# Calling all Wallpaper Gurus.



## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

Ok paper peeps.

We have a job coming up that requires stripping a lot of wallpaper. The last one we did came off in tiny pieces, required a lot of floating afterwards because the plaster got scraped up, and we have avoided it ever since.

I have been re-inspired by a lot that I have read here. And I would love to get a concise simplistic overview for a couple areas regarding wallpaper removal/application.

I have read all the threads I could find on the topic. I have a couple questions.

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I am pretty well versed from threads how to remove paste once you get to that stage. I have one question which is, will the Zinsser Gards seal in any residuals from paste to prevent it bleeding through painted topcoats? If not, what is best to prime with before painting?

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*Wallpaper Removal:*

I have seen a few people say use an airless with water, and others say a garden sprayer. I read that safe and simple is the solution of choice.



Is the solution mixed with the water in the sprayer? Or do you alternate with clean water? Will the solution and water mix harm an airless?


Covering outlets and switches. How is this done? duct tape? Plastic? Switchcovers off I assume? How about shutting off the room at the breaker box?


How do you prevent moisture/water from running all over? Tape plastic to the base? I have thought of a linear trough of some kind. I realize you are wetting as little as possible, it still seems like moisture and gravity will have their way.


I read paper tigers are a joke. Should *any* kind of scoring be done? Say linear cuts every 2 feet etc?


Has anyone thought of visquening an entire wall and then steaming the sh*te out of it for a couple hours? Would trapping steam inside a layer of visquene accomplish anything?
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*Simple wallpaper hanging.*

The job I am doing right now, the lady is trying to talk me into doing some vertical striping in the wainscoting area beneath the chair rail. It is flat wall in the space now. ( no beading/frames etc.)

I told her I prefer only doing work that I can say with 100% confidence that I know "*exactly* what I am doing". Despite my declaration, she still really wants me to do some kind of interesting motif under the chair rail in a hallway.

I thought some kind of wallpaper/embossed wallhanging might be easier than taping off a bunch of vertical stripes.

Is there is a simple several step overview of the procedure for hanging wallcovering? Basic tools I will need? I mean the basics here, I am 'greener than an elf on christmas morning.' ( Just made that phrase up. ) 

What is the general philosophy for keeping the covering/pattern square with the important moldings/corners etc.

I would be cutting the paper/covering into existing chair rail, and baseboard which is freshly painted. 

Lastly, does anyone know of some vertical striping type coverings that would look good under a chair rail? Or any other coverings that look good below chair rail? She doesn't want anything busy or floral, or typical wallpaper type patterns.

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Thanks for any info. Looking forward to trying out something new. ( I have papered a few times a long time ago and it turned out looking real good. 

But I was working for an experienced painter/hanger who walked me through the steps, and I have MAJOR CRS disease. I can't remember ANYTHING about how we did it. )

:wheelchair:


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## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

Have you considered hiring a seasoned hanger? I'm just on my way out the door but I'm sure somebody will be along shortly and give you a detailed answer....

As for the stripping - Don't score it if it's sheetrock. If it's a vinyl then sometimes the face will peel off and the backing will wet and remove easily. Use a flexible type scraper and not a stiff one. Slide the scraper gently behind the paper. I wouldn't use an airless because you won't be able to control the of the amount of water as well as you can with a hand sprayer. I sometimes use a wet sponge too. If you've got one then leaving a steam stripper just boiling away in the room with the doors shut helps a lot. Sheet up well, especially around the edges to soak up run off. Try to keep it as dry as you can around electrical outlets. Masking them can help but water tends to get in anyway so a lot of care needs to be taken.

Don't be _too _fussy about leaving paste residue if you're re-papering the area. Once it's stripped and cleaned down let it dry and sand with 120 grit when it's dry before priming.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

tooled you are too cool man. Have a good day dude.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Hell, if we answered all those questions , we would'nt have a job.:blink:


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

I told her I prefer only doing work that I can say with 100% confidence that I know "*exactly* what I am doing". 

I would stick buy that instinct.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Last Craftsman said:


> I am pretty well versed from threads how to remove paste once you get to that stage. I have one question which is, will the Zinsser Gards seal in any residuals from paste to prevent it bleeding through painted topcoats? If not, what is best to prime with before painting?


My preference is to wash residue off and then rinse. That way you do not have to worry about over stated cliams by manufacturers about what their products can seal.





> I have seen a few people say use an airless with water, and others say a garden sprayer. I read that safe and simple is the solution of choice.


Garden sprayer - more control of volume and area being sprayed. S&S is preferred by 95% of NGPP members. It works better than others, no smell, and non-toxic. And Mike Zekich is a good friend of the NGPP.




> Is the solution mixed with the water in the sprayer? Or do you alternate with clean water? Will the solution and water mix harm an airless?


I fill my sprayer (I find hot water DOES make a difference), and then add S&S. I do not alternate nor use an airless




> Covering outlets and switches. How is this done? duct tape? Plastic? Switchcovers off I assume? How about shutting off the room at the breaker box?


I use blue tape - you're not using a fire hose to mist the walls



> How do you prevent moisture/water from running all over? Tape plastic to the base? I have thought of a linear trough of some kind. I realize you are wetting as little as possible, it still seems like moisture and gravity will have their way.


