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Original poster

Worst decorating job has to be stripping woodchip

77 replies

Fuckingwoodchip · 08/11/2026 14:21

It takes industrial strength scratching to break the seal to allow water in through the 9 layers of paint. Then if you are lucky the odd strip of the top layer might come off. The little bastard bits of wood come off next (and go anywhere they bloody well like) and then finally the last lovely bit of paper actually absorbs some water and gives up hanging on for dear life. Our children will never experience this because we don't put the god awful stuff up and more.
Aibu to say that stripping wood chip wallpaper is the worst DIY decorating job?
Excellent job avoidance by me though, starting a MN thread

OP posts:
SisterMaryLuke · 08/11/2026 14:22

Hard agree.

Worstoffenders · 08/11/2026 14:23

This is something I would get a tradie in to do. And if I couldn’t afford to, I would save and bide my time for when I could!

DeeDeeSharpWhatKindOfLadyNSoul · 08/11/2026 14:24

The bastard of all bastard DIY jobs

NotAnotherScarf · 08/11/2026 14:25

Good yes did it 2 years ago and wished I could go back 30 years and batter myself with wet newspaper.

TheChosenTwo · 08/11/2026 14:28

I helped my sister and brother in law to remove theirs when they bought their house, it was a bastard of a job for sure! I didn’t mind dropping by and giving them a few hours of my time a couple of times a week but I’d have HATED to have to see the job through from start to finish myself.

SweatySpider321 · 08/11/2026 14:30

Agreed

If it makes you feel any better my friend bought a house where a few rooms had a 2 layers of woodchip over each other 🙈

CherryKerry · 08/11/2026 14:32

I can top that.....add another 2 layers of wallpaper under the woodchip.

Took DH a whole week to strip our living room. The wallpaper under the woodchip looked like something from 1960's and 1970's 🙈.

Ex council house, presume they woodchipped in 1980's and it had been painted over so many times you could hardly make out where the wood chips were!

Original poster
Fuckingwoodchip · 08/11/2026 14:35

Oh the disappointment when he discovered that @CherryKerry must have been huge!

OP posts:
TheAbsentRoyalUmberella · 08/11/2026 14:35

Agree though the pleasure when one large srip just lifts off is also up there with seeing Vic falls.

TheAbsentRoyalUmberella · 08/11/2026 14:35

And the pleasure of seeing the bastard stuff gone.

Curlygirl06 · 08/11/2026 14:36

Been there, done that! Here's a tip- score the wallpaper lightly, then spray with water mixed with washing up liquid and 2 capfuls of eucalyptus oil. Once the top layer ( usually painted with industrial strength paint!) is off, repeat but really soak the paper then walk away for 10 minutes. Don't know why but the paper them comes off in big chunks, it's amazing.
We had a house that was woodchipped to buggery, sorted that then moved to...... another one the same. I've got bottles of eucalyptus oil from Australia, really cheap from there comparatively, it's more expensive in the UK. It's also fab for getting mascara off carpets and sticky label residue off, ask me how I know!

Original poster
Fuckingwoodchip · 08/11/2026 14:36

SweatySpider321 · 08/11/2026 14:30

Agreed

If it makes you feel any better my friend bought a house where a few rooms had a 2 layers of woodchip over each other 🙈

I think I might have been tempted to have them skimmed with plaster and started again from scratch!

OP posts:
Laf90 · 08/11/2026 14:36

Ohh God we are just in the process of buying a 1930s house that has woodchip walls in all of the bedrooms, I didn't realise it was such a pain

NoWordForFluffy · 08/11/2026 14:37

You can still buy the twatting stuff, which makes me think somebody is still putting it up!

Washingforweeks · 08/11/2026 14:37

My whole house is wood chip. I felt confident one day and it took me 4 days just to strip a tiny wall in the hallway. I HATE it with a passion. Apparently you can get a strong steamer device but I just can’t bring myself to start again incase it doesn’t work 🤣

justasking111 · 08/11/2026 14:38

We had artex. Friend a builder after we'd had a lost weekend to the damn stuff said, seal and replaster. Which we did have done.

ToadRage · 08/11/2026 14:39

Do you have a steamer? It makes a big difference. My husband and I did it like a tag team. I would steam, then he would scrape that patch while i steamed the next bit. It was still hard work but the steamer made it easier. Our plasterer was so pleased we had done it.

ohtowinthelottery · 08/11/2026 14:40

I always said that I'd feel sorry for whoever bought my parents' house after they'd gone. Every wall was covered in woodchip wallpaper or anaglypta with multiple layers of paint from years of repainting the rooms. Fortunately the person who bought the house did a complete renovation so probably hacked away at it before having the walls replastered.

SassyTee · 08/11/2026 14:42

Don't. I've moved into a house where every room is floor to ceiling woodchip. I've made a start and it's taken me several weekends to get through 1 room....1!!! And it's not even finished. My hands are sore, I'm finding bits of the wood days later, it's a nightmare.

FairyInTheMossGarden · 08/11/2026 14:43

For me sanding woodwork is the worst job. I hate wearing the goggles and mask, my glasses steam up and the dust gets everywhere.

TraitorOrFaithful · 08/11/2026 14:44

Huge celebrations in this house when we got rid of the last bit of woodchip.

overnightangel · 08/11/2026 14:44

Yep I’ve loved the woodchip nightmare, full house and stairs, utterly deflating. The struggle is real.

5128gap · 08/11/2026 14:46

Not nearly as bad as seeing daylight through bare bricks afterwards, and realising too late it was holding the house together.

SerendipityCat · 08/11/2026 14:46

Yep, been there, done that. I ended up taking advice from the nice folks at the local DIY shop and hired a spiked roller (which looked like it should have been in the mediaeval weapons section in a museum) and a steamer. It was still hard work, but not quite the soul-shrivelling experience it had been without the right tools.

Worstoffenders · 08/11/2026 14:47

Fuckingwoodchip · 08/11/2026 14:36

I think I might have been tempted to have them skimmed with plaster and started again from scratch!

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