Best way to remove painted wallpaper

UncleZen

I'm sure this has been covered before, but when I search I get solutions for normal wallpaper removal.
The wallpaper I have to remove is painted. So when I soak it, the water just runs off the top and doesn't penetrate through the paint. I tried scoring, it that didn't make much difference.

To give you an idea of the effort involved it's taking me about 1 hour per foot of wall, normal height ceiling!
Is a steamer the only way?

Owain_Moneysaver

Try a wallpaper scorer rather than a knife if that's what you're using.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/zinsser-paper-tiger-scoring-tool-3mm/3469h

And probably a steamer.

[Deleted User]

I've been in your situation and used a steamer to remove it, it makes the job far easier and quicker.
Each room here (have done 3 rooms to date) had painted woodchip wallpaper and a steamer made it relatively simple.

moonpenny

You need to score the paper before you wet it.
I use a sharp knife and do long criss cross scores top to bottom.

If you use a steamer it is much quicker but be careful you don't blow the plaster underneath by leaving it one place too long.

If you use a sponge and bucket use hot water with some washing up liquid in it.
You might have to repeat the process for the under paper once you get the painted paper off.

ianto11

I find if you score the paper first you end up with lots of tiny bits coming off. I use a steamer and make sure you have the whole width of the sheet lifting at the top, then using the steamer move down slowly......gravity is your friend, and the sheet comes off in one piece.
As mentioned you do have be careful not to affect the plaster with the steam

Gastines3

Use a spiked roller to score the surface first,not a blade.Then use a steamer working in lines from the top of each strip. Don't leave the steamer plate in one spot too long or you will hear a 'Pop' and will have blown a section of finishing coat plaster off the wall.

d0nkeyk0ng

I've had to do this and found steaming to be rubbish. On one wall, I used a zinsser tiger scorer and then tried steam with a scraping tool. Took me forever. On the other walls, I used the zinsser DIF concentrate via a garden sprayer to soak the walls. It was much easier. Then again, the walls had been papered and painted over many times by the previous owners so I had more layers to go through.

Mistral001

d0nkeyk0ng wrote: »

I've had to do this and found steaming to be rubbish. On one wall, I used a zinsser tiger scorer and then tried steam with a scraping tool. Took me forever. On the other walls, I used the zinsser DIF concentrate via a garden sprayer to soak the walls. It was much easier. Then again, the walls had been papered and painted over many times by the previous owners so I had more layers to go through.

I agree. Steamers are over-rated. Often just wetting will to exactly the same job. In this case scoring and wetting.

UncleZen

OP here...
I used a steamer on the second wall and was through it in no time. Also scored the paper first.

Korkyb

Had to strip a wall in the flat my daughter has bought.


7 (ish) layers of wallpaper (many of which had also been painted).


1st layer seemed to have been superglued to bare plaster.


Really hard to tell where wallpaper ended & plaster began.


Steaming was no use - lots of warm water seemed to be the only, horribly slow way to do it.


Wall had to be skimmed afterwards & to be honest we were relieved that we didn't have to rip out all the internal plaster & start again (it was on the cards at one point...)


I hate wallpaper :-)

esmy

Try pulling it off dry first with a scraper to lift the edge. My house was woodchip wonderland (we still haven't got rid of it all) and I found I got a surprising amount off like this, a steamer takes care of any remainder.