Stripping wallpaper/fragile plaster

lostinrates

Can anyone advise me?

I am going potty in our house which is being restored at a glacial rate. It is very old and nothing can be done over winters becaus eof using lime plasters etc.

The builders are going to be starting at one end of the house and i am depserate to do something to improve the environment medium term. I would like to decorate the sitting room so we have one decent looking room for entertaining and relaxing in. The wallpaper is ripped in the corners of the room, sort of shredded looking, and also very puckered.


I plan to paint the room a plain colour, but i need to remove the paper first. I suspect its old plaster with some modern patching, how best and most gently to remove the paper? Is steaming the best bet, or is it too risky with fragile plaster?

tigeress289

Steaming is the best way but you can do a test area. Score the paper with a stanley blade and have a go with warm soapy water and a sponge. Try to get the paper as wet as possible but before it starts soaking into plaster, Gently,gently and you should see results. Also use a decent stripper of good quality.

DVardysShadow

Given your situation, I think you need to be wary of bringing work down on yourself which you won't get back to for years. I would be looking at pasting back the loose paper and either paining over or putting up a lining paper and painting over

Doozergirl

I'd go with the lining paper route too.

When you take off what is there, it will be in real need filling at least,even if it doesn't crumble around you, which it might do regardless, given it's age. Lining paper won't be perfect, but you'll have a smoother result in the shorter term, it will cover some sins.

Lining paper and dead flat emulsion so that it reflects as little imperfection as possible, or just a patterned wallpaper or indeed, textured wallpaper.

John Lewis had one in the sale that had the texture of crushed silk. I liked it before it was in the sale.

lostinrates

Thank you both.

DS, i agree, and thats why i am thinking this through carefully. It might not be possible.

I think the paper is too shredded to repaste in one corner, and so puckerd in the other and i think it could look worse, not better, painted over the existing paper.

Edit: doozer's post didn't show when i posted.

The wallpaper now is patternd, and i think that that does help. I want dead flat emulsion ultimately. I don't mind imperfection as in old lumpy walls, but shredded puckered wallpaper looks frightful, where as lumpy old walls have some charm!

keystone

If the topcoat of plaster is fragile a steamer is the very last thing you should put anywhere near it. You'll have it popping off all over the place and then you'll be faced with skimming the walls.

I agree with DVS in entirety. If nothing else the existing paper will be binding it all together and so it should be left there as its a short to medium term situation.

If its shredded in one corner cut the shreds out and just fill back to the level of the paper. Where its puckered cut into the puckers lengthwise with a stanley knife, repaste them flat and use a seam roller, allow to dry then trim off the excess or sand it back. In both cases you now have a flat surface to paint or line and paint.

Cheers

lostinrates

keystone wrote: »

If the topcoat of plaster is fragile a steamer is the very last thing you should put anywhere near it. You'll have it popping off all over the place and then you'll be faced with skimming the walls.

I agree with DVS in entirety. If nothing else the existing paper will be binding it all together and so it should be left there as its a short to medium term situation.

If its shredded in one corner cut the shreds out and just fill back to the level of the paper. Where its puckered cut into the puckers lengthwise with a stanley knife, repaste them flat and use a seam roller, allow to dry then trim off the excess or sand it back. In both cases you now have a flat surface to paint or line and paint.

Cheers

Thnakyou! That seems a relaistic way of tackling the puckers and shreds! I will try that even if i decide not to decorate that will look better!

Edwardia

Had this problem myself. Please don't use a steam stripper, chunks of plaster will fall off !