# Commerical grade steamer



## Pat_The_Painter (Mar 6, 2013)

So i recently bid on a big job that entails a ton of wall paper removal and got the job. I have always used the steamers from Home Depot that require you to refill every 2 hrs and take forever to remove the paper. Can anyone refer me to a good commercial grade wall paper steamer?


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

all the guys I know who strip exclusively, do so by spray, soak, scrape, wash. 

The stuff they've developed and invented both in the process of spraying and the chemicals used, make their work lucrative.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

daArch said:


> all the guys I know who strip exclusively, do so by spray, soak, scrape, wash.
> 
> The stuff they've developed and invented both in the process of spraying and the chemicals used, make their work lucrative.


 
agreed:yes:


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## Hines Painting (Jun 22, 2013)

How much is a ton?


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Hines Painting said:


> How much is a ton?


 2000 lbs. ;-)


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## Pat_The_Painter (Mar 6, 2013)

Hines Painting said:


> How much is a ton?


5 bathrooms, 4 large bedrooms and a stairway going up 2 floors.


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## Repaint Florida (May 31, 2012)




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## Hines Painting (Jun 22, 2013)

Pat_The_Painter said:


> 5 bathrooms, 4 large bedrooms and a stairway going up 2 floors.


Sound's like you bid it too low :whistling2:


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## Pat_The_Painter (Mar 6, 2013)

Hines Painting said:


> Sound's like you bid it too low :whistling2:


I dont think it was too low or too high, it came to right under 12k. I just need to know if i should invest in a commercial steamer or just use the other method of spray,soak,scrape and wash.


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## Pat_The_Painter (Mar 6, 2013)

daArch said:


> all the guys I know who strip exclusively, do so by spray, soak, scrape, wash.
> 
> The stuff they've developed and invented both in the process of spraying and the chemicals used, make their work lucrative.


When they spay what chemical additive do they use. I've used Dif and it makes no DIFference


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## Hines Painting (Jun 22, 2013)

Pat_The_Painter said:


> I dont think it was too low or too high, it came to right under 12k. I just need to know if i should invest in a commercial steamer or just use the other method of spray,soak,scrape and wash.


I was just saying you bid it too low because you got it  

I've stripped a fair amount of wallpaper this year, more than in any year prior ever since I started in this business (even when working for someone else). 

I have found DIF to suck as well. My local lowes carries Piranha stripper and I've been pretty happy with it. I used DIF on my first wallpaper removal job this year, and it took me over 8 hours to strip an 8x12 wall in a living room (blew that bid hard). My last one, with the piranha I peeled a 10x14 bedroom a border in a 14x14 bedroom and applied Gardz in about 6 hours. I was T&M on the removal on that one, so I billed the guy 8.5 hours cause he was a jerk. I told him it would be between 4 and 10 depending on how it came off, and he wasn't there. Should've just billed him the whole 10.


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## Brian C (Oct 8, 2011)

thanks for the tip about pirana peeler. will see if its available down here.


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## Hines Painting (Jun 22, 2013)

You're welcome. 

This is what it looks like:


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Brian C said:


> thanks for the tip about pirana peeler. will see if its available down here.


 
S&S is the ONLY way to go, no matter what anybody says
Diff and that Piranha crap do not even compare:no:

http://www.safeandsimple.com/


now that is just my humble opinion only, so don't believe it, see if I care:whistling2:


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## Brian C (Oct 8, 2011)

O,K Chris, I have a large wallpaper removal job coming up and appreciate your advice.
please explain your technique of using this product and how well it compares to a wallpaper steamer. thank you.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

The stripping solution used is important, but not THE only factor in making a stripping job the easiest it can be. I'm sold on Safe and Simple, but have had good results with DIF (dangerous stuff w/o respirator) Piranha, ammonia, plain water, fabric softener, and various other products.

One of the most frequent faults I see is the lack of patience to allow the stripper to soak into the paper and thoroughly re-wet the paste. 

Spray the whole area that you will be stripping that day. Don't spray an area and let it dry over night, it will be even harder the next morning. Keep the room lightly misted as you work around the room. A light mist is enough to keep the paper soaked and not too much to cause run off that increases your mess and danger of damage. I have seen the ceiling below a room get wet. 

Strip a small section at a time - one or two strips. When the paper is off, wash the residue paste off. Do NOT allow the residue to dry thinking you will come back later to wash off. Time will be wasted re-wetting that residue. A 3M teflon grill scrub and a micro fiber towel works well for this step. I strip the paper, then lightly mist the residue and then wash. Then go around the room and mist the paper. Proceed on next small section. Keep track of how long the unstripped areas are drying and mist accordingly.

The paste used is also a very important factor. If it's a pre-pasted paper and no additional paste was used, you are in for an easy strip. If a god-knows what combination of paste was used, you are in for some surprises, some pleasant, some not. I hate stripping clay, takes MUCH more solution to re-wet. But still the secret is allowing time for the paste to re-wet.

The paper itself is another important factor. A pulp paper with no protective coating sucks in the water and re-wets quickly. 

Any coating on a paper needs to be busted through to allow the solution to penetrate into the substrate. I like a quick pass of a palm sander with 36 grit sand paper. I've started using a (CORRECTION) 1/*3* sheet "finish" sander and it is quicker. 9 x 11 sheets of 36 are getting impossible to find. I now buy 4 x 24 sanding belts. The paper is more sturdy and last longer than sheet paper. Vacuuming after sanding is very helpful to reduce the wet sludgy mess wetting the dust creates.

Some heavy duty paper backed vinyl papers are called "strippable". This means the vinyl coating can be dry stripped off the paper backing. Try different directions to find which way is easiest. Up, down, l to r, r to l, or diagonally. One direction is always easier than others. The backing left on the wall is now an easy strip. 

Your stripping tool is also important. I've grown fond of a shorter Olfa tool. About 8" long.









But just find one that works for YOU. I do not like a brand new blade, too sharp. Again, use what works best for you. And sometimes a 6" mud knife works. If you do not like the way a tool is working, try another one.

Next factor is the wall itself. Unprimed horse hair plaster is nasty. It has sucked paste into it's pores. One of the worst stripping situations I know is unprimed horse hair plaster with pulp paper pasted with wheat paste and then painted.

A paper on a properly primed/sealed finish plaster wall is my favorite.

If any paper has been hung on raw rock, forget about stripping. Patch and paint. 

The two dedicated stripping outfits I know use various systems for spraying. They involve high capacity tanks and long hoses stretching through the home. For one room jobs, they use smaller electrical driven sprayers. I like my garden sprayer that I have modified with a tire inflation nipple and is pumped up with a DIY tire inflation tool - with an auto shut off. You guys with compressors could easily rig something up so you aren't wasting time and energy hand pumping the sprayer. Will a paint sprayer work ? I do not know. Can it deliver a fine mist in a controlled manner ?


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## squid (Dec 25, 2012)

daArch said:


> The stripping solution used is important, but not THE only factor in making a stripping job the easiest it can be. I'm sold on Safe and Simple, but have had good results with DIF (dangerous stuff w/o respirator) Piranha, ammonia, plain water, fabric softener, and various other products.
> 
> One of the most frequent faults I see is the lack of patience to allow the stripper to soak into the paper and thoroughly re-wet the paste.
> 
> ...


I like to start here and I have been known to bust into a little soft shoe when it comes off easy!


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Brian C said:


> O,K Chris, I have a large wallpaper removal job coming up and appreciate your advice.
> please explain your technique of using this product and how well it compares to a wallpaper steamer. thank you.


 
see post #16, Bill is far, far more eloquent than I

he is a few other things also, but I will let that for another time


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