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AR15.COM
11/30/2004 7:11:41 PM EDT
I'm in the middle of a project to remodel our master bath and getting the old wall paper off is killing me. Whatever it was put up with is pulling the backing off of the sheetrock. We bought some gel like stuff that helps but it's not going too good.  Any tips so I won't have to re-mud the whole bathroom when I'm through.



HGTV and Design on a Dime should be banned from every TV in America!
11/30/2004 7:15:16 PM EDT
[#1]
i've used the DAP gel a few times, and in all instances it worked great. sometimes you really have to coat the wall with a thick slathering and let it soak in for the paper to come off in big sheets. don't rent a steamer. i destroyed the walls in my guest bathroom with one, and had remud the whole thing.
11/30/2004 7:17:51 PM EDT
[#2]
I went throught the exact same thing. I tried everything at Home Depot with no luck. I was told that whoever put the paper up use too much adhesive. All I can suggest is to go VERY SLOW.
I'll pay someone else to do it if there's ever a next time.
11/30/2004 7:19:55 PM EDT
[#3]
You need to score the paper (put holes in it) soak it down alot  with water .I use a bug sprayer.A tiger paw or or the like work good for  perferating .you can get them at Home Depot
11/30/2004 7:22:20 PM EDT
[#4]
I got this round thing from Home Depot that had three sets of spiked wheels going in different directions.  After using that and the gel the wall paper I was removing came off like a breeze.
11/30/2004 7:26:30 PM EDT
[#5]
Just did the same thing Gopher to my bathroom.  Try using warm water and Downey.  Works just as well as the DAP gel plus a whole lot cheaper! About 4 parts water to 1 part  Downey.  Also get  the "Paper Tiger" wall perforating tool.  Will help make it a lot easier.  Here's the link to the web site.  Found it at Home Depot. http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=20
Hope this helps.
11/30/2004 7:26:46 PM EDT
[#6]
I had a case in my kitchen where the previous owner put wallpaper directly on unprimed drywall.  I couldn't figure a way to get if off and ended up remudding.  If anyone knows how to remove it in that situation, I'd love to know.  The asshole did the same thing in the bathroom.
11/30/2004 7:35:54 PM EDT
[#7]
reddog132: I'll try that since I've aready got the tool. Hell of a way to spend your vacation but I can't complain. It's colder than hell outside and raining so I would be just as miserable at work. At least here there is no GPS on me and I can drink beer while I work.  Could be worse.
11/30/2004 7:36:06 PM EDT
[#8]
Hey- For normal wallpaper that is applied with normal paste, I would recommend the following.
Get DIF paper remover and a tool called a Paper Tiger. It is a tool that makes little serations in the paper so that the DIF solution can soak thru the paper and disolve the glue. IF you have these items, I would do the following. You need to run the tiger over the paper until there seems to be about20 or 30 little holes per inch. just run that thing all over the paper so it has a million little holes. Then mix hot water with the DIF at about 50/50, regardless of how they say to mix it. I usually wet a whole wall, but concentrate on a 2x2 or 3x3 area. More if it comes off easy, but less if not. I usually will use a 4" to 6" drywall knife that is in good condition to scrape off the paper. A bent blade will try to grab the wall or dig in, causing more work. I try to let the tiger and the DIF do most of the work. A pump up garden sprayer works good for spraying it on. It is not nearly as messy as putting it on with a sponge.
If that gets all the paper off, then you need to still use the remover to make ABSOLUTELY sure that all of the glue residue gets off the wall. Otherwise your paint will orange peel. 100% of the residue must be removed. If in doubt wipe it down again. No primer will help if you don't.

Lets say that you have tried this, and it is still a mess, then I would try a steamer. STill you will want to use the paper tiger, because you want to penetrate to paper surface, or layers if that is the case.
It might be a situation where the original wall surface was just not prepped properly, or maybe they applied the paper to bare sheetrock. In that case, mentally prepare yourself for some drywall work. You probably will have some any way, but no need to make work for your self. I have removed more paper than I care to remember. I have used a steamer once. I think that job had 7 layers that had to be at least 30 years old. Took forever and required a ton of drywall skimming, but it did eventually come off. Let the DIF and the Paper Tiger do the work. Oh, patience is important tooHope this helps
11/30/2004 7:42:07 PM EDT
[#9]
Let me know how it works out Gopher.


Oh yeah drink one for me too!
11/30/2004 8:02:33 PM EDT
[#10]
Scratch it up with a steel brush or something, and then soak water on it (washcloth or sponge would work). When we did that, it was just a strip all around the room, for the entire wall.... think bigger, but use the same idea. The more water you get behind it, the quicker it comes off. I heard once about people that made a sauna in the room to get the wallpaper off...
11/30/2004 8:12:49 PM EDT
[#11]
score the paper first with the Tiger(?) then Dap solution, don't you watch Hometime?
11/30/2004 8:39:14 PM EDT
[#12]
Yeah sometimes.......but I don't have the 40 ft trailer with the 1/2 million dollars worth of gear and 14 aspiring ghey wanna be actors to help me.
12/1/2004 7:19:20 PM EDT
[#13]

Quoted:
I had a case in my kitchen where the previous owner put wallpaper directly on unprimed drywall.  I couldn't figure a way to get if off and ended up remudding.  If anyone knows how to remove it in that situation, I'd love to know.  The asshole did the same thing in the bathroom.



Same here.
Dinning room, Living room, Kitchen.
It was a pain in the ass!
12/1/2004 7:28:53 PM EDT
[#14]
I had a similar problem in a room that had been re-dry-walled by the previous owner.  They wallpapered over the bare dry wall.  No paint...primer, or sizing.

Thank God for a friend that is good at skim coating!
12/1/2004 7:31:50 PM EDT
[#15]
Only way I know how to remove wallpaper is with a rightclick onto "Properties"




Good luck.
12/1/2004 7:34:28 PM EDT
[#16]
There should be a law against people selling houses with wallpaper on the walls.

Taking wallpaper off the walls fucking sucks ass.  No real way around it.

HTH  

Corey
12/1/2004 7:38:25 PM EDT
[#17]
Tagged for later read.
12/1/2004 7:39:25 PM EDT
[#18]
Option 1;  Paint over it.

Option 2;  Rip out the drywall and redo it.

Option 3;  Rip out the drywall, and replace with wood and tile.
12/1/2004 7:54:40 PM EDT
[#19]

Option 1; Paint over it.



This wall paper was so hideous that we were afraid it would bleed through a good coat of Kilz. Today went much easier thanks to the scoring tool and lots of paper remover. Also changed out the light switches to dimmer units.  Tomorrow I'll finish up and get everything re-mudded. I'll mix the texture and primer together and get all that done in one step. My wife said she would paint it after I got all this other stuff done. I figure it will be finished sometime around April.
12/1/2004 7:59:05 PM EDT
[#20]

Quoted:
Only way I know how to remove wallpaper is with a rightclick onto "Properties"




Good luck.




12/1/2004 8:00:55 PM EDT
[#21]
I know you're past this now but 'Liquid Fabric Softner' and lots of warm water with the 'paper tiger' worked the best for me. better than Zif or all the other equivelents.   Worked better than the steamer too!

Hr
12/1/2004 8:39:40 PM EDT
[#22]
Fabric softner is the answer its cheaper and better than other products. I have a friend who is a painter and has been using it for 20 years.
12/1/2004 8:40:10 PM EDT
[#23]
Matches!
12/1/2004 8:41:51 PM EDT
[#24]
tannerite?