Got quite a bit of wallpaper to strip this weekend.

Any exciting tips to help things along the way?

So far I’ve got a plan to use one of those spikey wheel things, then steamer, then strip with flexible stripper thingy with rounded edges.

Can’t wait.

Hire a quality stripper ,make sure that everything is hot and wet before getting started .Oh ,and make sure it’s clean before handing it back.

Just get on with it man.

Sorry I know that sounds rude… but it’s one of those jobs that you think is harder work than it actually is

BTW … sounds as if your got the right tools…. get the radio turned up and have fun.

hot and wet

turn up and have fun

😯

Or just buy a stripper – we got one from wickes for about £20 and it did the entire house very easily.

What Ro5ey said, just get stuck in, its not hard just slow sometimes (gloss painted woodchip)

If you spend as much time scratching and pre-soaking the wallpaper as you do trying to scrape it off, it will go quicker. I still have mental scars from removing several layers of woodchip from every surface in my current house.

Cool, got it.

Kerrang radio on, Lube ready, stripper getting steamy.

It’s going that slowly on one of my walls that I want to skim afterwards, I’m contemplating taking it back to brick and then re-boarding. I reckon it’ll take the same amount of time at this rate!

Pro tip; bin your flexy scraper and get a rigid one.

Ffs don’t use a stripper , it forces steam into hairline cracks and blows the plaster . (If walls are plastered) score the paper with a sharp blade then soak with warm soapy water .Lots of . You use soapy water as it sticks , and doesn’t run down the wall so fast ! Careful round the sockets……

Ffs don’t use a stripper , it forces steam into hairline cracks and blows the plaster . (If walls are plastered) score the paper with a sharp blade then soak with warm soapy water .Lots of . You use soapy water as it sticks , and doesn’t run down the wall so fast ! Careful round the sockets……

If it’s an old house, this is good advice.

For me re-doing an old victorian place, I want to avoid blowing old plaster off if possible. Scoring then soapy sponge, wait a sec then scrape gets 95% of it off. Then I break out the steamer for the 5% or so that won’t shift, as by that point I can tell if it’s on dodgy plaster or not. If the plaster’s a bit dodgy then I get out the elbow grease.

It’s also a far less sweaty job without a steamer going.

I quite like podcasts for DIY work, would be my other pro-tip 😉

One of lifes most satisfying things is getting a nice long peal of wallpaper off in one go.

As mentioned how old is the house? What are you likely to find under the visible paper?

I’ve got a steamer, but I prefer to use boiled water with a bit of fairy, and a vileda mop. Give the paper a good soaking, leave for 10mins, pull off full sheet in one.

Bones +1 & then Buy a proper scraper with replaceable ,long “Stanley” blades. Buy some replacement blades.
Don’t go too mad scoring the wall paper ,the tracks will be left in the plaster.
Stick some decent tunes on.

+ for senor j. Round scratchy thing’s cause more work

Persevered with my “investment” wall paper steamer for years – lending it out
using it myself – sweaty/messy superheted gunk that dries hard on everything etc.

The I was advised to try wallpaper stripping liquid sold by all the diy chains own brand and polycell etc.

Thats what I used last time I had to remove W paper – and thats what i will use next time – well worth it

Depends what the paper is that you’re trying to get off but a rule that applies to most is get the face off dry and soak the backing. Vinyl’s the easiest whilst painted paper like woodchip can be a bugger but the same method will save you from blisters and much swearage.
A steamer is a last resort IME

I second a decent flat metal scraper – a good one is well worth looking after. I also remove the sockets & light switches (yes – turn the power off first!) and replace them with the plastic terminal blocks. It’s them much easier to strip & re-paper / paint over them. Then carefully use the shape of the metal box to cut out the shape again. Lights can be ‘turned off’ by removing bulbs & extension lead brought in for power. I also use the scraper to hold down the new wallpaper & cut along it at the bottoms / ceiling with a sharp bladed knife – a snap-off bladed one….