Removing wall paper

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DavidPleydell

What is the best way to remove wall paper? I have what appears to be wall paper on top of wall paper.

Well I think the first layer is a type of wall paper that looks like a render. Though it does peal off but it would be a tedious exercise without the right tools.

There are a number of painting shops, of course there is bunnings, Mitre 10 etc. Which one is the best in this area to ask for tips?

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks
David
 

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Hi David.

In the past I've used a spray bottle with just water.

Peel off as much as can, then spray the water on, leave for a little while (just to soak in to the wallpaper), then continue peeling off wallpaper or by using a thin edged scraper (to get under the wallpaper).

If it's really tough, you may want to consider hiring a steamer that is designed for this purpose.

Regards
Marty
 
Spray bottle will work (depending on how good the glue was) but quickest way by far is hiring a steamer. Depending on the finish, you may need to get a course sandpaper and rub over the top layer of paper as some have an almost "plastic" finish and roughing up the surface allows the steam to penetrate.

I have found if I use a steamer and a good straight edged scraper and make sure I get all the little bits off while it is still wet, it is much easier than leaving little bits and thinking I will get them later. Once they dry, the glue resticks and your wall starts to resemble Norman Gunston after a bad shave.

It is much easier to get a good clean finish in one go, say a metre square at a time. After you have done the room, it is worth wiping over with diluted sugar soap to make sure all the glue is gone. You could put an old towel with sugar soap mix over a broom head and wipe the walls, and then rinse the cloth and rinse the walls the same way. Or just have a clean cloth and clean and rinse as you go.

It is a pain, but worth doing properly so the paint has a good base.

The best part is walking around with wallpaper stuck to your shoes and trying not to steam your scraping hand :D

Wylie
 
Hi David,

I hate using steamers, steam all in my face and boiling water running down my arms is not my ideal way of removing wallpaper unless it it is really stuck on and I have to use one.

I pour boiling water into a roller tray and then roll the water onto the walls with a roller on a pole. I do half a wall at a time and if you add a little detergent into the water, it sticks to the wall better and is more effective.

Leave it for a few minutes and then scrape off with a large scraper. I find this technique to be quicker than the steamers also.

Try to peel the top thick layer of the paper off in one big go with your fingers first, before rolling the walls.

Bronwyn.
 
I have never had boiling water running down my arms from the steamers :eek: but you do have to be careful and it gets very messy under foot. Watching the kids peel the top layer of paper from the walls is priceless, seeing who can get the longest strip.

It is like something everyone wants to do, but no-one ever lets them do normally, and here we are, asking them to rip off the wallpaper.

Just thought about something I heard. A friend let her kids draw with some type of marker pens on the walls of a shop they were renovating for their business. It was all going to be painted, so they thought they'd let him run a bit wild and do something that is not normally allowed, to draw on a wall. She and her husband joined him and they drew all over one wall.

Turns out their painter told them that the wall had to be resheeted with new plaster because the ink in the market pen they used would bleed through the paint and (according to him) nothing could be done apart from resheet that wall. According to the painter, even sealer would not stop it coming through. They felt a bit sheepish about it.

Wylie
 
Hi David,

I have no experience with this but we have also just recently encountered the wallpaper issue, in addition to the good comments from the others guys the man at a hire shop suggested also using some device which placed small pin size holes in the paper so the steam could get in and work better. I not sure if this device and a steamer are the same thing though as I said we did not use it. Mark
 
Thanks. Some useful tips.

Considering 80% of the house has wall paper and the cost of hiring a steamer was like $150 for a week ($35 a day) I was considering the cheaper Wagner units but I haven't checked the price yet.

However I can try the other methods first and see how they go.

One of the rooms has had the wall paper removed and the job so bad it's like different layers of glue still on the wall which they just painted over. That clearly shows how important it is to do a good job.

If it gets really difficult I was considering replacing sections with new plaster board instead. Buying sheets from bunnings for like $12 vs weeks if it's tough to get off and requires heaps and heaps of sanding. Hopefully it doesn't end up that way.

I guess that is a new option for cheap labour... ;-) Grab a bunch of kids and let them peel it off.

David
 
Even doing 80% of a whole house would take only one day or maybe two. Steamers are quick, especially if you have two people, one steaming and then hand the steamer to second person while you scrape. Using it like this means there is no down time, and if you have someone filling the water tank that means less time spent filling etc. I think from memory we had a third person boiling a jug to fill the reservoir with hot water to save the time needed for the machine to heat it up.

We have never had to hire a steamer for more than one day, but maybe two days for a big house, especially if the top layer is already off.

Wylie
 
I haven't removed wall paper for a few years but what you've described sounds like the backing paper (the buff coloured stuff) is the second paper. Usually the top sheet does peel away in big bits. If you can get most of that sealed paper off first it is less messy. THe steam or water works better on the backing paper. Whhen the top sheet is stubborn the only thing you can do is use the spiked roller to make holes to allow the steam in.
I used a rag mop and bucket and applied water that way (yes it made a mess). Then we sugarsoaped the walls. In the end, there were so many cracks (thats what the wall paper was covering), that we had to repaper.
My kids used to help also but they have to be a bit careful because the water reactivates the glue and it contains fungicide.
 
Everyones comments have been very helpful.

I had a go at spraying hot water and scraping it off and boy it is not fast. It doesn't come off in large strips at all using that process.

Maybe there are 3 layers. The top layer is pretty easy and it leaves behind a brown paper that scraps off easy once wet. The stuff that could be backing paper (I've never wall papered so not that sure of the different ways of putting it on) is very very difficult to scrap off. Takes a fair amount of wetting and scraping effort.

I assume a steamer would help to remove the paper easier than having to scrape small pieces off. A bit like scraping paint off with a heat gun it was that slow.

Unless a steamer is quicker I couldn't see it being done in a couple of days with the amount of scraping required to remove it.

David
 
Now you have had a go spraying and found it is glued well, you definitely will see a huge difference with a steamer. The steam loosens the glue and it scrapes off easily while the wall is wet. No comparison to using a spray bottle with no heat.

Why not hire one on a Saturday (and probably only pay one day's hire fee for the whole weekend - at least that is how our local hire place works) and see the difference. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how the steam does its thing.

Wylie
 
I recently removed wall paper by peeling off as large chunks of the pattern paper top section away and then using a Hills pump sprayer containing a strong sugar soap mix. Spray it onto the backing paper and go all the way along the wall, the moisture will soak in and begin to lift the glue, then do it again, scrape a bit etc. Doesn't really take long
 
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