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Discussion Forum

removing wallpaper…. other than steam

jerseyjeff | Posted in General Discussion on March 17, 2007 02:44am

Started taking down the wallpaper in little bears room,  the DW decided it would be cool to elmers glue a whole bunch of triple A road maps up,  so I have to steam off the maps,  and then the wallpaper.  I am doing about 10-15 square feet an hour,  and it is really really really no fun.  

Then she says.  I told you we should have taken the walls down.  

Yup.  gonna be real fun job!   I am hoping there is some sort of magic bullet that I am missing that is going to make this job of joy better and faster.   

Any thoughts?

 

jeff

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  1. tb1472000 | Mar 17, 2007 02:58am | #1

    I've had good success with a mixture of water and Spic N Span.  Use one of those pointy wallpaper scrubbers to poke small hole in the paper.  Spray the mixture liberally to the wall and let it set for 10 minutes or so and the wall paper comes off relatively easily.  I can't say that I've ever had Elmer's glue though.  While Elmer's is, I think, water soluble, it might be a real tough battle. 

     

    Good Luck.

    1. pacificsbest | Mar 17, 2007 03:54am | #2

      Try using drywall compound. Spread some on and let it soak for a bit. Then use a drywall knife to scrape it all off.

      Worked great for me.

  2. gordsco | Mar 17, 2007 04:51am | #3

    Downy fabric sofener in warm water applied with a sponge has worked well for me in most cases but there have been a few that came off hard no matter what I did.

    Don't forget about the beer for yer elbow, lotta folks forget to lube the joints. Being Friday night and all...

    May neighbors respect You, and troubles neglect You.

    Gord

                            

     

     

  3. Dave45 | Mar 17, 2007 05:33am | #4

    The real trick to removing drywall is to use one of those toothed wheel do-hickies that you roll around on the wallpaper.  I can't remember what they're called, but mine is sorta hemispherical and has three little toothed wheels inside.  I just roll it all over the wallpaper and it pokes little holes in it so your steam (or whatever you're using) can get to the wallpaper paste.  I've stripped a whole room in a couple of hours.

    Go to a wallpaper store and ask them about tools to remove wallpaper.

    1. LeeLamb | Mar 17, 2007 05:43am | #5

      I think it is called a Paper Tiger. Looks like a red computer mouse without the cord. I've used it with DIF wallcovering remover.  I score about four times what the instructions suggest. And I soak it down more often too.  I leave it on about 30 to 40 minutes and the paper just slides off leaving a little gooey paste on the wall that easily wipes off.  It works great even on vinyl.  I wish everything worked like the packaging claims.

      1. Dave45 | Mar 17, 2007 05:54am | #7

        Yeah, that might be the name.  Mine is red with a black "border" around the bottom and I've had it for several years.  SWMBO used to be a wallpapering fool, but hasn't done much for quite a while.  The other day, she announced that she wants to strip the wallpaper off of the family room wall (cathederal ceiling 12' high) and part of the kitchen.  She ain't very spry anymore so I don't let her climb ladders.  Guess who'll get to do this little chore!!?? - lol

        1. plantlust | Mar 17, 2007 06:25am | #8

          This is why I HATE wallpaper. The most I will do is a border, else PAINT all the way!!The sun is still gone, stopped raining but the temperature is NOT where I want it. Read my lips, I WANT SPRING!!!!

    2. harrisdog43 | Mar 17, 2007 05:47am | #6

      I have tried a couple of these tricks and even ordered some special product from California that a past poster had success with...never again will I take a job that includes wallpaper removal. To date, only one room (a 6' x 6' utility) came off as advertised. Dif, Dif Gel et al. Must be the moon phase or something, but I just could not get the $@%%$ stuff off.  

  4. alwaysoverbudget | Mar 17, 2007 06:38am | #9

    sledge hammer,trash can,10 sheets of sheetrock,you'll never be able to tell it had wallpaper.

    but if you don't want to do that and the stuff just won't come off,let it dry out.then i take a orbital sander and sand the seams smooth,throw on 2 coats of kilz oil base sealer.lightly sand that just to get some of the fuzz smoothed up,then lightly skim the walls [search for d-mix here] sand smooth kilz again and your ready to paint [if your just rewallpapering stop at the 2 coats of sealer]. sounds like a lot of work and it is but sometimes it's not coming off period.have fun  larry

    hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.

