# Removing Wallpaper



## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Well my question would have to be is it ok to paint over it??

*NO:no::no::no:*

what should i get in order to get this wallpaper off the wall.. 


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


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## fcamargo6thave (Feb 25, 2009)

Thank you chris I will begin this on friday since its my house I will be more intereseted in detail and will work cautiously so i can get a good finished product. looks like it is a pain in the  but i will be happy when the room looks nice :thumbup:


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Patience is a virtue when stripping wallpaper.........


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

If you paint over wallpaper, you will spend more time wishing you had stripped it than you would if you just went ahead and stripped or even replaced the drywall for that matter.


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## dumbunusedid (May 21, 2008)

*The magic of Zinser Guardz*

We stripped wallpaper off walls in two bathrooms. In both, the walls were not properly sealed and sized before the wallpaper was put up so when we started to take the wallpaper down, the backer paper was so stuck to the drywall paper that the drywall paper would peal and tear as well. Be careful not to remove too much of the drywall paper but if the top coat wants to peal off, you are not totally screwed. We did a light wiping of the walls to remove any large accumulations of wallpaper paste off the walls, let the drywall paper dry, then we sealed the drywall will Zinser Guardz. It runs about $20 a gallon. It is clear (slightly milky) and dries hard. It seals any excess wallpaper paste and torn/damaged drywall paper to a solid mass that then can be easily sanded smooth. We did have to refloat some areas and then sprayed an orange peel texture then primed and painted and it looks wonderful.


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## mani (Mar 24, 2009)

fcamargo6thave said:


> So another dreaded wallpaper question
> 
> 
> My home is completely covered in wallpaper but this wallpaper is not the wallpaper you find in the bathroom it is that thick wallpaper...
> ...


No NO NO , that would one of the bad decisions we all make .You will spend more time fixing this mistake than just simply stripping the wallpaper now.The thing is whenever you start taking it off most of the time you take half of the dry wall with you :furious: .afterwards you know how the process goes . this will remove your wallpaper and keep your plaster where it belongs http://www.wallwik.co.uk/
good luck


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## Aggie67 (Dec 20, 2008)

In about 10 minutes I'm going to stand up and paint my kitchen a white primer, after having stripped it of wall paper. Here was progression of work:

1. Peel off outer layer of paper (vinyl layer).
2. Saturate backing paper and adhesive with 90/10 hot water/Downy mix sprayed on. I got 95% of the adhesive off. The stuff that wouldn't budge I sanded flat with an orbital sander and 100 grit pads.
3. Wash/rinse off walls 3 times with hot water towels.
4. Prime everything with Gardz.
5. Fill in damaged areas and holes with drywall compound.
6. Orbitally sand with 150 grit, then final coat of drywall in some spots, then wet sand all with a sponge.
7. Wipe down dust with damp towel.
8. Final coat of Gardz.
9. White primer.
10. Final coats.

This project wore on my soul. Some spots had 2 layers of paper. Some were outer layer of wallpaper, then drywall compound, then more wall paper, then sheet rock.


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## dumbunusedid (May 21, 2008)

Excellent! I am not an expert (except for having done the same thing in two bathrooms. I know you feel your soul is worn down but it will regenerate over time and you will not have to worry about wallpaper in your kitchen ever again. The worst part for me is now when I see people planning on putting wallpaper up in a room that has been painted, I feel the need to go into the full discussion on properly priming and sizing the walls first... but only after telling them not to do it


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## fcamargo6thave (Feb 25, 2009)

Everyone was right removing wallpaper is a pain inthe butt...

Wouldnt mind doing it again it was the best thing i have done to my house


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

1. Peel off outer layer of paper (vinyl layer).
2. Saturate backing paper and adhesive with 90/10 hot water/Downy mix sprayed on. I got 95% of the adhesive off. The stuff that wouldn't budge I sanded flat with an orbital sander and 100 grit pads.
3. Wash/rinse off walls 3 times with hot water towels.
4. Prime everything with Gardz.
5. Fill in damaged areas and holes with drywall compound.
6. Orbitally sand with 150 grit, then final coat of drywall in some spots, then wet sand all with a sponge.
7. Wipe down dust with damp towel.
8. Final coat of Gardz.
9. White primer.
10. Final coats.:thumbsup:


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## kell490 (Mar 29, 2009)

*Wall paper in bathrooms*

I have 2 bathrooms with 1970's wallpaper I pulled one off using DIP it worked good with roller that puches holes. The only problem is I'm guessing the builder of the home in 78 thought if they are getting wallpaper when they bought the house no need to texture over the dry wall. It was stuck directly to the flat dry wall. They used lots of glue and it fused directly to the drywall paper. After lots of picking and painful finger nails I got it all off. There were some scraps left over I sanded a bit then I used a texture gun and did a nice knockdown pattern. Was my first time doing that much texture but wasn't that tough. I primed and painted after that came out nice. I probably hire a contractor to do the 2nd bathroom and laundry room. I hate wall paper I can't see why people still use it.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I hate wall paper I can't see why people still use it. 

Hey, you trying to ruin my chosen career?
I attempt to make a living hanging wallpaper and am hoping that it is going to make a HUGE come back . It is only a problem removing because it was not *PROPERLY *installed:whistling2:


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## onemeek (Apr 5, 2009)

I would never suggest you paint over wallpaper. Just makes a bigger mess for later and never really looks good. Score the walls with a razor in large X's all over then you can either use vinegar and warm water or a wallpaper stripper purchased at your local home improvement store and mix in a garden sprayer. Mist the walls, then wait for about 15 minutes. Use a putty knife to slide under the paper and start stripping. You may have to spray the wall 3-4 times to complete the process. You will be happy you did the work - Your paint job will look so much better.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

I'd be VERY careful scoring with a razor blade. Cut too deep and you cut the face paper on the drywall, which can have BAD consequences. Better option is the "paper tiger" tool for scoring....


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## ponch37300 (Nov 27, 2007)

I am in the process of doing one of my bathrooms right now and have the paper off and getting ready to use zinser gaurds for primer. I bought a steamer from HD for around 50 bucks and it seemed to work good. Just hold it on a spot for about 20 seconds and then use a plastic putty knife to remove it. Got most of the glue and everything off. I think it was worth the 50 bucks I paid. Like mentioned above you need lots of patience when removing wall paper. Good luck.


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## Rebster (Apr 27, 2009)

Using a wallpaper steamer is the only way to go. Just spent over 35 hours stripping wallpaper from the house I bought this month. I still used the paper tiger thing to score the wallpaper to get the steam in better. Using DIF was very slow in comparison. Moving on to texturing and painting now. The previous owner had painted over all 6 rooms of wallpaper and it looked HORRIBLE! Don't do it regardless of any temptation you have. You'll be so much happier to have stripped the paper and painted then wasting your time painting and then want to start over again.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Every time I see a cool wallpaper job, I have to remind myself how hard I've worked to pull all the damn stuff down.


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