Looking for someone to strip wallpaper
- Thread starter Art
- Start date
Hi Art
Do you mind me asking, why do you want the wallpaper stripped out? To paint the walls? I am telling you this because this is what we did, and what we found out is that the walls are so bad underneath and need so much work that you're much better off having them replastered with wallpaper and all. We have spent ages sanding the wall underneath and it still doesn't look half good, and forget about getting a painter to do the sanding as they'll charge you a lot more than the plasterer will (we were quoted up to 700 euros per room). You have the option of the lining paper but you can clearly see the joint and you would definitely know there is paper underneath, and for that, you might want to just paint on top of the wallpaper that you have now if it's in good condition!
Hope this helps.
Do you mind me asking, why do you want the wallpaper stripped out? To paint the walls? I am telling you this because this is what we did, and what we found out is that the walls are so bad underneath and need so much work that you're much better off having them replastered with wallpaper and all. We have spent ages sanding the wall underneath and it still doesn't look half good, and forget about getting a painter to do the sanding as they'll charge you a lot more than the plasterer will (we were quoted up to 700 euros per room). You have the option of the lining paper but you can clearly see the joint and you would definitely know there is paper underneath, and for that, you might want to just paint on top of the wallpaper that you have now if it's in good condition!
Hope this helps.
I think you should seriously consider stripping it yourself.
These ''trade-merchants'' are also ''rip-off'' merchants.
All you need to do is get a brush and paint water on the paper, that's right water.-use a sweeping-brush if you are worried about time.
Be careful of the light-switch though with the water.
I did it just last april, it was pretty easy definitely worth saving €1000.
Then I painted the walls with Matt paint.
total bill:€60 or less.
paint was the only thing I needed to buy.
You could even pay your friends to do it and they wouldnt charge crazy prices.
Only resort to trademerchants as a last resort.
I think Puesyo has a good point when he/she says paint over the paper.
Only one problem:for rooms in a house you are supposed to use Matt paint,
this is water-based, and it may cause the paper to fall off the wall after a few hours/days.
Similar to the effect of water being used as I mentioned before, exept it'd
be alot more expensive than spreading water onto the wall.
We have just stripped our 3 bed house and will be getting it plastered after rewiring etc. It is cheaper to buy a stripper rather than hiring one. You can buy one for less than €30. To be honest it's not the most enjoyable job but we couldn't justify paying someone to do it. He hardest bit is getting those little bits of paper off. We did it over weekends and evenings. Roughly it took us a day per room. If sticking to a budget wasn't an option I'd gladly pay someone to strip the walls. Then again it was a great way of venting frustrations just ripping paper down.
Are stippers that cheap?
I know there's a liquid in a can you can buy. But what stripper do you mean?
Is it a sort of scraper?
Are stippers that cheap?
I know there's a liquid in a can you can buy. But what stripper do you mean?
Is it a sort of scraper
We bought ours in Argos about 4 years ago for our previous home. It cost about €25 at the time. It was then lent out to friends until we needed it recently. I think the going rate to hire one out was €5/day. (Actually probably a lot more now). Should have charged the friends and made a fortune.
It uses steam to lift the wallpaper away from the wall. You then strip off the paper with a scraper. It's not as messy as applying water to the wall with a sponge. Some people don't like them because apparantly the plaster underneath could be damaged from the heat of the steam especially if the plaster's not of great quality, this never bothered us as we were going to get the walls replastered anyway.
Think I might buy 1 from argos, had no idea they were so cheap.
Could you tell me the size of one?, trasportable on a bicycle or bus?
I used the water on the sponge trick, ure right it was pretty messy.
G
Guest109
Guest
ordinary wallpaper paste well watered down will do as good job as any for easy paper stripping
Stripped my whole house myself three years ago hiring somebody wasn't an option as there was far too much work that needed to be done.
Heres some tips for you to take note of.
This is by far the best wallpaper stripping scraper blade I've ever used please go and buy one it will save you a lot of time they are available from Homebase for less than E10.
"Heavy-duty Stripper with 6" razor edge blade for stripping large areas of wallpaper and vinyl tiles. Extra long handle for more leverage and comfort."
[broken link removed]
This tool is also a must for in my opinion the worst kind of wallpaper to strip which is WOODCHIP wallpaper this stuff is a nightmare to get off but the tool makes the job much easier.
Buy a large decorators brush or sponge fill a bucket with warm water I find warm water is easier to work with then throw in some vinegar the acid in the vinegar helps to break down the paste, brush/sponge the water onto the paper covering all areas generously taking care to avoid getting sockets and switches wet may even be a good idea to turn the power off while doing this job as accidents do happen, wait a few minutes for the paper to soak up the water then attempt to strip it should come away quite easily now if not then repeat soak and try again.
In some cases you may come across a room that has had the wallpaper painted over I found the best way around this was the dry peel the top layer of paper away by hand then soak the backing paper and strip away. I do not find wallpaper steamers/strippers to be of much use accept for blowing out the plaster when left in one spot for too long I prefer to avoid these as I found that I worked faster without it a good soaking and allowing the paper to soak up the water will be enough and you should be able to easliy remove with the Harris stripper.
By not rushing the job taking your time and being as gentle as possible you will minimise the damage to the surface underneath and a good two coats of paint will hide a multitude of sins.
I've been labeled as the wallpaper stripping expert after helping a few friends strip their houses good luck with it and remember many hands make light work.
Good Luck
Heres some tips for you to take note of.
This is by far the best wallpaper stripping scraper blade I've ever used please go and buy one it will save you a lot of time they are available from Homebase for less than E10.
"Heavy-duty Stripper with 6" razor edge blade for stripping large areas of wallpaper and vinyl tiles. Extra long handle for more leverage and comfort."
[broken link removed]
This tool is also a must for in my opinion the worst kind of wallpaper to strip which is WOODCHIP wallpaper this stuff is a nightmare to get off but the tool makes the job much easier.
Buy a large decorators brush or sponge fill a bucket with warm water I find warm water is easier to work with then throw in some vinegar the acid in the vinegar helps to break down the paste, brush/sponge the water onto the paper covering all areas generously taking care to avoid getting sockets and switches wet may even be a good idea to turn the power off while doing this job as accidents do happen, wait a few minutes for the paper to soak up the water then attempt to strip it should come away quite easily now if not then repeat soak and try again.
In some cases you may come across a room that has had the wallpaper painted over I found the best way around this was the dry peel the top layer of paper away by hand then soak the backing paper and strip away. I do not find wallpaper steamers/strippers to be of much use accept for blowing out the plaster when left in one spot for too long I prefer to avoid these as I found that I worked faster without it a good soaking and allowing the paper to soak up the water will be enough and you should be able to easliy remove with the Harris stripper.
By not rushing the job taking your time and being as gentle as possible you will minimise the damage to the surface underneath and a good two coats of paint will hide a multitude of sins.
I've been labeled as the wallpaper stripping expert after helping a few friends strip their houses good luck with it and remember many hands make light work.
Good Luck
Wow!
Cheers...
Tis no bother hope all goes well you should post back and let us know how it went or if you have any additional questions.
Good Luck
Thanks to Dobber22 for the recommendation of the wallpaper stripper tool. Used it today and it was a lifesaver. Wallpaper (together with an electric steamer) came off the walls so easily compared to using the usual blade.
An awful job but this made it a good bit easier
An awful job but this made it a good bit easier
Often you may find that peeling off the outside layer of the paper is the best practice and then apply warm soapy water to the layer underneath which will come off with ease within about five minutes of applying. It should not require the need to hire someone to do the job