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I suspect that the humidity in our master bath has created a perma-bond between our wall paper and the drywall....going through the layer of paint below. We sized below the paper too. We've removed maybe 15% of the paper and have pulled up some paint too, creating ares that now need to be patched prior to painting. And, yes, we've been using wall paper removal sprays to break the glue bond.

So, does anyone have a recommendation for a contractor specializing in wall paper removal? It's been slow going and I need to get this done to get on with the remodel. Recommendations would be appreciated.


Thanks, Chris

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Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

What have you been using to remove the wallpaper?

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

^ what he said........




I can't give a vendor recommendation, but if you're willing to try a couple of other methods......


Did you use one of those wallpaper scoring tools- I believe the brand name is "paper tiger"?? It's just a plastic thing that you roll around on the wallpaper surface that has tiny little wheels with sharp teeth that poke little holes in the paper. Then you use the remover spray and it soaks in much better. Try this if you have not.


If that fails, you may have to resort to a wallpaper steamer. Should be able to rent one from the tool rental places. It's basically like a rectangular baking pan with a steam supply- you put the "pan" over a section of paper and allow the steam to do it's work, then scrape the paper with a flat scraper blade. It's slow going, but it works on the toughest paper.





Bret.

I paid for college and some of graduate school wallpapering.
Any wallpaper hanger will remove it too. Call a reputable paint and wallpaper store for recommendations. It may not be cheap because it is a pain!
However, to keep wallpaper on the walls of a bathroom, many use a stronger paste. Frequently after removal, the walls will need to be "mudded" (floated) with joint compound, then sanded.
I recommend that bathrooms be painted with an oil based paint before wallpapering. That's a big pain too and you need to wait a while for it to completely dry.
Good luck!

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Rubbin' is Racin'

Thanks for the reply's/PM's.

We've been using the scoring tool and have tried two different types of spray-based removers. Can't recall the name/brand. Score,spray,let sit, scrape off. We have successfully removed wall paper from several rooms without problem so we feel that we're doing the right things. We may try the steamer but please keep the recommendations coming.

Thanks, Chris

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Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

Scrap all the store bought crap.

Vinegar and Fabric softener have yielded the best results for me.

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

I can't recommend a contractor, but I have some tips if you want to continue the DIY route...

As you have found that you may pull the paper off the drywall exposing the core and leaving fuzzy paper edges. It can be difficult to spackle and sand this because the "fuzz" from the edge of the paper remains after you sand. What has worked for me is to apply a shellac directly on the frayed edge prior to applying spackle. Let this dry and then lightly sand to remove the fuzz prior to applying the spackle.

Also, if the removal absolutely destroys the drywall, and assuming that the existing wallpaper is pretty flat, you can paint directly over the wallpaper! First you can spackle and sand the wallpaper seams. Second you may want to apply a layer of something like "Killz" over everything and then you can paint.

I have done this on a previous home in which the wallpaper was applied directly to bare, unpanted, unsized drywall.

Good luck!

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
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Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

The other alternative if you don't want to pay for professional help is to apply a different texture on the wall. Our bath had the same problem and when we removed the wallpaper a lot of the paper from the drywall came with it. We bought a textured wall finish from HD or Lowes and troweled it on and created a stucco looking wall which covered the "sins" and then we painted the stucco. (YOu don't need to buy the stuff, you can use drywall and trowel it on the wall to create the same texture)

It looks good, covers the bad spots and is paintable and you don't have to worry about your skim coat looking perfect

A steamer works great on plaster walls. It is pretty tough on drywall.

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Rubbin' is Racin'

This works really well when the paper just won't budge. Mud (joint compound) is a lot easier to use than spackle when you do this.

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Mitch Moore

fabric softener mixed with water. don't know about the vinegar method as i have never used it.

oh yeah, i have a great wallpaper guy too. pm if interested.