Replies

1. 
   Carl_Shaw | Feb 28, 2001 01:16pm | #1

   *
   Removing wallpaper is not an easy job and is always messy. If you got it off, you did it right. If you have faced paper sometimes you can pull whole sheets off but make sure you try this before you use a paper tiger to score it. What makes the job harder is when the wallpaper is not put on correctly. I have seen wallpaper over unsealed dry wall many times.

1. 
   Bill_Flather | Feb 28, 2001 03:19pm | #2

   *If the paper is painted or coated, you will need to score it. Then soak it using a sprayer, either a hand-held cleaner-type sprayer for small areas or use a garden sprayer for doing large areas quickly. Many claim good results using mixtures with vinegar of fabric softener. You can get commercial products, such as DIF to mix in the water. I had the best success by far using "Safe and Simple". This stuff even loosened paper glued to unpainted drywall without tearing off the drywall paper. Get it here: http://www.safeandsimple.com/. For scrapers, I used 3", 4" and 6" drywall tape knives.

1. 
   Jeff_Clarke_ | Feb 28, 2001 03:26pm | #3

   *Doug - Here is what you need along with DIF as noted - you can also buy one at Home of de Po'.Jeff

1. 
   Rich_Beckman | Feb 28, 2001 03:41pm | #4

   *Doug,Last fall I had to strip some paper that didn't want to budge. I tried strippers and a steamer but it was taking a day to do a few square feet. So,in desperation, I tried a product I found a Lowe's, Wallwik (made by Warner). All it is is a kind of "blanket", 21" x 46", that you dip in water and hang it on the wall against the b well scoredwallpaper. After twenty minutes, spray it to keep it wet, then leave it up another twenty minutes. The wallpaper came down easily after that treatment. Also, I didn't dip it in water, I dipped it in a solution of DIF. You can leave it up longer than the forty minutes, when I left it up while at lunch, it worked great, but leaving it up overnight allowed it to dry out and it had to be redone. You can use the "blankets" over and over again.I have tried several different strippers, and many work fine on many papers, but when the job is a tough one, DIF shows its superiority (IMHO).Rich Beckman

1. 
   Ron_Teti | Feb 28, 2001 04:50pm | #5

   *Had to do some stripping in a bathroom on a 50 y.o. house, plaster walls , tried a chemical, the paper laughed so i bought a steamer and a scoring tool. It was a good one at the hd, it had little balls with sharp points on it you roll around the wall , it took a while alot of scaping got it eventually. still had some glue left on the wall, took some tsp and rubbed it took even more work. but i got off

2. 
   cls | Feb 28, 2001 06:18pm | #6

   *Well, I'm just a cook, but I have had loads of experience stripping wallpaper. Own a 100 year old cottage, 2-3 layers of wallpaper in each room, some wallboard, some lath and plaster. Have only one room left to get rid of the paper now. I have tried everything!My favorite (2) methods are (a) commercial steamer, and (b) a solution of cheap hair conditioner and water. I know, sounds weird, but I've used every commercial product in the world, including DIF and the others mentioned, and this works best for me. Put the hair conditioner in a spray bottle and add just enough water to make it "sprayable" - you want it still thick enough to cling to the walls, but wet enough to soak through. You need to score the paper, especially the coated ones, then spray with the solution makeing sure to cover the surface well, then let sit for 10-15 minutes, then peel off. It works very, very, very well - the best of anything else I've used. Get the cheapest conditioner you can find. You may have to wipe down the walls with plain water and a sponge when you are done, just to remove any leftover residue.

3. 
   gary_weiss | Mar 01, 2001 04:13am | #7

   *Doug,Here's a method that's never been known to fail. Get yourself a spray bottle, use three parts liquid Downy to on epart water. Get off as much of the top vinyl layer as you can, score the remaining layers, spray with the downy mixture, and scrape off. You may need to spray on the Downy mixture a couple of times depending on the number of layers you're taking off.Don't laugh, it works.Gary

4. 
   Will_Phillips | Mar 01, 2001 04:28am | #8

   *Paper tiger (crouching dragon)worked for me! with dif and HOT water let 'er soak and start the manual labor.are you listening Cermak?Will

5. 
   L._Siders | Mar 01, 2001 05:58am | #9

   *In a word..."BUMMER"

6. 
   cls | Mar 01, 2001 08:47pm | #10

   *Gary - what do you produce/direct? I'm in Cleveland, west side. Don't tell me you work on Room by Room?

