topic Re: Wall prep after wall paper in Home

Wall prep after wall paper

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 17:08:42 GMT

Today I am removing wallpaper from my bathroom walls.....it's a messy job, but I have done it before so no big deal.... I am not putting up paper again. I have a plastering guy scheduled to put a skim coat on the walls then I will paint the finish coat, when he is done.

The question is....is there a home remedy, product that will help remove all the glue from the walls? I have looked online a little but thought real world advice is sometimes better....the paper is coming off fairly easy, so far...for that I am really glad!!

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Scooty — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 17:12:12 GMT

When I was removing my bathroom wallpaper, I used vinegar and hot water on the glue. I had googled what to use and it worked!

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 17:14:40 GMT

@Scooty Thank you....I think it will take most of the day to remove all the paper, clean up the mess etc.... so next day off I'll be taking off the glue.

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Sweetbay magnolia — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 17:29:31 GMT

@Mom2Dogs , I'd be interested to know how you are removing the paper to begin with, if you don't mind. And why the skim coat after?

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:10:24 GMT

@Sweetbay magnolia the paper is coming off fairly easy because I think

1... it was a quality paper and

2...the walls were sized before papering.

I am using a small steamer to loosen the glue, waiting a few moments then peeling off the paper (after finding a seam).

There is always a bit of paper from the back of the paper that stays on the wall but with a little steam the glue softenens and peels off easily.

I am almost done removing the paper Yay!! the hard part is going to be removing the glue, that will be a big, messy job. Not looking forward to that.

The skim coat is because I am not putting paper up again, I wanted painted walls. When the house was built in the 70's the walls were left 'flat' in that room for papering and while they are in very good shape a skim coat of plaster will hide any imperfections that the wall paper hid.

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Sweetbay magnolia — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:15:30 GMT

Thank you for the information, @Mom2Dogs ! I ask because we have lots of wallpaper from very long ago, which I like but at some point, well, it'll have to come off. And I don't know what was done (or not) to the walls.

I remember steaming paper off, as a child. That was tedious, but we had used very thin paper. Now that you mention it, that glue clean up seems to go on forever.

Good luck in your project.

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

PINKdogWOOD — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:21:23 GMT

@Mom2Dogs Good for you to be finished removing the paper at this point. DH & I have removed A LOT of wp in our home but that was in the mid 80s and we had no steamer. The we did the old fashioned way, using 4-5" wide blades scraping wp. There was residue left here & there, we sanded it off along with sanding every sq inch walls & ceiling, Then used rather large sponges to wipe down the walls, readying for paint.

What will you use to remove the residue, or will you have someone finalizing for new paint?

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 19:47:52 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD the tip given to me by @Scooty was to use hot water and vinegar to remove the last of the glue....not looking forward to that job.

I hope the walls are good enough for the plaster guy!! I will have him stop over a few days before I am scheduled for the work to be done, just in case I need to hit it again.

He will plaster, sand and prime the walls, then I will do the painting.

The room already looks brigher even tho the walls look bad. The wall paper had a black background with large flowers....one wall was taupe and tiny flowered cream flowers...it was very pretty but the paper was loose in a few spots so I figured it was time for an upgrade.

The next thing to get done is the tub/shower we are having it 'restored'...a nice bright white as is the toilet and sink....the walls will be a soft, green, the vanity is glossy black...cannot wait until it's done..probably a month!

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Veridoc — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 20:33:44 GMT

@Scooty

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
Today I am removing wallpaper from my bathroom walls.....it's a messy job, but I have done it before so no big deal.... I am not putting up paper again. I have a plastering guy scheduled to put a skim coat on the walls then I will paint the finish coat, when he is done.

The question is....is there a home remedy, product that will help remove all the glue from the walls? I have looked online a little but thought real world advice is sometimes better....the paper is coming off fairly easy, so far...for that I am really glad!!

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

I have used vinegar and water also. I found that the water needed to be very hot and only use equal parts. I got brave and decided to up the vinegar content and it ate a chunk of plaster.

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

morganjen — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 20:47:20 GMT

I dread having to do this for our kitchen. Every nook and cranny was papered. I was able to get the border off easily with my "Little Steamer" from HSN. The only ones they had at Lowe's were huge. I think I used a metal spatula right behind it and the glue came right up with the paper. Come to think of it, I may have added some white vinegar to it.

Re: Wall prep after wall paper

Mominohio — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 22:21:52 GMT

I used fabric softener and water in a spray bottle, but it didn't do the really tough stuck on stuff well, so I got a commercial product at the Home Depot, and that did better.

And I definitely primered after ward, where they did drywall work, and even where they didn't. Makes a huge difference in how well the paint takes and stays.