Stripping off wallpaper from ceilings and walls

[Amanda]

:roll: I have just bought a house where the previous owners have wallpapered everywhere...if it stayed still it got papered. The wallpaper itself has bubbles, creases, is in patches and is basically covering up uneven and pitty walls. I want to remove the paper and skim the walls but I am concerned that I may be uncovering a nightmare. The house is approx 200years old and most of the walls are stud but I am sure that some are wattle and daub.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards
Amanda

 

[biffvernon]

No, you won't be uncovering a nightmare, you will be discovering 200 yeard old craftsmanship. Think of it as any other valuable antique, a piece of furniture, pottery or silverware perhaps. If it needs repairing then learn how to do it properly. If you found a Regency cabinet you wouldn't nail a piece of mdf over it to smooth out the bumps (would you?) so please don't have your lime-plastered wattle and daub skimmed with gypsum.

 

[Gervase]

Your best bet would be to invest in a steamer - you can hire them, but if you'll be taking more than a week to do the work it would be just as economical to buy one. I bought one of these when we moved into our current place, and it made short work of the paper.
If you've got the more modern, vinyl coated paper you may need to score the surface first to allow the steam to penetrate to the glue. You can buy a vicious-looking spiked roller to do that quickly.

Once you've got the paper off you can then evaluate the walls. The most likely construction is lath and plaster - split oak or chestnut strips nailed horizontally onto the timber studwork and then plastered with haired lime plaster. There will almost certainly be cracks, and there may be chunks falling off. Don't panic!

Wherever possible, try to hang on to it. Firstly it's part of the house's historic fabric, and secondly, removing it is unbelievably messy. You can patch lath and plaster very easily, and if there are many cracks, it is possible to put a skim coat of lime finished plaster over the top.
Don't be tempted to use modern gypsum or cementitious plasters - the pink stuff most builders us - it will crack and won't flex with the building.

 

[Moo]

Invest in a wallpaper stripping machine. It's basically just a kettle with a hose attached and will soften the paper and glue, so that it will peel off with the greatest of ease. Most gratifying - and cheap as chips (I know that Wickes do them).

 

[Philip]

A word or warning when using a steam stripper , the heat can "blow" the plaster from the underlying surface. I hve no experience of using on original lime mortar, but can assure you it can happen with skimmed gypsum coating.

 

[Gervase]

Fortunately lime plasters tend to be a lot thicker and a lot more resistant to steam than gypsum skims, so you shouldn't have any trouble. What can be messy is where you've got old Polyfilla or similar cellulose-based filler in any holes under the paper; that can become a sticky mush with steam.
Which, in itself, is not problem, as you'll want to get rid of it if you're intending to patch and repair the underlying plaster.

 

[middi]

Steam wallpaper strippers are fine. Just a couple of points.

1) they are not as efficient where layers of wallpaper have been painted with glosses and masonary emulsions.

2) The most important point, watch out for exess water treackling behind the electric plugs and switches.

 

[ajbaker]

Im in an almost identical position, intending to strip many years of wall paper of several walls in my bedroom. Intending to use a steamer.

After removing a radiator bracket from the wall I am concerned the top finish layer of (original lime) plaster is either going to come off completely or at least certainly not provide a smooth enough surface to be satisfying.

If the finish coat seems sturdy, is it possible to add one further layer of lime finishing plaster directly, or is it necessary to prepare the surface - scratch, adhestive etc?

If I do need to remove the top layer of plaster, will I need to prepare the base layer in any way ready for another finishing coat?

I'm thinking in terms of providing a key to 200 year old base layer oflime plaster....

 

[Penners]

If you found a Regency cabinet you wouldn't nail a piece of mdf over it to smooth out the bumps (would you?).

Damn! I think I've just ruined a Regency cabinet.

 

[Gervase]

If you're intending just to skim some lime over the top, then a tack coat of limewash put on a couple of hours before you plaster should be all you need (provided the surface is fairly rough and hasn't got a nice polished finish!)

 

[ajbaker]

That's exactly the problem... the surface is SO rough I cannot bear to just paint it! Thanks for the tip re the limewash; I never fail to be amazed how versatile this stuff is!

Now I'm wondering if I should be considering one or two coats - having started removing the wallpaper, it appears in very small areas more than one coat is coming off (only in small areas, generally the plaster seems very sound.) Can I just increase the thickness of the finish coat in those areas, or should I really be using two coats? And if so, can I use the same stuff (putty and sharps) or should I use a render mix for the undercoat?

Thanks for the advice.