I need to strip some wallpaper and then paint those same walls. I’m looking for some strategy on getting the wallpaper off in a way that will make the bare wall suitable for paint. Am I better off with a steamer or that wallpaper striper that you roll onto the scored paper? The striper seems like it will make a mess and be tough to clean off the bare wall. Will the steamer get all the adhesive off the wall? Any suggestion on a primer before I roll on the paint?
Thanks for all the great reading, I’ve learned a lot over time from your experience.
Replies
here is how I do it, maybe not THE way, but here it goes....
first you need hot water. try to pull off as much paper as you can, maybe the papper will split leaving a layer on the wall, (easy job), maybe it wont, then scuff it up w sandpaper. Bucket, hot water, wallpaper stripper, mix, put on wall with spraver or brush, 6" drywall knife, scrap off wallpaper, throw into trash bucket, wall will dry with a paste film on it. Step 2, put on diluted stripper, (HOT WATER),except this time just wipe off wall with a spong, and wring it out in a 3rd bucket of clean hot h2o, wipe the wall down like you are cleaning up tile grout, done. No steamer needed.
no turn left unstoned
Use DIF + The Paper Tiger.
T. Jeffery Clarke
My approach when the paste absolutely has to be off:
Strip the wall paper.
Lay viz queen on the floor and tape to the baseboards. (Make sure there are no gaps between the baseboard and the wall.)
Mix vinegar and hot water 1:4 or so, in a garden sprayer. Spray the walls, getting good and soaked. Scrape and scrub and rinse with a garden hose; wet vac'ing the pool regularly.
In my experience, you'll never get all of the paste if you use sponges.
Forget the steamer, forget the DIF and vinegar. Get some of the wallpaper stripper from Safe and Simple (http://www.safeandsimple.com/). This stuff beats any other stripper solution I have tried, and I have tried DIF, vinagar, fabric softener and so forth. I was even able to remove wallpaper off of un-primed drywall without damaging the surface paper, which amazed me.
Put down plastic on the floor. Get a garden-type pump sprayer and a hand held sprayer (a empty Fantastic spray bottle will work). Mix the solution, use hot water, and spray the wall with the big sprayer. If the paper is painted or is vinyl a paper tiger will help pierce the surface so the liquid can penetrate. Wait. As the paper absorbes the liquid, spray on more. Wait. As the paper loostens, remove it. Various widths of tape knives will help scrape the paper off, but don't get impatient or you can go too deep. If you wait long enough S&S will let the paper drop off in sheets. Use the small sprayer to apply more in small spots if needed.
wsf
When the dry wall is smooth under your hand, the paste is off. If it feels rough, there is still paste on it.
Rich Beckman