On occasion you may find yourself having to strip existing wallpaper in order to paint a room. There are two issues which immediately surface...
1. What type of surface is underneath the wallpaper?
2. What repair horror stories will removing the wallpaper reveal?
Type of Surface
Older houses generally have fully-plastered walls as opposed to drywall or plasterboard which has been skim-plastered. The first is easy to remove wallpaper from, the second means that removal is almost impossible due to the fact that once moist the removal of the wallpaper also pulls off the plasterboard lining paper with it. This leaves an uneven base which is pretty well impossible to repair economically. Test the wall before attempting removal. If it is drywall or plasterboard then check here for information on what to do.
Repair horror stories
Unfortunately shoddy plaster repairs tend to be the norm when you remove wallpaper. Whether it is because wallpaper will cover the poor repair or whether it is just down to poor workmanship doesn't really matter; the result is the same... the surface you are going to paint is not up to scratch and therefore you are going to have to fix it.
Types of problem
Plaster repairs are either where the repair work is proud of the wall surface or where holes in the wall exist. Where the repair is proud of the wall use a sander to get the repaired area as level with the existing surface as possible. Use spackling to blend the repair into the wall.
Where holes exist see here for information on how to fix them.
Removing the paper
Unfortunately, since wallpaper is attached to the surface with glue it is a messy business with wet and soggy paper all around. Nonetheless it has to be removed. So how do you do it?
There are several ways - steam stripper, water, chemical solution.
Water on its own is generally hard work and everything gets wet! Chemical solutions are effective but still have the downside of lots of liquid getting splashed around. Steam-strippers are effective, quick and involve less liquid around the room. Water and chemical solutions are generally applied by sponge or cloth, the wallpaper is allowed to absorb the liquid which then separates the glue from the wall surface. Use a broad filling / stripper knife to scrape the paper off. Hard work!
Steam stripping is more efficient but you need to concentrate on what you are doing. If you leave the steam plate in one place for too long you run the risk of damaging the plaster underneath and therefore having to do time consuming repair work.
So how do you strip wallpaper using a steam stripper?
Tools:
· Steam-Stripper
· Broad filling/stripping knife
· Power Sander, Pole Sander, Sanding block
Provided the walls are sound the best and quickest method is to use a steam-stripper and a stripping knife.
|
These generally come with a number of accessories such as large and small steam-plates and nozzles. |
|
Do not hold a steam plate in one spot for a prolonged length of time otherwise you run the risk of damaging the plaster. It is far safer to make several attempts to remove a section; after a short while you wil be able to judge the adhesion and adjust accordingly. Steam can be dangerous. ALWAYS follow the manufacturers instructions.
|
|
Step 1. If the wallpaper is vinyl coated you need to try and pull off as much
of the vinyl outer layer otherwise the steam will not penetrate the
surface. This is
a) dangerous as the scalding steam is reflected back
towards you and
b) just useless in getting the paper off the wall!
Step 2. Place a dropcloth at the bottom of the area you are going to strip.
Wet, sticky wallpaper is messy!
Step 3. Decide where you’re going to start and in what order you’re going to
work. Place the steam-plate on the first section, hold there for a
short time then move the plate to the next section and while holding
it there begin to prise away the wallpaper from the previous section.
Try and get into a system that you’re comfortable with.
If you use short stabbing movements with the scraper you run the risk of gouging out bits of the underlying plaster which means more effort to repair. The best approach to steam stripping is to try and remove the paper in one continuous move.
Radiators!
Many wallpaper removal jobs are spoiled by a lack of attention to removing the paper from behind radiators because of the lack of room to work. If you want a professional finish make sure you get down deep behind the radiator and remove as much wallpaper as possible. Some steam strippers come complete with a range of accessories, one of which is generally a nozzle which will force the steam in a jet for a short distance. Combine this with a long-handled stripping blade or, if you don't have one of those a radiator-roller - without the roller attached - to prise the paper off. Alternatively find yourself a scraper with a longer handle or one which accommodates a short-pole extension with a screw connection.
ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE GLOVES WHEN USING THE JET NOZZLE OR MINI STEAM PLATE! THE STEAM IS ABSOLUTELY SCALDING AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS BURNS.
|
|
|
Sanding
Removing the wallpaper is only the first step! The walls must be completely smooth if you want a professional looking finish and the only way to do this is to sand them. There are two approaches:-
1. Power-Sander
· Pro’s – Fast, not as safe as a pole-sander since high areas to be sanded can only be reached using a ladder
· Con’s – even with a dust attachment there is a huge amount of dust which will get everywhere
2. Pole-Sander
· Pro’s – fast, far less dust, safer
· Con’s –more effort required
If you are using a power-sander it is advisable to seal any gaps in wardrobes with masking-tape to avoid clothes getting dust all over them! My advice is to use a pole-sander instead!
In either case wear appropriate safety protection! |
|
Borders
There may be an occasion where you are going to paint over existing wallpaper which has a border either low-down or high-up. These need to be removed as they will spoil the finished appearance completely.Some borders will be relatively easily removed but vinyl ones are not so easy. The vinyl needs to be removed in order to reveal the backing paper which can then be scraped-off using either a steam-stripper or solution.
To get the best finish possible make sure that the adhesive is cleaned-off completely – use Oops!™, white-spirit or nail-varnish remover if necessary.
|
|
· Removing a border high-up on a wall
Sometimes you may need to remove a border around the top of a wall. In the picture below a vinyl border was removed but the backing-paper left behind. This was repaired as follows:-
Step 1. The border area was sanded – particularly the join to make it as
smooth as possible
Step 2. A solution of PVA Adhesive was applied to seal the backing
Step 3. Two coats of Zinsser Allcoat Multisurface Primer and Finish were
applied
Step 4. A coat of white ceiling emulsion was then painted on
Step 5. Two coats of finishing emulsion finished the job perfectly |
|
Everything is going nicely with your stripping but then… a section of plaster comes away with the paper and leaves you with a large area to be repaired. The damaged area will either be fairly shallow or may be quite deep. Either way the repair is the same except that deep damage will require two, or even three, separate fills.
Method:
Step 1. Clean out the area and remove any loose material
Step 2. Apply a ready-mixed plaster to the area. You can use a plasterers
trowel or the spreader which either comes with, or can be bought
separately to, skim plaster.
Step 3. Unless the damage is shallow don’t try and get a finished surface in
one go; fill the area roughly first, score the surface with criss-cross
lines to give a good bond to the next fill. Leave to set thoroughly.
Step 4. It helps a lot if the spreader you use is longer than the areas longest
measurement. This means you can get an even spread across the
whole area without having to remove “tram lines”.
Step 5. Let each fill dry thoroughly. Fill any imperfections with lightweight
spackling. Lightly sand if necessary.
Step 6. Prime the damaged area with a suitable primer
Step 7. Paint as normal. |
