Using Steamer to remove old painted over wallpaper
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http://www.wallpaperinstaller.com/wallpaper_stripping.html
Steaming is not the best method in my opinion but it absolutly should come off before painting over it, by ANY means avaliable.
Steaming is not the best method in my opinion but it absolutly should come off before painting over it, by ANY means avaliable.
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I have owned a steamer for well over a decade now
I rarely use it
It can sit for years w/o me breaking it out
And I do a fair amount of wallpaper removal compared to many of my fellow painters
Truth is, not every WP removal is the same, not all tools/tricks/procedures work w/o fail each and every time
I'm not saying I don't break it out every once in a while
And like Chris said, if it works, go with it
But I'd try (as I always do) other methods first
And yes, the covering should be removed by any/all means possible
I rarely use it
It can sit for years w/o me breaking it out
And I do a fair amount of wallpaper removal compared to many of my fellow painters
Truth is, not every WP removal is the same, not all tools/tricks/procedures work w/o fail each and every time
I'm not saying I don't break it out every once in a while
And like Chris said, if it works, go with it
But I'd try (as I always do) other methods first
And yes, the covering should be removed by any/all means possible
I removed one wall of paper in DR and my hand, wrist, arm and neck ached for days, lol. I used a paper tiger and scraper. I used warm water with vinegar and fabric softener. It worked great. Just don't think I have the strength to do two 4-wall rooms up the stairs and a long hallway without some kind of help. What do you guys suggest. All of this has been up mega years with lots of paint over it.
I was told a steamer would ease and speed up the job. How do you guys remove it, especially when there is this much to do and is old and painted?? Do you use DIF or some other chemical. If possible, I'd rather not have the chemicals in the house.
I was told a steamer would ease and speed up the job. How do you guys remove it, especially when there is this much to do and is old and painted?? Do you use DIF or some other chemical. If possible, I'd rather not have the chemicals in the house.
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Bucket? You need to mix it according to directions with HOT water and spray it on with a garden sprayer, let it SOAK, spray it again,let it soak, water should be runnig down the walls, let it SOAK. It does work and better than anything else. I do this for a living and have tried them all.Follow the directions and it WILL work:yes:
I mixed two ounces with hot water in a bucket. I applied to wall with a paint roller. It was running down the walls and I now have white spots on two areas of woodwork. I covered the mantle with plastic also and water ran under it and made a large spot. I don't want a sprayer in here doing more damage which is why I applied with a paint roller. I scored area and applied the solution and waited and scraped. I did this 4 times. It won't budge. This particular section of wall is quite strange. About an inch or so of the plaster can be seen and it is gray as apposed to the rest of the room which is white plaster. You cannot feel by touch where the two plaster colors meet. All the rest came of easily, but not this area. Any ideas why? I figured possibly PO's did not prime prior to paper installation, but maybe not. What do you think? What about the paint roller technique with the solution, a little less messy and has done well in the rest of this room and last. No problems except this one area. :wallbash:
Do you really think this can be removed?
Do you really think this can be removed?
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The only thing I can think of is to ask what kind of scraper you are using. I like to use the 4" razor one in most tough situations and changed the blade quite often.
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Is, was, there a working fireplace where the problem is? Sometimes heat will cause problems with the old sizing that was used back in the day, which sometimes was made with animal glue( horse,rabbit).
" Glue size was used for such slick walls, since it promoted adhesion, but it wasn’t quite enough in many cases. This is why sticky additives like molasses, sugar, and syrup were common. They helped wallpaper cling to varnished or painted surfaces, but may also be responsible for many a weary old-house owner’s complaint about stripping wallpaper. "
I took this quote from another source. If it will not come off, then you must resort to sanding( with your palm sander) the edges,seams,smooth, skim where needed,sand, clean, prime with Gardz,paint.
" Glue size was used for such slick walls, since it promoted adhesion, but it wasn’t quite enough in many cases. This is why sticky additives like molasses, sugar, and syrup were common. They helped wallpaper cling to varnished or painted surfaces, but may also be responsible for many a weary old-house owner’s complaint about stripping wallpaper. "
I took this quote from another source. If it will not come off, then you must resort to sanding( with your palm sander) the edges,seams,smooth, skim where needed,sand, clean, prime with Gardz,paint.
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hey, anything's possible too... i've cleaned up messes where the HO had used artist's SPRAY ADHESIVE to put up wallpaper, (that was a real fun one...) and another lady who thought you just spread Elmer's Glue on the paper and stick it to the wall! so anything's possible, sag!
always enjoy learning from you too, chris, keep on posting!
DM
always enjoy learning from you too, chris, keep on posting!
DM
OMG....regular glue. I think if we always ask ourselves about future removal it would stop some of us ho's from doing stuff like that. I did it myself (Loctite 404 on border and wallpaper seams). I was able to get it of years later, but only at that point did I realize how stupid using the glue was. Of course, like most I was concerned with the ongoing issue of the paper being loose, lol.
Yes Chris, it was a working fireplace for numerous years. It's so strange how the plaster in this section differs in color. From ceiling down it is white plaster like elsewhere in room, then suddenly you see the gray plaster start (about 1" above where the 2ftx5ft section is). You cannot feel where the white and gray join. It's like the same section of plaster, just two different colors. With all the removal attempts, I've been successful in scraping off quarter size pieces of paint only and make lots of scores and gouges. Thankfully this area will be covered by a very large mirror which is 40" wide and 30" tall. Guess I will have to resort to mud and sanding. Just strange, as all the other plaster is white, smooth and backing/glue came off rather easily.
Chris....I looked up their website www.harbourfreight.com but they apparently don't have the microfiber roller in their system. There was about a dozen on hand yesterday when I bought it (Ceredo, WV location). They also had another one with less nap - it was indicated in metric and I think it was maybe 12mm or 13mm. The one I got shows 18mm peluche on one side of pkg (I guess it's Swedish langange, lol) and 1/2" on the english side along with 18mm pile. So even though it reads 1/2" it's also saying 18mm .... since there's 25.4 mm to an inch, 18mm would be thicker than 1/2" so go figure. Anyway, by appearance it looks the thickness of a 7/16" roller I have on hand for ceilings.
When looking up the website, they have four places in MD. So not sure how close to your location. Their Cust Svc # is 800-444-3353 (9am-7:30pm M-F). You can get a catalogue. Keep in mind a lot of their stuff is low end quality and a lot of China junk, but you can also get some good products and some great prices.
When looking up the website, they have four places in MD. So not sure how close to your location. Their Cust Svc # is 800-444-3353 (9am-7:30pm M-F). You can get a catalogue. Keep in mind a lot of their stuff is low end quality and a lot of China junk, but you can also get some good products and some great prices.
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