7. 
   gary_weiss | Mar 02, 2001 01:49am | #11

   *CLS,I work at the station that's between 4&6 on the clicker. Can't standroom by room!!Gary

8. 
   John_Sprung | Mar 02, 2001 03:11am | #12

   *Another thought -- instead of a sprayer, you can apply your water or whatever with an ordinary paint roller.-- J.S.

9. 
   Ian.D.Gilham. | Mar 02, 2001 03:19am | #13

   *The trouble is with water, it runs off too easily -- some kind of gel is best -- I used to use a thin mixing of wallpaper paste. Anything really tough was sprayed with a fine sprayer, followed almost immediately by a blowlamp, but that was in the days before steamers.

10. 
    David_Magliacane | Mar 02, 2001 04:38pm | #14

    *Dependin on where you live, there are actually contractors that specialize in removing wallcoverings. You might be better off hiring one of them! contact NGPP.org (National Guild of professional paperhangers for referals. No removal tecnique will work in every situation. Are you stripping over plaster, bare sheet rock, primer sheet rock? These all require a different approach. Also, depending on if it is a paper or a vinyl backed paper or any of a hundred other materials. some vinyls will rip right off. Others have to be perforated with something such as a paper tiger and then wet with water and a wetting agent, such as liquid detergent, fabric softener, or Dif. We even used to use vinegar!(the acid would start to break down the paste, much like the enzymes in Dif break down the protein in the paste) Cover the floor with drops and newspaper, spray the wall with agent and water using a flood spray, then cover the wall with a 1 mil or less sheet of plastic. Let set until the paste releases. The biggest mistake people make is not waiting long enough for the agents to work. Spray it on, wait, re wet, wait and spray again. it can take 20 minutes or longer for the paste to release. Go for it Dave Magliacane

11. 
    John_Easley | Mar 02, 2001 11:47pm | #15

    *In my experience, DIF works well. But the key is to get the paper good and soaking wet, then wait....and wait a little longer.... for the stuff to do its work. Another spray of DIF to loosen things up, then scrape. The key is the wait. Every time I try to rush it, I lose. Then I swear like a sailor.

12. 
    Bill_Flather | Mar 03, 2001 07:13pm | #16

    *Not to prolong this converstion, but I've used DIF, vinegar and fabric softener, and nothing worked like that "safe and simple" product. Where DIF soaked paper mealed off in shreds, the paper soaked with the s&s product would often practically fall off in complete sheets. Very satisfactory. I really like the idea of hanging a sheet of plastic over the wall. Keeping the paper from drying out should speed the process.

13. 
    Cermak | Mar 09, 2001 06:46pm | #17

    *I'm listening.I'm on to the DIF and agree with these other guys that waiting is key (I figure on 1/2 hour). I'm also intrigued by some of the other ideas floated here, like the detergent / fabric softener set, the gel theory, and the idea of covering with plastic. Problems I've experienced with DIF are it dries too fast and is too runny since it's mostly water. The jobs a pain in the dark side any way you cut it. Anybody out there ever remove a foam core wallpaper? Weird stuff. I used a 4" floor scraper (the one with a 4" razor blade), which worked ok where I had room to get the right angle, but I messed up my walls a bit in spots. I'm hoping there's a better way, since I've got lots more to do. Curses to wallpaper installers everywhere!

14. 
    Will_Phillips | Mar 09, 2001 09:35pm | #18

    *Cermak;I have some experience with that foam core wallpaper.I passed on the razor scraper and instead used a oxy/acetaline torch (no 6 tip) and a Husqavarna 051 (you know, a real chainsaw). Sure, I had some wall damage and the house filled up first with soot and then blue smoke but what the hell. Also, I cut through the wall in a few spots and severed some Romex but I never used those outlets anyway. I got the paper off! Next time though, I'd probably put a drop cloth down.Will

15. 
    Cermak | Mar 09, 2001 10:16pm | #19

    *Didn't the foam clog up your teeth??, the ones on your chain I mean.I'm afraid my Stihl 029 "Farm Boss" might be to powerful for this task. I don't want to take the whole house down after all.Seriously, I haven't tried a DIF solution on this stuff because it doesn't have a paper backing and I don't think it will absorb enough solution to make it work, thus the resort to physical methods.Any other ideas out there with more merit than Will "The Destroyer" Phillips'?

2. 
   Doug_Miller | Mar 09, 2001 10:16pm | #20

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   Any one have any easy ways to remove wallpaper? Used a scoring tool and stripper, then tried a steamer. Both worked, but I'm thinking there has to be a better way. I've seen some great ideas on this board, so someone please tell me I'm doing this the hard way.Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.