# To remove wallpaper or just re-drywall



## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

Drywall is tougher in smaller areas. More cutting and taping/mudding. It will probably be easier to strip the wallpaper. You can always just strip a small area and see how it goes.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Strip the paper, do NOT ever paint over it. If you need stripping instructions, start here or ask.

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


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

chrisn said:


> Strip the paper, do NOT ever paint over it. If you need stripping instructions, start here or ask.
> 
> http://www.wallpaperinstaller.com/wallpaper_stripping.html


:thumbup:

Stripping it off will be either easy or painful depending on who hung the paper and with what. If a pro did it? The walls were primed and sized. You will have no major trouble getting it off. 

Buy a paper scoring tool at the paint store. Spend millions on commercial paper removal products or mix fabric softener and warm water. Do not saturate so you hurt the wall, but soak the paper and then strip it off with a nice thin drywall knife. If it is modern wallpaper, and you give the mixture time to saturate, it should fall off in giant sheets.

I work on antique houses and often encounter layers of paper. I have never found a better way yet then steaming through the layers and patiently getting the paper held in place with MY Friend Flicka glue remains in place. 

I do enough of this that I own a nice wallpaper steamer but you can rent one for chimp change I should think. Hate to hear myself saying this but the box stores sell a Wagner toy for like $49. It might work for one bathroom? A day rental of a real steamer would cost less than that I hope. 

Even trailer trash people and Al Bundy shoe saleman types know better than to paint over wallpaper by the way


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

Had to remove a LOT of wallpaper recently during a major remodel. While it was a lot of work to remove it would have been more work and money to redo the drywall. And do not just paint over it... 

Rented a steamer and scoring tool from HD for over the weekend - worked pretty well.

I hate wallpaper...


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

vsheetz said:


> I hate wallpaper...


Come on now. I moan and scream taking historic wallpaper off in multiple layers but buy it for clients all the time in restoration projects. It fits in the situations it belongs.

Paper hangers are a dying breed though. I guess I do remember the basics but most of the the box store crap is but Christmas gift wrap turned into Laura Ashley patterns? I order real stuff for clients. 

I summon up this horrible woman, who hangs paper for a living and can spot angles in a room and make the patterns work in the oldest of houses. She comes with her own plumb bob, makes horrible pencil marks on the primed walls I just offered her, but does have a way of seeing things and making adjustments around 360 degrees I cannot. She loves being stuck to horse glue or whatever pros use these days.

Hang it All Anyhow is her company name. Or it is something like that!


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Laura Ashley has lovely papers but they suck to hang, DYI's should NEVER attempt to hang this paper. Horse glue has not been around for 50 years or so.Paste or adhesive, never glue.:no:


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## ilta1962 (Jan 4, 2010)

*Tony*

I recently had t remove a border in a bedroom. Granted it was 1 layer but i was able to remove the decorative exterior of the border which left only the glue portion of the paper. I then mixed 2 parts fabric softener and warm water in a spray bottle sprayed the glue with this pretty heavily, let set a hour and the glue portion of the paper stripped of with ease.


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## Plaster Ayn (Nov 20, 2009)

Have you thought about doing a Venetian Plaster in the bath instead of drywall and painting?


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## Sprayboy (Oct 21, 2009)

Plaster Ayn said:


> Have you thought about doing a Venetian Plaster in the bath instead of drywall and painting?


I have. Please tell me more.


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## Plaster Ayn (Nov 20, 2009)

What troweling experience do you have? In specific have you ever troweled on either interior or exterior plaster (pool, exterior stucco inc)?


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## jkuzo (Dec 23, 2009)

We just bought a 4000 sq ft house that was built in the 60's and was covered in the old heavy paper. Luckily the paper was so old it just pulled right off without the need of any removers, but left a nasty residue adhesive behind. This was a major PITA to remove, but we found vinegar diluted with water worked better than any "wallpaper remover" found at the big box store. But it would have been much more expensive and much more work to rip the walls down and re-drywall.


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## Sprayboy (Oct 21, 2009)

Plaster Ayn said:


> What troweling experience do you have? In specific have you ever troweled on either interior or exterior plaster (pool, exterior stucco inc)?



No, trowelling experience with cement only. I have done a lot of body work with Bondo.


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