Man, I hate wallpaper!

Ed Nelson

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Charlotte, NC
My darling LOML decided she didn't like the wallpaper that is in the master bath so she started pulling it down. Now we (meaning me) are down to the stuff that doesn't want to let go of the wall. Instead of just pulling the wall paper, I am also managing to pull the paper off the gypsum!:doh: I am using Dif, which helps some, but it's still a pain in the neck! Once I manage to get the paper off and sand the walls a little, I'll get the really fun task of skimming the walls!:mad:

It's a good thing the guy that invented wall paper is long gone cuz' if he wasn't, I think I have to give him the what for!:rofl:

Any of you guys actually like dealing with wall paper?
 
In a word, NO! I'm not a guy, and I've done a little wallpapering by myself, but I don't like it and would never do it again. One of the worst fights LOML and I had during our nearly-25-year marriage was over wallpaper. We moved into a house that had cabbage-rose wallpaper in the bathroom, and I decided that "we" needed to change it. After the second piece fall off the wall at his feet, harsh words were exchanged, he left he premises, and I finished the job by myself (I think I remember using Elmer's Glue on it!!).

No wallpaper, not now, not ever!!!

Nancy (130 days)
 
Sheesh!

I just went through that this summer in my bathroom. I finally got it all off with the Dif and a garden sprayer. Only took three days for a small room. :eek: The garden sprayer and a 4" razor scraper turned out to be the best combination.

Then I hired a guy to skim and texture the walls. Best money I ever spent! For me, drywalling runs a close second to plumbing on jobs I can do but hate to do.

And people who apply wallpaper directly to drywall ought to be exterminated! :bang:
 
I've been doing a lot of remodeling...and a lot with wallpaper. I removed it from 2 bathrooms, a powder room, laundry and the master bedroom. I have used the scratcher a few times, but mainly just pealed off the outside surface paper and then removing the backing paper from the wall. The easiest was to do it...and it is pretty easy, is to mix hot water with fabric softener and spray it on the backing paper. (you can do the same with the surface paper after scratching). Spray until the backing paper is a dark color, showing it has absorbed the liquid. Wait about 5 minutes and the backing paper just peels off like magic.
 
Wait about 5 minutes and the backing paper just peels off like magic.

Greg, sorry to be picky, but you're missing the word "Sometimes" at the end of that sentence. Or maybe "if you're really, REALLY, fortunate."


Been there, tried it... DID NOT WORK. :mad:

(But yes, I also had one room where warm water took it off beautifully -- the wall underneath was so clean that I almost did not even need to paint it!. But the other room ... which ONLY had a single horizontal wallpaper border ... was excruciating.)
 
That "Papertiger" Greg shows sounds pretty good.
I grew up in a wallpaper house, 3 bedrooms, wallpaper with border, a staircase wallpaper with border, a living room and dining room, wall papered.
I remember this stuff we used for clean wall paper. It was in a cylindrical container and was pliable. It was a bit like play dough. You would drag it across the wall paper and it cleaned it. Then you would knead it in the palms of your hands and stroke another few times. My folks did it all and often, they cut the boarders from rolls of wallpaper.
Viewing the work these last few years allowed me to appreciate how talented my folks were even in the 60's when I was the most brilliant and in the 80's when they did it again!:eek::rofl::rofl:
Shaz
 
I have done my share of Wallpaper installation, and removal, and it ain't THAT bad. (Compared to a Root Canal, it's a breeze!) :D Removing older wallcoverings can be accomplished, as already mentioned, using hot water sprayed on to loosen the glue. The chemical removers work well on paper wallcovering, vinyl is another animal completely. A wall paper steamer works very well, and they can be rented for a reasonable fee. It's a messy job, I'll give you that. The newer vinyl wallcoverings need to be scored to make removal less of a chore. The Paper Tiger is an awesome tool for that job. It scores the vinyl surface to allow the steam or chemical to penetrate to the paper backing where the adhesive is. The whole trick of removal depends on how it was applied to begin with. If the drywall wasn't painted and sized before the paper was applied, it can (and most times will) be a nightmarish job. Installing wallpaper rely's on the "tricks of the trade", just like anything else. If you know the basics, and follow some basic rules, it's not a bad job. Is it my favorite thing to do? No, I would rather paint, but there are some very nice wallcoverings out there now, and the installation with today's wallcovering's is much easier than the old days.
 
Wellll Kevin, I've had a couple root canals and wall paper may rank right up there! It's not that I can't do it I just really don't like the stuff. If it's on the wall , I can live with it, putting it up isn't that bad, but taking it down just plain stinks! Most of the walls were properly sized, so at least the majority came off easily enough. It's the remaining pieces that just don't want to let loose!

So, I'll just mumble and grumble and thoroughly dislike the process, but when it's done I'm sure I'll like the results!
 
Once I manage to get the paper off and sand the walls a little, I'll get the really fun task of skimming the walls!:mad:

I may have to do some skimming after I try to get some wallpaper off in a small room. By the way, what is skimming? Sounds like something that I should know about. Whatever it is I am sure that I am not looking forward to it.
 
I guess I've been fortunate with wallpaper. Over our married life, my wife has wanted wallpaper removed and new wallpaper put up many times. How easy it is to take off depends on whether the wall was properly prepared before the old wallpaper was put on - if it was properly prepared, the old wallpaper comes off easy.

Putting new wallpaper up on a plain, unobstructed wall is not that difficult, even with a complex match. The difficulties are when going around a window with a complex match, and hiding the final (lack of) match when you do a whole room. I treat it as a puzzle and generally enjoy it. Of course, I don't do it that often.

Mike
 
The difficulties are when going around a window with a complex match, and hiding the final (lack of) match when you do a whole room. I treat it as a puzzle and generally enjoy it.

Mike

That reminds me of a TV program that I saw several years ago. I do not remember what program it was on but they featured a guy know as the Wallpaper Magician or something like that. It was absolutely amazing how he could go around corners, match patterns at seams and patch damaged areas and on and on and all of this at a high rate of speed. Doesn't sound like much when I try to descibe it but it was so amazing that if I ever see it come on again I am going to tape it.
 
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