Removing Wallpaper

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My wife has been on me about removing wall paper from our 2 bathrooms so we can end up painting the walls. Our house has had the same wall paper for 24 years so she has a valid point. I’ve been in “procrastination mode” for the last couple of years but I think it’s time.

Any suggestions on how to go about it?
 
Originally Posted By: 555
A friend of mine had the same problem and swore by a mixture of fabric softener and water in a steamer.

^^^
...followed PRONTO by a pushing it with a spackle (or it will just peel if you are lucky)

WASH the walls after.
The leftover glue does not get along with paint/humidity.

Source: 2.5 bathrooms. Yup, they used in some spots, the good glue.....
 
Actually, if the wallpaper is on there real good (not loose anywhere), you can SKIP removing it IF you paint/seal it with KILZ original OIL base primer! You MUST use exactly this product (NOT water-based KILZ latex primer) or any other. This oil-based stuff will NOT wet/soften the underlying 'glue', and will dry almost instantly (leaving no time for underlying glue to soften) - just be sure to apply with roller and do NOT 'overwork' the roller on the surface. The final product (when dried) will act as a sealer, and prevent any water from texture or topcoat(latex) from penetrating underneath the kilz to soften glue. The wallpaper/glue will become just like another paper layer on gypsum wallboard!, sealed in safely with the KILZ.

I have had FABULOUS results doing exactly the above - the wallpapered/kiltz'd surface is so perfectly smooth that I was able to only very lightly texture it simply using a roller with semi-watered down joint compound, then top-coat with latex. Let joint-compound dry 2 days.

Also, if you do have just a few spots where paper is loose, use a razor blade to first remove JUST the loose paper, then apply kilz over everything and let dry before patching/touching up any areas were paper removed/uneven and let that dry before applying overall texture. For a bathroom, I'd probably apply another layer of kilz OVER the texture, just to help seal it in.

One area we did pull the wallpaper off left such an un-even surface, it didnt turn out any were as nice as the ones sealed with kilz, making me wish I knew the KILZ trick from the beginning! Again, one final warning, use ONLY the KILZ ORIGINAL oil-based primer (white&red can) - it is specially formulated for near-instant (1 hour) drying, and using anything else could end in disaster. Also, the fumes on this KILZ necessitates adequate ventilation - but it dries in 1 hour and fumes are gone just as fast IF you ventilate well.
 
Maybe new drywall (cement board) and tile instead
smile.gif
Wallpaper is dead but so is the over played orange or mustard paint and Stainless appliances with granite counter tops and built-in kitchen cabinets.

Hot water soak takes it off if its not water proof vinyl. Not a dry winter job. but you could prob get the room humid enough if its small.
 
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I got a Wagner 715 Wallpaper Steamer to strip some rooms. It worked great.
 
Get a Paper Tiger as well before you spray/soak it. It rolls across the wallpaper and punches lots of tiny holes to help the water get in and soften the adhesive. Then use a putty knife to scrape off. Makes life MUCH easier.
 
Ok, you have some great ideas. Let me add a wrinkle.

The other walls in our house are done in what I have heard call "knockdown." This is the texture she wants in the bathrooms. Is there some way to cover the wallpaper with a type of sealer and then get this type of look on the walls.

In other words, this is type of look we want to end up with.

 
I remodeled a bathroom for a friend who had this issue. The wallpaper was applied over the bare sheetrock several decades in the past. It was so well adhered that trying to remove it just resulted in tearing into the paper facing of the wall. I sanded the wallpaper surface, applied the texture, primed, and painted. That was almost ten years ago and it still looks great!
 
Textured/embossed wallpaper that you paint after you hang it, is available.

We used it in an old farmhouse with some awful plaster walls.

The Paper Tiger gizmo is excellent for removing paper, considering that they cost so little. Use it with really hot water for best results.
 
Originally Posted By: Gebo
Ok, you have some great ideas. Let me add a wrinkle.

The other walls in our house are done in what I have heard call "knockdown." This is the texture she wants in the bathrooms. Is there some way to cover the wallpaper with a type of sealer and then get this type of look on the walls.

In other words, this is type of look we want to end up with.


