The Interior Paint Decorating Way to Strip Wallpaper

Stripping Wallpaper is one of the least enjoyable processes in the decorating trade. It can be difficult to remove an old wall covering, especially a textured paper that has been painted over. The basic principle if the paper does not come off easily by dry stripping is to soak it, and soak it well.

Try dry stripping first, its surprising how often paper can easily be stripped by scraping with a sharp stripping tool well levered behind the paper while dry. If it comes off easily dry then that saves a lot of time. When I say easy I mean that one whole strip comes off in one go and takes about 30 seconds or less.

If on the other hand it does not come off easy then you need to soak with water or use a steam stripper. Before you start stripping isolate the electricity supply to the sockets and light switch as water and electricity are not a good mix.

After you have attended to the electrics then protect all surfaces with your dust sheets and whatever other protective measures you need.

Now when it comes to the Wet Stripping process this will consist of Scoring, Soaking and Steaming.

Scoring the paper

By scoring the paper it allows the water to penetrate better and speeds up the process. The best tool for this is a paper tiger, a really good tool you push over the surface that cuts into the paper with its cutting blades as you move it.

If you have not got one of these then use a scraper.

Soaking the paper

To soak the paper use warm water with a dash of washing up detergent and wash over the surface with a sponge allowing to soak into the paper well. I normally soak a entire wall then go back to where I started and soak about three pieces and then strip them, then move on to the next three pieces, and soak them again and strip and so on.

Steaming

When it comes to steaming I firstly score, then soak the wall covering, and then go back to where I started soaking and then start steaming from there.

Stripping tool

The best tool for the stripping is a long handled paper stripper with a sharp replaceable blade.

Vinyl

If the wall covering is vinyl then get a corner of a piece of the covering and pull it, and when you get the hang of it you can pull the complete piece off in one go. This will leave the paper backing that is normally not to difficult to remove by soaking or steaming.

Paper wall covering

As previously stated if it does not come off dry stripped then Score, Soak and then Steam off.

Always score soak well and then steam. If you have not got a steamer then just keep soaking. If you do you use a steamer open the window to let the steam escape.

There are products on the market that have enzymes in them that help deactivate the paste that may be worth trying, but as of now I have not found any I think help more than the system I have described and used for years. Hope these painting tips come in handy,

Steve@ interior paint decorating

Hi my name is Steve and I have been working in the decorating industry for the last 28 years.
I have now opened a new website that offers free advice and tips for painting & decorating.

http://www.interiorpaintdecorating.com

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