# Removing painted over many times wallpaper



## innovative1

I have been removing Wall paper for only 2 years and have good luck I am pretty good about estimating my time and know what to do on several situations. I am surprised at the lack of advice online there is on the subject. I do have some tips for you. I have a cheap steamer and it works great. I score and wet the walls and steam away. Then scrape the walls with a 6in blade to remove excess glue and use chomp adhesive remover to wash the walls down. then prime with oil based and paint. You can also use t shirt rags wet with remover and lay on walls. It keeps the paper wet and it pulls off in sheets. I usually can remove and clean walls in a bedroom in 4-6 hours and when I'm lucky in 2. However I ran into a new one. The client has a 100 year old house with at least 2 layer thick of wallpaper and 9 to 10 coats of paint. He 
removed it on the first floor and said it chiped away at many hours of work. Then he skim coated 2 coats sprayed and back rolled the finish paint. He did a great job but doesnt want to do any more himself. 
I suggested just repairing the walls and skim coat 2 layer of mud then paint, but he wants it removed. I am just looking for a faster option,would renting a professional steamer work in this situation?


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## TooledUp

I use one of these for all of my stripping. If you're doing this professionally then you should invest in some decent kit. Having said that, I don't know if using a decent stripper will make any difference if the paper is as old and painted over as much as you say.

Elbow grease sounds like your best option. There's plenty of tools like these to score the paper and keep on wetting/steaming/using chemical on. If the H/O has been doing it himself then you don't realy know if he's been using the best methods anyway so it might not be as bad as he tells you it was for him to remove. 

TBH, after doing the job for two years then I'm suprised that you don't know the best options available to you and that you're still using DIY tools.


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## tsunamicontract

hang new rock over? Thats the easy way, might even be cheaper. makes your room 3/8ths of an inch thinner on all sides though . . .


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## johnpaint

tsunamicontract said:


> hang new rock over? Thats the easy way, might even be cheaper. makes your room 3/8ths of an inch thinner on all sides though . . .


They even make 1/4 rock too:


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## WisePainter

TooledUp said:


> I use one of these for all of my stripping.


Equipment with built in steps are rad!

Graco made a 395 step model.
okay, that was retarded actually...like I am going to hump that lead brick around all day to reach 1 1/2 more feet vertically.

:no:


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## 1977corey

innovative1 said:


> I have been removing Wall paper for only 2 years and have good luck I am pretty good about estimating my time and know what to do on several situations. I am surprised at the lack of advice online there is on the subject. I do have some tips for you. I have a cheap steamer and it works great. I score and wet the walls and steam away. Then scrape the walls with a 6in blade to remove excess glue and use chomp adhesive remover to wash the walls down. then prime with oil based and paint. You can also use t shirt rags wet with remover and lay on walls. It keeps the paper wet and it pulls off in sheets. I usually can remove and clean walls in a bedroom in 4-6 hours and when I'm lucky in 2. However I ran into a new one. The client has a 100 year old house with at least 2 layer thick of wallpaper and 9 to 10 coats of paint. He
> removed it on the first floor and said it chiped away at many hours of work. Then he skim coated 2 coats sprayed and back rolled the finish paint. He did a great job but doesnt want to do any more himself.
> I suggested just repairing the walls and skim coat 2 layer of mud then paint, but he wants it removed. I am just looking for a faster option,would renting a professional steamer work in this situation?


I would rather just actually rent the professional:blink:


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## DMWalls

Hanging new rock sounds easy, But remember that you must remove and re-install all the baseboards, door casings, window frames and crown moulding.

I would try to get under that paint with a broad knife and remove as much of the paint as possible before scoring any paint left and soaking the wall.

I have been removing and hanging paper for 30 years. I have never used a steamer. I use a Hudson type garden sprayer and fill it with remover and spray the wall several times until the remover does it's job. This way allows me to keep spraying the next wall ahead of me and letting it soak while I am scraping the first wall that was soaking while I prepped the rest of the room. I have tried just about all the remover solutions made. I like "Safe and Simple" remover. It has no odor, is non toxic and works better than the others.
Just my opinion.

DMW


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## Bender

> Hanging new rock sounds easy, But remember that you must remove and re-install all the baseboards, door casings, window frames and crown moulding.


Dont forget outlets and light switches need reset so face plates work:blink:


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## chrisn

,would renting a professional steamer work in this situation?

NO 


I would rather just actually rent the professional:blink: 

:thumbup::notworthy: I'll do it, you anywhere close to Maryland?


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## jdmccann

i've stripped many a home with paper with layers and layers of paint. Some have been a pain in the rear and needed a lot of elbow grease. But most have come off dry... once your scraper is behind the paper just scrape away. Worth a try first.


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## jdmccann

should also note... this being on plaster walls. in most cases where the paper has been on a while... the plaster is old and dry and crumbly. most of the times needs a bit of patching and tlc and cross lining!


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## DanielMDollaPainting

Check out this video. I have the same steamer but it is rusted out and needs to be refabricated. They don't make them anymore.


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## daArch

*c'mon, put away the back hoes

start a new thread, or be satisfied with the other post with the same vid*


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## cappaint

i stopped using a steamer a month after i got it. Get the top layer off with elbow greese and a knife. The glue ****, you soak with warm water and comes off like butter. Patch/prime/paint.

Drywalling will give best results but the base, trim, etc can be a pain in the ass on those old houses...and if u break it you have to have it milled for $$$$.


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## DanielMDollaPainting

What about when there is no paint under the paper? The guy in the video is doing a job that I looked at for my brother-in-law's company. It was a whole house with multiple layers including closets. It looked to me like it was right on the wallboard. It was a 1950's house. Dude bid it at $3600 ceilings and all. I told my in-law $3500-7K depending on how it came off. When he looked at the job he told him "they all don't come off like this"lol. He didn't even want the painting. He said this is what we do well. He bought every propane steamer he could from surrounding rental outfits. He has like ten he said. My dad and I never used ours much unless the paper was a real pain. Even when I used it on some jobs, it wasn't the miracle cure. I never tried an electric steamer. My dad did once after our propane steamer rusted out, and it didn't work well at all he said. I don't think they get hot enough.


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## daArch

The only time I recommend painting over wallpaper is when it is on raw rock. Most likely the paper is bonded to the facing as well as the facing is to the gypsum. With sanding and patching of seams and rips, the surface will be just as sound as painted sheet rock. 


In the late 70's, I used a propane steamer once, when there were like five layers of paper and two were painted. Not only are the burners dangerous, but I felt the steam was no good for the plaster. It also was no quicker than the systems I've developed since. The pads are just too small to get good production rates. IMO.


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## MonPeintre.ca

WisePainter said:


> Equipment with built in steps are rad!
> 
> Graco made a 395 step model.
> okay, that was retarded actually...like I am going to hump that lead brick around all day to reach 1 1/2 more feet vertically.
> 
> :no:


The step is only useful to sit at lunch time. I took it off on my 395 so my painters dont take too much brakes.


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## Lee Decorating Corp.

I ahve one of those old steamer. My grandfather stopped using them in the 70's. They are quite heavy. One day, I will post his 1930's and 40's stuff we keep at the shop.
When we encounter multi painted layers over paper, we see if the paper is lifting. If it is solid we convince the customer that removing would be time consuming, messy and very costly.Plus, the unseen is a hourly labor and material rate. We will cut open all the seems and skim them smooth. Then we prepare the walls as usual. We explain the costs of drywalling and how they are throwing out money. If the customer wants to go ahead and I had, I would walk. 
If your customer is adamant and has deep pockets, make sure you get steady payments and follow some of the above advice.


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