Any tips for removing multiple layers of wallpaper?

Jacks_xxx

:wave: Hiya my lovelies!

Our house is a victorian terrace and it seems that in the hallway all the previous occupants have just papered or painted over the existing wallpaper. :eek: :rotfl:

The top layer is textured anaglypta type stuff which has been painted over a few times, underneath that is lining paper, then painted woodchip, beneath that is more lining paper and the bottom layer is a very dark brown floral number that has been varnished over by the look of it, and may even be the original 100 year old wallpaper! :eek:

We're having a heck of a time trying to get it off and I'm dreading doing the bit over the stairs where the wall is 25 feet high in places when I'm struggling to do the ground level areas!

But I'm pretty sure my hallway will be six inches wider by the end of this, so I'm determined to do it!

Can anybody help?

Love Jacks xxx

paddy's_mum

Sounds like you need one of those hedgehog wallpaper 'pricker' thingummys as well as a steam stripper.

Given your location, you may want to give Earlex a call on 01483 454666 Moorfield Industrial Estate, Guildford. They are the world's biggest producer of steam strippers. They used to sell factory reconditioned steam strippers at considerable discount and possibly still do. Alternatively, they are available at most diy outlets or perhaps a friend has one you can borrow.

To get through that lot, remember that the key is to get the steam to penetrate so a pricker or slashes with a stripping knife is the essential first step. Good luck and I'd like to see a picture of the biceps you will surely develop in removing that little lot!

Jacks_xxx

:T Cheers honey!

Guildford's just up the road from me so I'll give Earlex a call.

These blimmin' walls have had me in tears of frustration trying to get the multiple layers off and my shoulders killl!

I will have lovely smooth walls and a considerably wider hallway ..eventually! :eek:

Hubby's off today so I will dispatch him to buy "a hedgehog " and we'll see if that works better than the scoring we've been doing up to now.

Thanks ever so much honeybun! :A

Love Jacks xxx

louidog

Jacks beware!

We too live in a very old house and we have now found that when removing the 74 layers of previous wallpaper the walls always seem to come away with the layers of paper! Seems in older houses it's a case of remove wallpaper and then replaster the walls before anything else can be done!

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

Jacks_xxx

:wave: Thanks louidog!

That is a very real possibility, as all the plaster underneath will be the old stuff from 100 years ago.

You wait, I'll be posting on here again in two weeks asking if the plasterer's exorbitant sounding quote is the going rate.

Every other room that we've had to do this in has had to be replastered, plus most of the ceilings are papered as well. I've just not had so much trouble getting the paper off before.

Oh well, Everyone needs a hobby I s'pose!

Love Jacks xxx

PS LOVE your sig!:rotfl:

ormus

sometimes on big jobs the diy steamer is not enough, a pro steamer from a hire shop will be much better.
also you could do say 100 sq ft per day. make it a target. just take your time over a period of days/weeks. once youve worked out the area, you will know how long it will take and you wont get too disheartened.
some jobs just require time. thats why they cost so much when u get a man in.
good luck.
we want some photos! before and after!

paddy's_mum

Earlex manufacture both the small diy steamers and the much heavier duty professional ones. Good point, ormus, and perhaps Jacks needs to pick the brains of the guys in the workshops if she does indeed pay Earlex a visit.

Jacks_xxx

:wave: :T :A Cheers my lovelies!

I spoke to hubby about hiring or buying a good steamer and he ( :heartpuls LOVE him! :heartpuls ) says he's reluctant to spend money on something when we could do it ourselves if we just work a bit harder. :eek:

So we're still ploughing on with our DIY steamer and scoring brush, :rolleyes: and he's taken a couple of days off to give me a hand.

We are through most of the layers now though, and even down to the bare, crumbly, 100 year old plaster in some places. :dance: :dance: :dance: I've managed to ping off a length of skirting board in my scraping zeal though.

I did an area this afternoon that had fewer layers on it! Evidently some time in the past somebody had removed wallpaper down to the original (brown, flowery, lacquered to the wall) layer but had stopped after doing a whole wall! There was about a 3 inch square patch where they'd scraped off some of the oldest layer and then given it up as a bad job!

(I don't blame them! )

And the front part of the hallway has a really ugly 70's vinyl layer that isn't anywhere else.

It's like a wallpaper fashion history lesson, our hallway.

I reckon we're doing about 4 or 5 sq feet an hour between us, but we're getting there!

I'm still dreading the bit along the stairs where there's at least 18 feet of wall above what I can reach in places, but I'll let hubby work that out when we get to it.

I'll also get Hubby to work out the total square footage so that we will have an idea of how long it'll take.

I might also work out how much it would've cost us to get someone in. That'll cheer me up.

"After" photos might be sometime coming as we're definitely going to have to save up for a plasterer, but I can give you some "work in progress" ones tomorrow.

Thanks ever so much,

Love Jacks xxx

louidog

Keep at it Jacks!!

I am feeling your pain