removing paper off plasterboard plus another question!!

[ZETEC153]

hi

just joined this forum as there seems to be a wealth of knowledge on here.

Basically we are strippint the papaer off a house we have bought and need to strip textured paper off plasterboard walls. We can scrape/peel off the top layer, leaving the backing paper on the wall still. Will a steamer damage the plasterboard or not. Is it ok to just use a wet sponge soaked in sugar soap and wipe it off??

Also, on one of the walls there was the same paper which we steamed off fine - this was on a normal brick wall which had been skimmed with plaster. The paper came off easy. However under neath the paper is a sort of textured paint, almost like that amaglypta paper but its a paint, and when steamed it seems really sticky and rubbery. Can anyone tell me what sort of paint it is and what the best way to remove it would be??

many thanks

george

 

[roughcaster]

A steamer will not damage plasterboard, as long as you don't leave it in any one spot for too long. Once you have the top layer of paper off, wet the backing paper with a brush or sponge, and it will scrape off the wall no problem. If you intend to paint the walls once the paper has been removed, and they are in good condition, give them a thorough clean off using sugar soap to remove any old paste etc,,,, then a little pollyfilla and a sand down where required,,, and you are ready to paint..... I think the "sticky textured paint" you refer to, is probably old silk emulsion that has been affected by the heat from the steamer.

Roughcaster.

 

[Richard C]

Will a steamer damage the plasterboard or not.

Have the plasterboard walls been skimmed with finishing plaster or is it just raw boards under there?

 

[roughcaster]

Will a steamer damage the plasterboard or not.

Have the plasterboard walls been skimmed with finishing plaster or is it just raw boards under there?

Good point Rich'd.

Roughcaster.

 

[ZETEC153]

Will a steamer damage the plasterboard or not.

Have the plasterboard walls been skimmed with finishing plaster or is it just raw boards under there?

Good point Rich'd.

Roughcaster.

i think its just raw boards. we will lline them before we paint them though.

george

 

[Richard C]

Will a steamer damage the plasterboard or not.

Have the plasterboard walls been skimmed with finishing plaster or is it just raw boards under there?

Good point Rich'd.

Roughcaster.

i think its just raw boards. we will lline them before we paint them though.

If it's raw boards, be very careful; using a steamer or even water on them may destroy the paper lining on the boards underneath. Why people do this is beyond me, they go to all the trouble involved in the construction & then baulk at the cost of plastering. It’s so short sighted to whack up some plasterboard & just paper it over, it will only look good until the next re-decoration. In all probability, unless you keep painting/papering over the top, someone else is going to have a lot of remedial work & at worst may have to do it all over again.

Keep your fingers crossed & hope that whoever “bodged” the wall in the first place by not having it plastered had the sense to seal the boards before they stuck the wallpaper on; if they did, you may just get away with it but I wouldn’t take any bets. If it looks like they aren’t going to survive, you may have to remove the boards & start again or overboard. Whatever you end up doing, I would advise you get the boards properly plastered, at least it can then be easily re-decorated in the future.

 

[ZETEC153]

Will a steamer damage the plasterboard or not.

Have the plasterboard walls been skimmed with finishing plaster or is it just raw boards under there?

Good point Rich'd.

Roughcaster.

i think its just raw boards. we will lline them before we paint them though.

If it's raw boards, be very careful; using a steamer or even water on them may destroy the paper lining on the boards underneath. Why people do this is beyond me, they go to all the trouble involved in the construction & then baulk at the cost of plastering. It’s so short sighted to whack up some plasterboard & just paper it over, it will only look good until the next re-decoration. In all probability, unless you keep painting/papering over the top, someone else is going to have a lot of remedial work & at worst may have to do it all over again.

Keep your fingers crossed & hope that whoever “bodged” the wall in the first place by not having it plastered had the sense to seal the boards before they stuck the wallpaper on; if they did, you may just get away with it but I wouldn’t take any bets. If it looks like they aren’t going to survive, you may have to remove the boards & start again or overboard. Whatever you end up doing, I would advise you get the boards properly plastered, at least it can then be easily re-decorated in the future.

right, on removal of some of the paper it looks like the boards have been sealed with a really hard paint of some sort. would this now be ok to carefully steam??

i am only assuming that the walls are plaster board - i dont know what else they would use to create partition walls in a circa 1970's mid terrace house.

mnany thanks for all your help

george

 

[Richard C]

Good that it seems to have been sealed with something. I would try hot water & if that works, fine; depending on what the sealer is a steamer may cause it to go soft or even bubble like the silk emulsion did on your block wall. Are you sure it’s not plastered plasterboard that’s been painted at some time prior to the paper going on? If it has been plastered, a steamer will probably be OK if, as Roughcaster said, you don’t leave it in the same place too long. But if it hasn't & the steam gets through to the paper board surface itself, it will delaminate & the board will start to disintegrate.

As to what the stud could be made of; most are plasterboard over timber but there have been other systems; one was called “Paramount” & I believe it was a plasterboard face with an egg box construction inside but I’ve no idea how it was constructed or finished as I’ve never seen any.