# skim coat or replace the drywall



## Renee5315 (Mar 29, 2013)

I have a large room that needs wallpaper removed .Half of the paper is older then the other half. My question is.. Should I spends hours removing the paper,then skim coat where needed? Or should I re drywall over the wallpaper with 1/4" sheets?.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i'd try removing the paper before i'd be drywalling over it. 
if you mix 2/3 water and 1/3 fabric softener the paper should come off pretty easy.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Or rent a steamer.
Not so bad of someone at least primed the wall before the wall paper.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Remove it, it should not be that hard if it was properly installed

http://www.wallpaperinstaller.com/wallpaper_stripping.html


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## Metro (Mar 28, 2013)

Remove it. It might seem like a real chore at first, but think of the money you'll save by not putting a whole new wall over the old one simply because of old wallpaper


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

DO anything you have to do to keep from drywalling over drywall.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Agree with all. Getting the old paper off should not be a major problem if you wet it down and work patiently. A steamer might come in handy for antique paper on plaster but you must always be careful not to saturate and degrade the plaster. If it is paper on drywall I used a tank sprayer (because I am lazy and did not want to pump the spritzer bottles) and found that my wide, flexible drywall knife came in handy.

If you do decide to add a drywall layer over the top, remember you are adding weight to the wall and floor it sits on. Shouldn't be an issue with thin drywall but some math ahead of time might be a wise idea. 

You will have to buy extenders to bring your electrical boxes to the surface too. Hopefully your electrician left enough extra wire. You cannot splice and meet code in most places.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Welcome back SDS. A few things to consider with another layer of drywall even 1/4" as stated all plugs and switches must be extended, all trim removed, even though it's only 1/4" most trim is 1/2" so to take half of that away won't look right. This includes baseboard, door trim, and window trim, and crown mould if you have it. Now around the window if you have the wooden window frame that comes out to the trim after you put up the rock there will be a 1/4" gap between the frame and the trim to deal with. Now you hang the new rock, you must tape and mud the seams, including where the wall meets the ceiling. You must tape and mud all inside corners and if you have any walk thrus to other rooms or any outside corners they will need corner bead. Now after at least 2 coats of mud you get to sand everything. Then prime, then go back and touch up the marks and imperfections that you can see now that it is primed. After the touch up sanding go back and reprime where you sanded. When you have this so you like it put on 2 coats of paint. now go back and reinstall all your trim, window and door casings. Now fill in the nail holes and paint the trim. Since you didn't mention them I didn't say anything about stuff like built-ins or fire place, or any stone work as this would open up another can of worms.
Don't get me wrong there is nothing fun about removing wall paper it is a hard messy job but with the tips you have gotten here it makes it doable. If you run into problems come back and ask and we will try to help you.GOOD LUCK


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Completely forgot about all the trim issues! Obviously all your trim is going to look ghetto-silly if you do not bring it out to the new wall thickness.

I agree. Taking down wallpaper is one of the most lackluster and least fun jobs I have ever had to do, too many times. If the paper was applied by a pro. No problemo but the DIY craze when there were dedicated stores selling stuff with foolproof paste/glue/adhesives was a near criminal disaster in my opinion. And who in their right mind would pick any of those paper patterns out of a bin for a home in the first place? And the wallpaer border craze was and is the absolute worst interior design idea on the planet. 

Sadly, we seemed to have swung totally away from the idea of patterned paper on walls. The reall stuff, hung by a pro, can be magical. 

Good luck. I worked on antique houses sometimes with layers upon layers of paper. It was actually fun seeing the changes in patterns through a hundred years or so. If I or anybody else tells you it was fun. Or that there was any immediate gratification? Liars. It is not particularly hard work but lack of progress can get you to the point you think drywalling over it makes more sense.

If you find you just cannot deal with it, you might try something like NuWall before committing to the weight and hassle of drywall. It is a membrane material you adhere with resins to get a new wall surface. I have used it in restorations a time or two when clients had badly cracked plaster walls and did not want to take them down and drywall. Stuff works great but the website lies. It is not so easy as it looks to install and your first time you will need a helper. If still working and it fit the right situation I would use it again in a heartbeat. If only to cover wallpaper I did not want to take off? I would probably kick myself you know where a few times to bring me to my senses. With some product like NuWal you will not have to pull your trim or extend your boxed electrics though. 

Here is a NuWall video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tex1tQ-ohyc


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