Old home wallpaper removal

[Battlestar]

We have a home built in the mid-thirties with lap-plaster walls.
What is the "SAFEST" method to remove old wall paper?
I was looking to purchase a BLACK&DECKER "STEAMWORKS" WALLPAPER STRIPPER, and would like to hear feedback from those who own one, or have used one. I tried to find one locally to no avail. Then I contacted B&D in Texas and they don't show anything listed. My wife gave me a advertisement from a magazine showing this tool which as a Black&Decker Steamworks with an address in Hampstead, Maryland.
The person at B&D in Texas recommend using "fabric softner" to remove wallpaper. When applying fabric softner what is the recommended time to spray and soak before scrapping? thank you to all who reply.
Glen in Tacoma, WA

[Chris Nelson]

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

http://www.safeandsimple.com/

Forget the steamer and fabric softner and go with the above,you will have no problems removing from plaster walls.

[Chris Murphy]

you will have no problems removing from plaster walls. Whoa, Chris! Our home- a 1924 'starter' home in Atlanta- has some papers that would keep you busy, and frustrated.

Back in the days of plaster, with houses that had no HVAC 'systems' but might have had a central heat source, the hangers had to use products that kept paper adhered as the interior went through seasons of hot & humid to cold & dry. Here, they would add a bottle of Karo syrup (corn syrup); in the northeast, it might be molasses. They would 'pre-treat', or size, the plaster with a glue made from rendered animal products to lessen the porosity of the plaster, and add a lot of adhesion. The papers were generally 'plain' papers, that is, wood pulp with no coatings like vinyl or PVC that have been the norm for 40 years. So, you can often get the paper to absorb moisture (if you can get through all the paint on top!), but water may need to be boosted. Vinegar was an old time favorite, as it is an enzyme that breaks down protein (glue size). Water softener has surfactants that allows water to stay on a vertical surface more readily, instead of all of it running straight down the wall. Dish detergent works the same; just use a squirt to a couple of gallons. On my walls, alcohol mixed in water (No! not Scotch & water, but denatured alcohol and water) worked OK, but Safe and Simple and that other mix were both equally tedious.

At my house, it took three guys three days to strip a 13 X 14 X 9.5H bedroom, ceiling, walls and borders, 3 layers plus paint. The original plaster for some reason was left somewhat rough, like a bad sand finish, so a shaver was of limited use.

Make sure you have perforated the surface; the aim is to get water to the paste to reactivate it. You can use a low # grit sand paper, or a perforating tool. A razor shaver may also work, but try not to push into the plaster. Then use a pump sprayer (try the Home & Garden dept. at a big box store) and get the water/solution to penetrate. Normally, the wall must be sprayed 3-4 times in 45 min. Warm water alone may work, and if it doesn't then try the strippers listed above. Safe and Simple is the best overall I've tried, but nothing works on every paper, every wall.

One last thing to try: soak the wall, then use a thin plastic sheet (those cheap drop cloths) taped over it, allowing the paper to soak for hours.

Good Luck! Come back here if you have more questions. But leave the steamer in oblivion, where it belongs!

[Chris Murphy]

But if you insist: http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-DECKER-STEAMWORKS-WALLPAPER-STRIPPER-IN-BOX_W0QQitemZ380078224546QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item3 80078224546&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[shelw]

I'm still astounded how many people try fabric softener before they try an actual wallpaper stripper specifically made for that purpose. As far as I know, stripper isn't much more expensive than fabric softener. I got called for a removal, which I did last week. The lady spent 3 hours removing 2 strips before she called me. The drywall was shredded, so I assumed I'd be peeling loose paper, then Gardzing and spackling. I did a test spot 1st (which I always do) the top layer was painted over vinyl, peeled right off in large pieces, then soaked the backing with safe & simple, came off like a dream. I had the whole room stripped in under 2 hours, and I patched up MY stripped area in less time than it took to fix HER 2 strips. Oh, yeah, while I was dropping out the room, I noticed a bottle of FABRIC SOFTENER sitting next to her tools!!!

[HangingInThere]

I don't know Shelly, it sounds to me like the real product of any value in your account was your experience. ;)

[Chris Nelson]

Whoa, Chris! Our home- a 1924 'starter' home in Atlanta- has some papers that would keep you busy, and frustrated.

Well,yes, mine was the same and the animal glue and whatever( molasses) used certainly was more difficult to get off but what I was getting at( I think) was to forget the steamer and fabric softener and go with the traditional stripping methods. It seemed like this person was concerned with damaging the plaster. The animal glue combo is a rare find these days( at least around here) and I believe the soaking method beats the steamer any day. There,I am done typing for the day!:hide:

[Bill Archibald]

Glen,

The last time I felt a need to use a steamer, was when stripping five coats of wallpaper off walls in a home of similar vintage - but that was in the mid 70's and I did not have as much knowledge then as I do now.

For some reason I do not trust steam. I have a feeling it can over saturate the plaster more than water. Probably a wrong assumption, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it :D

For many years I used ammonia in water - CLEAR non-sudsy ammonia. The smell was not pleasant to my customers, but it worked great.

Now I use Safe and Simple coupled with various techniques depending on the type of wallpaper, the age of that wallpaper, and the adhesive used for it. I aways do a spot test to determine the best approach

What I noticed was lacking in your description were details of the paper.

Is it a pulp paper? A paper coated with either vinyl of acrylic? Do you know approximately when the paper was installed? Have you tested any areas to see if you are dealing with a particularly aggressive adhesive?

Once the paper can absorb moisture (sanding the coating, if necessary, with 36 grit sand paper in a palm sander) I mist the wall - not DRENCH the walls so excess solution does not run onto the floor - over and over to keep it wet. The time to soak varies on the paper, the walls, and the paste. Some papers have required only a ten minute soaking, others have taken more than an hour and a half. This is why I test before estimating.



-Bill

[papernpaste]

I can tell you that whatever you can remove, dry, with a good, sharp, 4" scrapper, would be a wise first method of removal. Once that old, "paper," paper gets wet, you'll have a huge, wet, brown, gooey mess to deal with. I removed three layers of that type of paper from ceilings and walls in a third story guest bedroom, last year. The three layers came off as one, in four inch stips. It was relatively easy and released from the plaster in most areas of the room, leaving washable plaster. I proceed, after this first step, to use Safe-and-Simple enzyme solution on what would not come off dry. You would use 3-4 times the solution (whatever solution you might chose) if you don't scrape, dry, first. Clean up is less tedious (where's that spellchecker?)when that old stuff isn't wet. Oh, I suggest a dust mask and maybe even goggles if you see a lot of old paper bits in the air while dry-scraping. I also have a box of non-latex disposable gloves on every job...very handy... best of luck.
Don in Wilmington, DE

[Chris Nelson]

(where's that spellchecker?)

If you use IE here it is

http://www.iespell.com/