Is it possible to strip back wallpaper just to a certain point?

bflare

I shall try to explain this as good as possible. Basically the downstairs hallway has blown vinyl wallpaper which was originally painted yellow. I painted over this in magnolia & it does look better however, it still looks terrible. It is a rented property & I was thinking of asking the landlady if I could remove the wallpaper but the wallpaper also goes up the stair case which is quite high to the ceiling. Therefore, it would be difficult & time consuming to strip this off. Is it possible somehow to only strip back the wallpaper to a certain point & leave the rest intact? I was thinking stripping back to a corner then using some edging strips or something.


Any ideas?

dunroving

Yes, it's possible, if slightly awkward. You could use a Skil knife to cut through the paper along the line you want to strip to. Then, depending on what method you use to remove the paper, the paper will come away from the wall only up to the cut line.

But it seems like you may also be asking whether it's sensible (would look OK).

bflare

dunroving wrote: »

Yes, it's possible, if slightly awkward. You could use a Skil knife to cut through the paper along the line you want to strip to. Then, depending on what method you use to remove the paper, the paper will come away from the wall only up to the cut line.

But it seems like you may also be asking whether it's sensible (would look OK).

Yeah but now I think about it maybe it would look horrendous?

Slinky

You may find that the reason they've used a blown vinyl is to cover up an uneven wall. Expose that and you'll regret it!


How long do you plan on living there?

bflare

Slinky wrote: »

You may find that the reason they've used a blown vinyl is to cover up an uneven wall. Expose that and you'll regret it!


How long do you plan on living there?

Good question. Not for ever so it might be wise to put up with it for a while? The house is very close to my sons school which is ideal. However, he is 12 so maybe in a year or two when he is more confident on a bus I can move a bit further away which is my plan. So probably 2 years at the max.

Slinky

I'd put up with it for the couple of years rather than risk uncovering something worse. It's not like it's a room you spend a lot of time in.


Did the landlady give permission for you to paint it magnolia?

bflare

Slinky wrote: »

I'd put up with it for the couple of years rather than risk uncovering something worse. It's not like it's a room you spend a lot of time in.


Did the landlady give permission for you to paint it magnolia?

I think you are right. Yeah she did & she paid for the paint. I have put some canvas's up & I could actually put a long wall mirror on one of the hall walls just to diver the attention. Think I shall concentrate on the rooms we spend more time on & which will more than likely cause me less work & hassle.

dunroving

bflare wrote: »

I think you are right. Yeah she did & she paid for the paint. I have put some canvas's up & I could actually put a long wall mirror on one of the hall walls just to diver the attention. Think I shall concentrate on the rooms we spend more time on & which will more than likely cause me less work & hassle.

If I were you, I'd be following this strategy. Find some online articles on "how to hide and ugly wall", and learn to live with it.

As suggested elsewhere, you could be opening a can of worms by stripping off embossed wallpaper. Do you really want to have to pay for plastering, etc.? If it came to that, a plasterer might say the paper has to come off the whole wall in order to plaster properly ... don't go there!

bflare

dunroving wrote: »

If I were you, I'd be following this strategy. Find some online articles on "how to hide and ugly wall", and learn to live with it.

As suggested elsewhere, you could be opening a can of worms by stripping off embossed wallpaper. Do you really want to have to pay for plastering, etc.? If it came to that, a plasterer might say the paper has to come off the whole wall in order to plaster properly ... don't go there!

Yes I agree with all of this. Thank you.

dunroving

On a side note, be very careful about making any substantive changes to a rental property. Depending on how trustworthy the property owner is, they might deduct for reinstating the property to its original state.

So, if you paint lovely magnolia on a dirty, greasy, but originally white wall, they might insist the wall is repainted white, at your expense.

Been there, done that (as a tenant, I mean!). You are better protected in the UK than I was (in the US), but still bears considering. Maybe get owner's consent in writing - easily done these days via email, just ask the question innocently ("So, just wanted to check that you are definitely OK with the living room being painted dusky pink?")

Sounds like your landlady is quite reasonable, but you never know - a busybody relative might persuade her otherwise.