Textured Wallpaper - Arggggh!

Jenny_Pennies

We have moved into a new house a couple of months ago and now are getting round to the idea that now we've unpacked, we ought to start decorating!
All the rooms that we want to decorate have textured wallpaper (mostly ghastly woodchip) which while painted inoffensive white, I hate and want to get rid of.

I am not relishing spending weeks / possibly months getting this stuff off the walls only to have to fill in all the nicks that getting it off will have caused and then lining the walls and eventually getting round to painting or hanging new wallpaper.

I know there have been threads about the smoothover ceiling stuff but has anyone used the one for textured wallpaper (I believe it is different) or found another way to get round not spending hours removing 2 square inches of woodchip?
Any suggestions much appreciated

woodbutcher_2

I wouldn't recommend putting a finish on top of wallpaper.The only way to remove woodchip is a steamer and elbow grease.You can hire a tool with metal spikes which you run over the paper prior to steaming which allows the ingress of water behind the paper,thus making it easier to scrape.Good luck.

ariba10

If you use a steamer and give it time to work you should be able to strip a room a day, no problem.

Also make sure you use a flat bladed scraper and nothing with a point.

tanith

I have been putting off this job in my open plan living room hall and stairs since we moved here 7yrs ago, I have managed to do the bedrooms as it seemed a smaller area to deal with but its coming to time when the open plan downstairs needs decorating and we just have to get rid of the textured wallpaper this time. Not looking forward to it but I'm afraid a stripper and elbow grease is the only way.............:eek:

misgrace

Ah!!! my favourite bit of decorating, stripping,especially woodchip, honest I am serious, I have tons of experience stripping it off.:D

If the painted is very old and dried up looking, you can but one of those long handle wallpaper scraper things and give it some wellie,and it should come in strips, or at least good parts of it.
If your going to use a stripper, score the paper first,in a crisscross pattern all down the paper, get a bucket of hot soapy water and splash it on the paper and the hot saopy water will seep into the scores whilst your steamer/stripper is heating up, and it should come off quite easy.

If the paper has been painted over with silk paint, then its harder work, as the top of the paper tends to peel off due to the silk paint, but it does come off.

Warning!!!, dont leave the stripper on the one area too long, keep moving around especially when you get going, as sometimes if left on the one area/bit of the wall it can blow the plaster, if you hear like a plop, then you know its cracked and blown the plaster underneath, then take away the stripper, and strip that bit with just the soapy water.
It does and can happen, but as long as you keep moving the plate every 10 seconds or so you should be okay.

Jenny_Pennies

Elbow grease it is :eek: or failing that, waiting until it comes back into fashion!
Thanks for the tips all
Jenny

Debt_Free_Chick

Removing it is only half the problem. It's the clearing up I hate, especially when you find the room littered with woodchip confetti :eek:

If you are fortunate enough to be able to sacrifice some dust sheets, I'd be inclined to lay them over the entire room and then dispose of them, including the debris, when you've finished.

Horrid stuff!

NiceGuyG

If you head down to B & Q, I'm sure they now sell chemicals you can mix together to cause an explosion. This way I am certain the chip paper will come off. Further to this, if you had any further open planning ideas, then this would be the perfect time to implement them.

I am thinking about trying this in my new house but would like someone to try it first so please let us all known!.

Cheers ;-)

woodbutcher_2

Started renovating my new house today and there is blown vynil everywhere.A complete doddle to remove.What a relief.

Need to remove a wall to form a kitchen diner and i'm tempted by the explosion theory but this house was once blown up by a gas explosion and my sister lives next door so don't think she would be too happy after the damage caused the last time.