Wallpaper stripping advice please.

andygb

As per the title, this includes heavy wallpaper which has been glossed over, and years of neglect.
I have two steam strippers, and I have scored the paper, but will this be enough?

Thanks,

Andy

frank.hopper

Fire up both! close any doors and windows, give it the 'sauna treatment' for an hour or so...

Israfel

Andy, I had the exact same problem, 2-3 layers of wallpaper on top of each other that had also been painted. If you have a scourer then run that over the wall gently to perferate into the wallpaper so the steam and moisture can get through. Might be worth your while having a go we some soapy hot water first just spongeing it down but if the walls are anything like mine were it just won't absorb so my advice would be start from the top of the wall and take it from seam to seam of the wallpaper, have the steamer in one hand and a wallpaper stripper in the other and move from left to right (or vice versa) and down stripping the wallpaper from the section you just steamed, continue this to the floor

WestonDave

If you can get hold of one of those D shaped metal cheese graters and run that over the wall it might help.

However be careful with the steamers - its far better to loosen it very gently than leave the steamer on for too long because it has a tendancy to blow any weakness in the plaster. Its going to be a lot easier in the long run to take longer over stripping the paper than doing the paper quick and then having to fill and smooth all the holes in the plaster!

Frank's advice about making the room as a whole steamy is worth thinking about as long as there aren't any soft furnishings that won't cope with a steam bath.

The other thing worth thinking about for the top layers is that Wilkinsons (there is also a brand name version) do a scraper that takes the equivalent of a stanley knife blade so is a lot sharper than standard scrapers - I wouldn't use one on the last layer for fear of cutting into the plaster but for the top layers you might find it handy.

ormus

we used to make our own paper scrapers with a block of wood and some nails driven into it.
very effective and virtually free.
you can even sharpen the nails with a file if required.