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Plastering & Rendering

Persevere with stripping walls or plasterboard/plaster?

Anonymous user 09/03/2024 - 2.56 PM

Hi, My old tenement bathroom walls are proving very nearly impossible to strip - some of the wallpaper is stuck like glue, coming off in confetti-sized pieces whilst the other (same) paper came off really easily. The paper has been emulsioned over many times over the years. I didn't mind the painted paper and only stripped the walls as I was getting the bath wall tiled, now I'm left with some bare walls with big patches of stuck paper around the rest of the room and not quite sure where to go from here. Do I give up on trying to strip? Have tried steam, soapy water, scoring, etc. My pal suggested sanding what's left. Seems like a big job and possibly in danger of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Is this a viable option? And/or is it expensive/advisable to get plasterboard/plaster...? Was trying to do it myself but may have to admit that I need a bit of professional help ;) I really just want to be able to paint my walls again! :) All advice welcome.

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2 Answers

S F PLASTERING

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Bishop's Stortford

I think you’ve tried most things to get it off, it sounds to me like you’re gonna have to keep going at it bit by bit, have you used a proper wallpaper steam stripper

Answered4 April 2018

Timothy David Interiors

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tonypandy

Hi. A good steam stripper is the best option. Try scoring the remaining paper, criss cross scoring with a snap-off knife is best, looking for sections about an inch sq, scoring through the paint layers will allow the steam to get behind the paint and soften the backing paper. This method and my 30yr old steamer hasnt failed me yet, even on heavily painted woodchip. The only other scenario i can think is going on is that in these areas the paper has been stuck down with pva, again, difficult but can be removed with above method, however some damage may result in the plaster. That can be filled/surfaced with a good filler such as toupret and abraded smooth

Answered4 April 2018