to the depth of the pipes, and board over them. Unless there is an actual need to move them?

Nightglow said:
You want to get a roll of scrim tape to use for the corners, will save cracks appearing later.
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I don't think he should, what a pain that will be to cover up neatly. As the man above me says, caulk the joints.
 
Moving the pipe is going to be a pita if it's still feeding a shower on the other side? I'd just lose a little depth and box or baton it out at the back as Jez says.
 
It is feeding a shower yes (soon to be two pipes, since we have a combi boiler yet they installed a terrible electric shower), and hiding the pipes makes a lot more sense as it'll look better too.

Kwerk, no it's glue used when whoever it was decided to attach polystyrene panels to the sides to cover up the sides.
 
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