Removing wallpaper

Speculator

Hi,

We have just purchased a house and were looking to remove the current wallpaper. After further inspection it appears as if there at at least 2-3 layers of wallpaper on each wall and it has been painted over several times.

Any suggestions on the best way to remove this?

CarrickMcJoe

No Problem
Hire out a steam stripper and purchase a stripping blade in your local diy store. Just be careful how long you hold the plate to the wall as sometimes the heat will bolster the plaster too.

Or you can take off some of the top layers while dry and then give the remaining paper a good soaking using water with a bit of washing up liquid or a very light paste and use blade to strip.

Id steam it myself.

Speculator

CarrickMcJoe wrote: »

No Problem
Hire out a steam stripper and purchase a stripping blade in your local diy store. Just be careful how long you hold the plate to the wall as sometimes the heat will bolster the plaster too.

Or you can take off some of the top layers while dry and then give the remaining paper a good soaking using water with a bit of washing up liquid or a very light paste and use blade to strip.

Id steam it myself.

Hi CarrickMcJoe,

Thanks for the advise. I'm on the Northside of Dublin, were could I hire a steam stripper?

CarrickMcJoe

Not from Dublin myself but is there a Sam Hire near you . You could tip over to B&Q or Argos and buy one of the cheaper ones.

The steamers that are on hire are good quality and are designed so you can stand on top of them to reach the top of the wall.

june77

hi,
I recently did battle with woodchip wallpaper with several layers of paint. I bought a 35 euro steamer from a diy store which worked great and is still working. I found it useful to score/slash the wallpaper with the scraper before steaming. I was so glad i had bought the steamer as i was wrecked after the first room and didn't get around to anything else for several months. If i had to return a steamer, I probably would never gone back to do the rest. Best of luck!

K09

Hi,

We have thick wallpaper that is very difficult to remove. Tried a steamer but it very slow.
Do I need to scrape it first before steaming?

Thanks.

paddy147

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

We have thick wallpaper that is very difficult to remove. Tried a steamer but it very slow.
Do I need to scrape it first before steaming?

Thanks.

Scrape the surface of the paper with the side of the stripper or stanley knife,then leave the steamer plate over the area for for around 10-15 seconds,then use the scraper.

Dont blow the plaster off the wall by leaving the steamer plate on the wall for too long.;)

ParkerNicole

While adding wallpaper is a simple solution to enhancing the appearance of a room, removing it is a different story. With industrial steam cleaning machine, you can easily remove wallpaper without having to do any scrubbing or wiping.

Stonefoxstar

I've just moved into into a new house and what with it being 2012 and all my new landlord has COVERED every room in woodchip, which breaks my heart every time I look at. All your posts have been so helpful re what to, just wondering does anyone know how much it would be to rent/buy one of these steamers?

Tabitharose

not sure how much they cost to rent, but they're under €50 to buy new (or keep an eye on adverts - you might pick one up second hand) I was lucky & managed to borrow one off a friend the time I needed one

CarrickMcJoe

Around €12 per day or €36 per week to hire steam stripper. You should also hire a spiked roller to allow the steam to penetrate the woodchip.

Also the steamer has a platform to stand on to reach the top of the wall.

Stonefoxstar

Thanks so much for your replies, I really appreciate your advice.