ARRGGGHH!!! Can't get this f$cking wallpaper off!

[stuart noble]

Good idea. Must try that. Would it stay on there I wonder

[Bob Smith (UK)]

"stuart noble" >

You mean you would rather have binbags than artex - good point, although it is meant to be a way to remove artex.

The wallpaper paste is kept damp for a long time because the binbag seals the moisture in. When the artex is soaked, it scrapes off easily(aparently - I haven't tried it yet) and stops dust too. Early artex has asbestos in, so this is a good thing.

Bob

[Mungo Henning]

Careful (in my experience): many moons ago we were scraping woodchip paper that had been pasted to bare-plaster walls (I always paint bare plaster with emulsion before I wallpaper over it; makes the removal so much more pleasant).

We didn't have access to a steam stripper then, so it was a b*gger of a job to do - lots of work and little progress.

I tried using one of those "misting" spray bottles to apply water to the paper, and then I hit on the idea of adding some washing up liquid to help the water adhere to the paper.

The mist that was generated was horrible when breathed in, to the extent that after a few scooshes with the spray we had to rinse the bottle and go back to using plain water.

So if you do try washing-up liquid, wear a mask if you don't want to suffer convulsions.

Just my experience.

Mungo