How to strip wallpaper
first, know the enemy!

Most wallpaper is hung using a water-based glue or wall paper paste. Removing wallpaper from drywall means getting the paste wet again, or softening it so the wall paper can be removed. This can be difficult, especially with vinyl or plastic-coated wallpapers that are pretty waterproof. And, of course, the older the wallpaper, the harder it is to strip from the wall.

Key tips for wallpaper removal

• Score the surface of the wallpaper so steam or chemicals can penetrate through to the wall paper paste
• When using steam for wallpaper stripping, make sure the room is completely clear so that no furniture or fittings are damaged by the vapour
• Use protective gloves and, if suitable, protective goggles when using chemical wallpaper strippers or steam
• Work from the top of the wall to be stripped; then the chemicals or water can flow down through wallpaper
• When choosing a steamer for wallpaper removal, consider other uses it may have; some are also suitable for carpet cleaning, or steam cleaning tiled surfaces, with the right attachments and temperature controls

Using steam to remove wall paper

A steamer fires jets of hot water vapour at the old wallpaper to make the wall paper damp and penetrate through to the wallpaper paste. Using a steamer can be hard, messy work; the room fills with damp vapour and it is difficult to get the whole surface of the wallpapered wall to absorb the steam.

As you apply the steam, starting at the seams of the wallpaper to be removed, you need to use a scraper to lift the wall paper away from the wall. You can then strip the wallpaper from the wall, though it often comes away in small chunks.

Apart from the hazard of the hot steam, a key disadvantage of wallpaper stripping in this way is that the scraper often damages the plaster or board beneath the wall paper. Any chips or cracks made by the scraper must be filled before you hang the new wallpaper. Steaming off wallpaper is a good approach if the wall paper is not too old. Steam can be less effective with very old wallpaper.

Stripping wallpaper with chemicals

Special wall paper stripping chemicals can be used if you do not want to use steam to remove old wallpaper.

These wallpaper strippers can be applied with brushes, sponges or absorbent cloths. It is a good idea to score the surface of the wallpaper before applying the chemical, so it can be properly absorbed by the paper.

The chemicals work by dissolving the wall paper paste and can be very effective in removing wallpaper without too much damage to the wall beneath. However, wallpaper stripping chemicals are powerful solutions and must be handled with great care, especially if there are young children or pets in the house.

Any residue of the wallpaper stripper chemical must be thoroughly cleaned off the bare wall before you hang the new wall paper. Wallpaper stripper is a good option for older wallpaper; the strong chemical stripper is good at penetrating and dissolving the old wallpaper paste.

SimpleStrip

This is a new technique for wallpaper stripping.

You use a special scoring tool to perforate the surface of the wall paper, and then hang absorbent sheets soaked in a paste-softening solution on the scored surface of the wall paper. The sheets cling to the wallpaper and the solution penetrates through to the paste, rehydrating and dissolving it. You can top up the solution while the sheets are hanging, with a spray gun.

After about 30 minutes, you simply peel the sheets away and the old wallpaper comes with them. Often, entire strips of wallpaper can be removed in one go.

The chemical is a different formula to standard wallpaper strippers and is safer to use. It is also biodegradable.

You can find more details of this approach to wallpaper stripping and removal here: www.simplestrip.com