    1. jerseyjeff | Mar 17, 2007 04:27pm | #10

      two words...

      Plaster and lathe

      Oh yeah  and blown in cellulose behind two of the four walls.   I am trying the paper tiger and a gel based stipper.  

      Hoping for the best.  

       

      1. doitall | Mar 19, 2007 04:41am | #18

        I just finished a 12 x 12 room in my 1916 house.  The wall paper had been pasted to bare plaster - and I mean never primed, painted, sized, etc.  As bare as the day it way applied to the lath.

        I tried the paper tiger with dif concentrate, then dif gel - no go.

        Ended up using a steamer to remove the paer, and then went back with the steamer to remove the glue residue.  A very painful and time consuming task.

        Sandblasting?!

        Good luck.

         

        DIA

         

        1. wrudiger | Mar 19, 2007 06:38am | #21

          "The wall paper had been pasted to bare plaster"

          I feel your pain! 

          Our 1918 house had the same deal.  They sure don't make the paper - or the glue! - like that any more.  The 3rd & final pass with the steamer was just to wipe off the last of the glue residue.  12x16x9 room, 3 very long days for 2 of us. 

  5. Danno | Mar 17, 2007 04:53pm | #11

    I've found that an orbital sander roughs the paper up and goes as fast or faster than one of those paper tiger thingys. For the Elmers, try mixing a little white vinegar in the hot water (with either Diff or something like it to help wet the paper--maybe in a sprayer--I use one of those pump sprayers that hold about a gallon). Vinegar is used by woodworkers to get white glue off of things and to dissolve it out of mortices and so on to re-glue joints.

  6. paperhanger | Mar 17, 2007 06:19pm | #12

    what kind of paper is on the wall, is it a vinyl face or a paper face. if its vinyl, get under the vinyl with a razor blade or putty knife, and pull all the vinyl off. then use the dif with HOT water. it should release the paper easily. if its a paper face, use plenty of dif and HOT water use multiple soakings, a pump sprayer works best and plenty of drop cloths. don't use the paper tiger. it serrates the wall with the paper, makes a mess when coming to paint time. don't forget to wash all the paste off the wall and if your painting use a OIL BASE primer to seal the wall.

    1. jerseyjeff | Mar 17, 2007 08:34pm | #13

      Holy cow,  something has gone wrong and I have a million point font!  

      I am rocking out with loud music, and a B+D steamer,  I am doing about 1 square foot in 5 minutes...  two walls done since 6am.. 

       

       

      1. user-53014 | Mar 18, 2007 12:02am | #14

        I also say the Paper Tiger, score LOTS of holes, and then I usually spray a 1:3 mix of vinegar and water and let it soak for a long while. Spray like heck. I usually finish with the steamer and a nice wide 4-5" taping knife getting under the paper and still spraying/steaming as I go.

  7. User avater
    Fonzie | Mar 19, 2007 12:11am | #15

    This is a wall of vinyl wallpaper we removed last week that acted like it was going to be a problem, but we "splatted" the heavy shop paper towels (two towels at a time)on the wall with water and some vinegar mixed in, rolled with a paint roller every 20 min or so to keep wet, left them on about 1 1/2 hours and it came right off with no damage to wall. We did half of the wall at a time. We have had great success with this method.

  8. User avater
    user-246028 | Mar 19, 2007 02:42am | #16

    1. Perforate

    2. very hot water with the wallpaper remover additive.

    3. Scrape

    4. Scrape

    5. Scrape

    6. Beer

    7. Scrape some more

    8. More beer

    9. Repeat

    Dave

     

     

    1. User avater
      MarkH | Mar 19, 2007 04:32am | #17

      Does beer really help loosen the walpaper?

      1. User avater
        user-246028 | Mar 19, 2007 06:14am | #20

        I don't remember.

  9. NatW | Mar 19, 2007 04:58am | #19

    My DW is the wallpaper stripper around here. I usually find another project to work on :)

    She says to be careful with the perforator. It's designed for vinyl backed wallpaper. With paper backed wallpaper (or maps) the water may not need perforations, and the perforations make the paper shred and come off in smaller pieces. She has gotten white glue off a border with just water without much difficulty. The latest job she finished yesterday she used a steamer - nothing else would work. Cost me $50 at Lowes and was worth every penny.

    The DIF gel generally works better than the liquid. Doesn't dry out as fast.

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