MIST the paper. Let it soak in. then MIST again. Keep walls wet by continued MISTING. Again, you are NOT using a fire hose. Yes, some run off is inevitable, drops at the base should be able to keep that run off under control. 



> I read paper tigers are a joke. Should *any* kind of scoring be done? Say linear cuts every 2 feet etc?


Scoring the wallpaper with anything has a danger of scoring the walls. If the wallpaper is vinyl coated which can not be dry stripped off it's substrate OR some bozo has painted it, I use a palm sander with 36 grit. Just a quick passover to break through the vinyl or the BOZO's paint. A sander attached to a vac would be best. No sanding necessary on paper-paper. Test first. 



> Has anyone thought of visquening an entire wall and then steaming the sh*te out of it for a couple hours? Would trapping steam inside a layer of visquene accomplish anything?


Steam is more work tha necessary




> The job I am doing right now, the lady is trying to talk me into doing some vertical striping in the wainscoting area beneath the chair rail. It is flat wall in the space now. ( no beading/frames etc.)
> 
> I told her I prefer only doing work that I can say with 100% confidence that I know "*exactly* what I am doing". Despite my declaration, she still really wants me to do some kind of interesting motif under the chair rail in a hallway.
> 
> ...


Vertical striped wallcovering. Many widths and colors to choose from.

A professional wallcovering installer will be accomplished dealing with all your issues. It would be to your and your customer's advantage to hire a qualified professional wallcovering installer. if you tell us where you are, we could probably recommend one. If not, use the NGPP "Find a Professional Paperhanger" search ferature to find one near you:

http://www.ngpp.org/consumers_find_paperhanger.php


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## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

Well I think Arch answered those questions perfectly... Case closed.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

DaArch.

Awesome. I have complete confidence in tackling wallpaper removal now. 

I really appreciate the detailed response. 

Only one question.

Even after cleaning the paste, should I still seal the surface prior to painting so that glue wont bleed through the painted topcoat? Will the Zinsser gardz do this?

(EDIT) Oops. Sorry I just re-read your response, and realized you already answered this question. 

Thanks again for the detailed response. It is very much appreciated.

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As far as referring to a experienced paper hanger, I normally wouldn't even think of tackling any task that I wasn't familiar with. I never even replace a facia when it needs it, or a board in a deck, even though I am quite sure I could do that just fine.

But since I wasn't trained as a carpenter, I prefer to let a carpenter do it.

There are two reasons why this situation is an exception.

1: I have expressed quite fervently to the HO that I am unfamiliar with the processes she has suggested. She is completely aware of that and still really wan't ME specifically to do the work.

I rarely run into this situation, but there is a certain point where I am inclined to accommadate a customer if they have such a definite preference. 


2: The house is very modest, and is in medium/decent condition, the work that has been done in the house over the years is of varying quality. And she only wan'ts me to do the motif in a small hallway, it's not like I would be tackling the dining room, living room etc, in an immaculately remodeled high end home.

The trim in the hallway that I just got done painting had been painted at some stage by someone who had used a roller to roll FLAT wall paint over all the trim.

We did a minor amount of resurfacing without risking hitting the lead paint below. She just wanted the trim freshened up, color changed, and durable enough to be washed.

It's just a small hallway, the trim and walls are not immaculate now. She was going to do the _striping_ ( NOT stripping, there is no stripping in this house ) herself. When she asked me to do it, I thought of a wallcovering in the space instead because it seems a lot less time consuming and more thrifty with her money, and I thought it would be easier to present a squared pattern with a wallcovering as opposed to multiple courses of masking tape.

I honestly don't think absolute perfection is required in this scenario, and I can honestly say that in 2 decades of painting, I could count the times on one hand that I have tackled any kind of task I was untrained in, and those were all VERY small projects like this one.

There is one square that is about 3 feet by 5 feet. And another about 3 feet by 3 feet. and a couple little squares about 6 inches by 3 feet.

And ultimately as far as being untrained, it is just a decorative issue. It is not like I am wiring in a breaker box for her, or replacing a leaky pipe that could flood and do damage. There is no dangerous liability issues involved with the work.

So any way, just thought that explanation would be helpful as to why I even considered the notion of hanging something in the space myself.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

chrisn said:


> Hell, if we answered all those questions , we would'nt have a job.:blink:



You can always send me a private message!  

I wont tell anyone.

Don't worry, I have too much time invested painting to try to tackle paperhanging as a new profession at this stage.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

MAK-Deco said:


> Well I think Arch answered those questions perfectly...


I agree.




MAK-Deco said:


> Case closed.



The honorable judge MAK-Deco presiding.


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## jdmccann (Feb 23, 2009)

That should be a relatively simple task for you wallcovering wise. Sounds like a straightforward area to paper. With a vertical striped pattern there will be no match for you to bother with. And you say you've done it before with great success. Only real difficulty I could foresee for the inexperienced is the type of paper you use. The nicest I've hung in this style was one with nice bold colours on a foil paper which did have a backing. Looked gorgeous and ultra modern. Really had to watch not to crease the paper though or get any paste on the face of it. 

I'm sure if you googled "vertical stripe pattern paper" you'd find something you like. Might be an idea to keep in mind the type of paper you wanna be hanging tho. Find the right one and it'll be a doddle.


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