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Don't do this!

Need to re-paint the kitchen. Had been wallpapered yay many years ago and a patch of the vinyl coating had pulled off. Aha, thinks I, "I'll just pull off all the vinyl coating and then use sponges and soak off the paper backing". No sooner said than done, at least the pulling portion.

Even using two sponges I couldn't keep the paper wet enough with warm soapy water to strip. Off to the rental place for a steamer. Yep it worked but...the paper backing comes off in small pieces and the job took three times longer than if I had done it right to begin with.

Harry, too soon old, too late smart, K

Reply to
Harry K
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Dontcha just love working with old wallpaper?

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Good of you to post this type of thing Harry. Most don't. Most come, get advice, do their job, and never let anyone know different. Not that they have to but it would be nice to tell others of their experiences or at least the outcome.

Reply to
G Henslee

Most people do not know Murphy's Law:

  1. Nothing is as easy as it looks.
  2. Everything takes longer than you think.
  3. If anything can go wrong, it will.

Most people only remember #3.

And Murphy was an optimist.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

You know you just describe marriage.

Who the hell was/is Murphy, anyway? Curious minds, etc.

Reply to
G Henslee

The real pisser is that I knew better. This isn't my first time I have pulled wallpaper in this house using a steamer. My surprise was the way the paper backing acted. Wet with two sponges to the point water was dripping, grab my spatula, one scrape and the paper was already dried back on the wall. Didn't think to try the spray bottle but doubt it would have helped.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

"Harry K" wrote My surprise was the

I removed the wallpaper from an 1800 sf house. They put wallpaper on everything but the floor.

It had different types of wallpaper in different areas. Each acted differently to the warm water and spatula.

Actually, I was surprised to hear of someone else using a spatula. At the start of the project, I found an old metal one that was springy. Through it all, that was the best tool.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Only way I have ever removed wallpaper, and always works, is to spray the paper backing with a windex or similar spray with warm water. Let it rest about 5 minutes, spray again, wait, and start scraping gently until the goop comes off. If the outer layer doesn't pull off, I use coarse sandpaper to score the surface VERY CAREFULLY, horizontally, spray and let soak as above. Scoring it horizontally keep the water from all running off and it will soak into the paper/paste. Never had paper that would not come off using this method, including two layers that had both been painted over. I usually wait a day to wash remaining paste from wall to avoid getting the paper coating of the wallboard too wet. I do one or two strips at a time so's the first doesn't dry too much before I get back to it.

Reply to
Norminn

Reply to
C & M

Use Google. IIRC he was involved in the NASA space program. Law was named after him.

Reply to
CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert

Well hell, I'm too old to -care- what people say. If it wasnt' for people calling me stupid I'd have no conversations at all :)

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

I guess I misnamed it. What I was using was my 4" taping knife with others up to 12" ready if they worked...they weren't needed.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

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