Best way to remove woodchip wallpaper?

A.Watson

Hi,

I am looking to redecorate my living room and have this old woodchip from around 10 years ago! I've been painting over it for the past 5 years as I've been too scared to remove it incase the wall is bad underneath.

I've decided to strip the wall and have it plastered if the wall is badly damaged.

What is the best way to remove the woodchip with minimal damage?

Any advice much appreciated

Browntoa

steamer, but be prepared if the wall is bad is may remove loose plaster as well

Le_Kirk

Score the paper to allow the removing medium to get behind it. Then, if using wallpaper remover that you mix with water splash it on liberally, let it soak in and remove in the usual way with a scraper. If using a steam type remover, score the paper as before and apply the steamer BUT be very careful not to hold it on the wall for too long as it might blow the plaster off the wall, especially if the plaster is as bad as you say. You may have to do it twice as wood chip tends to allow the top layer off first and then you have to wet or steam again for lower layer.

rich13348

I removed wood chip in my spare room a few months ago we used a steamer but you have to be carful not to gouge into the plaster when scraping. Or burn the house down and claim on insurance might be easier?

macman

Strip a small section to assess the plaster condition. If you decide that replastering is needed anyway, then you won't need to strip the rest: just hack the plaster off.

CathA

Speaking as someone who has stripped the entire hall, stairs, landing and lounge, here's my experience.

Don't listen to people who say use vinegar-doesn't work and the house smells like a chip shop!

Ditto for fabric conditioner, though the house smells much nicer!

Go careful with a steamer, as if the water drips down the wall (and it does) it can run into the light switch or electric plug. The steamer takes ages to get through to the bottom layer of the paper and the paper that comes off is amazingly sticky, wet and you'll be picking bits off your carpet/skirting board/feet for ever.

If the paper is painted with silk paint, that is water resistant so the steamer won't have any effect unless you slash it, which makes it come off in tiny little bits and take ages.

Now,here's the way I did it (eventually, after trying all of the above!)

Do not slash it or wet it. Rip the top layer off,it will come off in bigger chunks if not wet or slashed.
When you are faced with the wood chips and the backing paper, (sort of a browny-grey colour) get a spray bottle and some eucalyptus oil. In the bottle put 3 capfuls of oil, plus a bit of washing up liquid and top up with water. Shake well, spray part of the wall until it is quite wet then walk away. A few minutes later run a scraper over over it and I kid you not, it will just fall off!! And the wall is not sticky either!

My friend gets me the eucalyptus oil from Australia, though I'm sure you can get it here. Whilst I'm flying the flag for eucalyptus oil, it gets mascara off the carpet (DD2) eyeliner off mirrors (DD1). It gets stains out of clothes, is a marvelous kitchen cleaner and disinfectant, I use it for everything.

Just after doing the entire removal of woodchip in our house, we moved to another house which has.....woodchip in the hall, stairs, landing and lounge!! At least I know how to get it off, AND you can still buy it!!

Good luck.

hbomb

We've stripped quite a few houses with woodchip - it's a right bu***r.

Steamer is the way to go, and if you want to speed up the steaming then use a wallpaper scorer first - i recommend an orbital one like this

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painting+%26+Decorating/d150/Wallpapering/sd3252/Stanley+Max+Orbital+Wallpaper+Scorer/p75359

Saves a huge amount of time as you don't have to "blast through" the top layer with steam, and you get a bit of a work-out too.

phoebe1989seb

Think I might try the eucalyptus oil approach......six months ago we bought a house with woodchip in twelve rooms plus hall/stairs/landings. It's on the walls, ceilings, window recesses and inside original Victorian cupboards :mad:

I've already tackled several rooms using the various approaches recommended on this thread with varying degrees of success, but there's a long way to go and I need something faster working......will report back with my findings, lol

CathA

phoebe1989seb wrote: »

Think I might try the eucalyptus oil approach......six months ago we bought a house with woodchip in twelve rooms plus hall/stairs/landings. It's on the walls, ceilings, window recesses and inside original Victorian cupboards :mad:

I've already tackled several rooms using the various approaches recommended on this thread with varying degrees of success, but there's a long way to go and I need something faster working......will report back with my findings, lol

Seriously, works like a dream. Took me an hour to steam one wall, (the wall was only about 6 ft wide) after scoring it several times. Water got in the light switch, blew the lights. The wall was plasterboard and I blew the plaster in 2 places. The paper was sticky as hell, i could go on! Strong solution of eucalyptus oil, water and washing up liquid, really works, honest.

pendragon_arther

I've done it many times but never used a steamer. I score the paper, wear rubber gloves and sponge soak with the hottest water I can stand, let it soak in and strip.The usual caveats apply regarding water and electrics.

onomatopoeia99

I have a house covered in the stuff with multiple layers of paint on top. Even with scoring, the steamer just wouldn't do anything. I ended up using a scraper with a razor edge and scraping off the top layer dry. This is hard work (especially if the previous owners also papered the ceiling ) and the chips fly off like shrapnel. You are left with a brown layer of pulped paper underneath which steams off really easily.

This method reduces the risk of pulling the plaster off and of blowing the plaster from excess steaming. On the down side, you will ache all over after, and it makes a hell of a mess, and chances are you will need to replaster, as woodchip is usually used by people to bodge covering up bad walls without doing the job properly and replastering.