# Steaming paper from untreated rock



## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

I'm working on a remodel job - The bathroom had wallpaper placed directly onto the rock (no primer/paint etc).

I got out my trusty wallpaper steamer










It's a great tool - Even has a platform to stand on :thumbsup:

Anyways, the paper was a vinyl and the face of the paper peeled off dry nicely, just leaving the backiing paper to tackle...

Held the steam pad on the wall for between 10 and 15 seconds...











Hey presto! Peels of nicely! :thumbsup:


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Oh sure, it was a prepasted, right ? And once you peel the vinyl off and the thin paper substrate is left, you could BREATHE on it and it will come off. Now try that on a thick Farrow and Ball hung with REAL paste on raw rock 

No, seriously, you are lucky. If the paper and paste were more substantial and needing prolonged steaming, I wonder how the cardboard facing would fare. I used a steamer a few times when I was a lad. Once on five layers (two were painted), and another on a three layer. I just never got the feeling that steamers were the cat's meow. But, if it worked for you - :thumbup:


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## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

Actually, it didn't look as though it was prepasted stuff. The backing was fairly substantial too. I do agree with you though, some don't come off as easily as that did. I find in stubborn situations that if I leave the steamer running in the room for half an hour before tackling it that it does come off reasonably easy - I say 'reasonably' cautiously. It still takes time and can be a slow process.

I think you should give the steamers another chance Bill - On the regular stripping jobs, more often than not, the paper will almost fall off once the steamer has been running for a litte while in a closed room. They can even supplement other stripping methods. For instance, say you are wetting walls with spray or even using the wrap method then the steam will enhance the process by keeping the atmosphere moist and stopping the areas drying out.

You need to take a bit more care on drywall than with plastered walls - We have a lot of brick or stone built interior walls that are plastered over and they can take a good amount of whatever force you throw at it. Unlike drywall which is much more delicate, absorbant and softer.

On the whole, I find the steamer an invaluable tool. There have been situations where I know that being without it would have increased the stripping time by miles. Painted anaglypta/woodchip is no problem with it either.

I know everyone has thier own methods that they prefer but I would say that generally,, the steamer is as good as any in most situations :thumbsup:


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Hearing about steaming up the room reminds me of one of my biggest F-ups. Luckily in my own house.

In the first house I owned, I redid a second floor room to become the master bed room. I mean I was young and energetic. Removed all the trim, took off the steam radiator to paint, overlayed the cellotex (?) (that brown, course, fibrous wall board) with sheetrock, refinished the floor, - the whole nine yards.

Well in the midst of the renovations I took off for the weekend, and when I came home discovered that I had forgotten to close the valve on the radiator (remember, I said STEAM). As you can guess, the furnace had gone on, and obviously the sheet rock was unprimed. 

You can imagine how gravity affected the ceiling sheets. :whistling2:

Steam can be nice or it can be nasty..


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## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

:lol:

We should start a thread on DIY disasters :laughing:

Just a couple of weeks ago I bought a 'rainfall' shower that attached to a shower/mixer tap on my bath. The box said 'DIY fit' so I thought it can't be that difficult. I was right. I detached the flexi shower thing that sat on top of the mixer - Drilled a couple of holes in the tiles and fixed the new shower and pipe to the wall then coupled it up to the flexi shower outlet.

Turned it on and it worked! I was feeling real proud of myself until my daughter came running into the bathroom and shouted me to turn it off. It turns out the hot water pressure in the pipes was less than the cold. The cold water pressure forced the hot water back into the hot water tank, which in turn forced the water from the hot water tank back up to the cold water feed tank in the loft. Not only did I have a rainfall shower in the bathroom but a nice raindrop effect in the bedroom 

I've now got to fit a valve on the cold water feed to the bath and turn the pressure down to match the hot water feed. That's once I've repaired the bedroom ceiling


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## LOSTinDETAILS (Jun 17, 2009)

*some people have all the luck!*

Most times I steam wallpaper it is over bare rock and is a pita. It will pull easily in areas and pull the paper off of drywall in other area. If all paper were applied over primer or paint it would be a different story. I always dread removing wallpaper but it pays just like the others so I do it with some kicking and screaming.


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