wallpaper removal - what a mess

[Sparc64]

Hi,

This is my first post in this forum - i was just googling for advice on removing wallpaper and found this community - apologies if what i'm about to ask has already been asked a million times, i'm not familiar with the website yet.

I'm trying to remove a textured wallpaper (feels/looks/rips like thick paper (it's brown cardboard like underneath), almost feels like thin cardboard when ripping and it has been painted over a few times), i've tried everything i found on google : vinegar, dishwasher soap, chemicals etc, the only thing that seems to be kind of doing the work is the 'solvite expert gel wallpaper remover' from b&q and an expensive stripper with a razor like edge (i think it's also suitable for tiles), a normal straper won't do anything (i'm already scraping with the razor edged scraper for the past 2 days non stop and haven't even finished one room)

obviously the razor edged scraper also marks the wall, my question was : how clean the wall needs to be before i apply a b&q all purpose filler to cover the marks and then paint it with basecoat? there's a light gray cement like substance (is that the 'skim'??) under the brown sticky stuff (brown stuff = wallpaper glue ??), do i need to fully expose that to perfection and make sure it's absolutely clean without any brown stuff smudged on top or just exposing it is ok?

also is my grand masterplan of : scraping like hell > applying liberally b&q all purpose filler with a float > paint the room with polycell 3 in 1 basecoat > apply normal paint on top sound or you have some other advice?


many thanks for helping a desparate man. ... ...

 

[kbdiy]

It's just wallpaper so stop whinging. Score it, soak it, scrape it and repeat until it's all off. It's no big deal, just that these days everyone seems to think there is an easy way out of everything. Just a bit of hard graft and job done.

If you intend to paint the wall afterwards then it needs to be very clean so make sure all the old adhesive is scraped and washed off.

Crack on.

 

[Alastairreid]

Have you tried a steam stripper?

 

[rjm2k]

You want something like this

http://www.screwfix.com/p/harris-jumbo-super-stripper-6/79050

not this

http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/decora...and-Q-Stripping-Knife-12498674?skuId=13019323

most wallpaper comes off dry with one of these, though a damp sponge may be needed for some of it. Pro's don't tend to use steam strippers.

Once removed, just wash down with sugar soap/water with one of these http://www.wilko.com/preparation/wi...-x-115cm/invt/0159218?VBMST=decorating sponge

then pollyfilla any gaps, sand any bits that need it and basecoat over that then paint (that's how I do it anyway). Pro's don't tend to use basecoat as it's a diy product but it is supposed to help cover small imperfections and provides a colour block.

 

[Sparc64]

Hi,

Thanks for responding - to both of you

i never removed a wall paper of this type before and i never knew it would be so difficult, the wallpaper i just removed from my living room was much different, did the whole room in a few hours, but this textured cardboard thing :S... ... also the amount of glue used by whoever put it up is uncanny.

my first attempt was with a steam stripper, bought a branded one from b&q about a week ago for 40£ - hardly does anything, the brown stuff i'm trying to remove is about 1-2mm thick of similar hardness to epoxy resin, after using the steam stripper on an area for 30 secs, the surface of that brown substance just becomes slippery making it even harder to remove

it's actually much easier in terms of physical strength needed to just remove the gray material under the brown glue along with the glue using that razor sharp tile scraper rather than just trying to scrape the glue off, however i'm not sure if it's possible to repair the dents on the gray stuff with b&q all purpose filler??

regards

 

[Sparc64]

thanks rjm2k, that's the one i've been using for the past two days (a couple of normal scrapers i originally bought are now dull and useless), i haven't finished a room yet and i'm about to change the razor blade on the scraper i'm using... ..

thanks for the tip about the sponge! i'll buy one now.

just one question about what you just said : pros don't use basecoat - what do they use then? or you mean their level of work is so good that they don't need such a thing in the first place?

 

[smp50]

I removed a particularly tough wallpaper, painted over more than once, by applying water with a spray bottle, several times over about 30 minutes or more. Let it really soak in - it will eventually.


As for the state your wall will be in - I was left with a lot of dents and scrapes that really couldn't be filled and sanded down nicely, so I put lining paper on and really it looks like perfect white plaster, it's almost flawless and the joints (butted) are imperceptible to touch and barely visible to the eye. I'm sure that when it's painted they'll disappear altogether. I used Wallrock Premium, free samples are available from online vendors.

 

[rjm2k]

Pros tend to insist on lining paper, not one we got quotes from would prepare and paint bare plaster so we did it ourselves.

 

[NickB_99]

As for the state your wall will be in - I was left with a lot of dents and scrapes that really couldn't be filled and sanded down nicely, so I put lining paper on and really it looks like perfect white plaster, it's almost flawless and the joints (butted) are imperceptible to touch and barely visible to the eye. I'm sure that when it's painted they'll disappear altogether

Or you can always re skim the wall - you are in the plastering forum