Technically that's an awful look. It's the cheap way out of a job and lots of contractors sell it like it's a good look, but it's not. Basically you just texture the walls so you don't have to come back and sand the walls. Most people don't like it but I guess there are some out there that do. Smooth walls cost more money.

Anyway, the standard methods of removing wallpaper are basically mentioned above. One other way is to just skim coat over it. I'd advise against painting over it. Although it may look good 98% of the time, you can tell it's painted over wall paper either because of the seams or the corners or the tops/bottoms of the wallpaper will not be perfect.
 
Originally Posted By: salesrep



This picture looks like you took this at home. I am assuming you have personal experience with this?
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Gebo
Ok, you have some great ideas. Let me add a wrinkle.

The other walls in our house are done in what I have heard call "knockdown." This is the texture she wants in the bathrooms. Is there some way to cover the wallpaper with a type of sealer and then get this type of look on the walls.

In other words, this is type of look we want to end up with.


Technically that's an awful look. It's the cheap way out of a job and lots of contractors sell it like it's a good look, but it's not. Basically you just texture the walls so you don't have to come back and sand the walls. Most people don't like it but I guess there are some out there that do. Smooth walls cost more money.

Anyway, the standard methods of removing wallpaper are basically mentioned above. One other way is to just skim coat over it. I'd advise against painting over it. Although it may look good 98% of the time, you can tell it's painted over wall paper either because of the seams or the corners or the tops/bottoms of the wallpaper will not be perfect.


Thanks for the cut down. In our area this is the most expensive way to do walls at about $7 more per sheet. Very labor intensive and many buckets of "goop." The nearest dry wallers that we have found to do it are 2 hours away. It's too time consuming for most contractors is what I have been told.

We've had people come to our house and ask to see it because they heard about it. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 
Originally Posted By: Gebo
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Gebo
Ok, you have some great ideas. Let me add a wrinkle.

The other walls in our house are done in what I have heard call "knockdown." This is the texture she wants in the bathrooms. Is there some way to cover the wallpaper with a type of sealer and then get this type of look on the walls.

In other words, this is type of look we want to end up with.


Technically that's an awful look. It's the cheap way out of a job and lots of contractors sell it like it's a good look, but it's not. Basically you just texture the walls so you don't have to come back and sand the walls. Most people don't like it but I guess there are some out there that do. Smooth walls cost more money.

Anyway, the standard methods of removing wallpaper are basically mentioned above. One other way is to just skim coat over it. I'd advise against painting over it. Although it may look good 98% of the time, you can tell it's painted over wall paper either because of the seams or the corners or the tops/bottoms of the wallpaper will not be perfect.


Thanks for the cut down. In our area this is the most expensive way to do walls at about $7 more per sheet. Very labor intensive and many buckets of "goop." The nearest dry wallers that we have found to do it are 2 hours away. It's too time consuming for most contractors is what I have been told.

We've had people come to our house and ask to see it because they heard about it. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


Sorry, that's just the way it is around here. You never see it in high end homes or new construction. The problem with it is that if you have a hole in the wall, it's hard to match the pattern so it blends in completely. It's easy with smooth walls. Like I said, the guys I use laugh about it because it's easier for them to do it so they don't have to come back the next day after it dries to finish the job. You also end up getting scraped when you bump into the wall.
 
Hopefully dermarpaint will chime in here. I know I've steamed, soaked and scraped off what seems like acres of wallpaper in my day, but luckily this was in homes with lathe board or what ever it's called. It's the first iteration of "drywall", where the surface is brown coated and finish coated with plaster. Hard to damage those walls!

Gebo, why anyone is knocking your style preference is beyond me, but seems to be the way of BITOG these days. Do what you like. It's yours!
 
Like removing unwanted window tinting.

Tell your kids that it's very important that they don't touch the wallpaper, and if they see a tar/run, don't EVER pull on it.
 
I read through this real fast. I'll reply in detail later I'm heading out now.

A few questions:

1. What kind of wallpaper are you removing? Vinyl with a canvas type backing? Actual wallpaper? Stain resistant vinyl? String? Grass cloth? Or Paper Backed Vinyl?
If you're not sure let me know and I'll explain how to check later when I get back.

What is under the wall covering? A primed sheetrock wall, raw sheet rock, or plaster?

The knock down texture is easy, I can walk you through that when you get the paper down.
 
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