Wallpaper- keep or take off?

[geojojo]

We have just moved into a beautiful but very dated Edwardian house. The previous owners were here for over 60 years and before that it only ever had 2 other families. We want to keep as many of the lovely original features as possible whilst also modernising. We have inherited lots of embossed wallpaper which we originally thought we would take off but a couple of people have said it is original and we should keep. Would you keep it? If it is original I would like to but it's hard to know if it is it not. I'll try and attach photos.

These are a selection.. on ceiling and walls

hmm, someone else might come along with more knowledge than me, but they look more 1970's to me, especially the last one. Personally I would remove them, but if you like them and can make them work with your vision of the house then keep them. Remember that removing them could create quite a bit of remedial work in an older house. Enjoy your new home!

Yes I don't mind the first two but really dislike the last so will probably remove that. Yes we have removed some wallpaper upstairs and a lot of the walls are crumbling so totally know what you mean about it revealing work! Love the house but already getting renovation fatigue

renovation fatigue here too! We moved from a late Edwardian cottage, to a large, assymetrical 1930s semi because we needed more space, but we still have tons to do, and I'm now at the point when I can't even decide on a picture for the main living room wall because I am all decisioned out..

We rent - we stripped wallpaper from walls and ceilings. Even painted bare tatty state ceilings are better than papered ones imo!!

Yes! I can't stop looking at interior blogs and Pinterest. Choosing which shade of white seems like the biggest decision ever. I Chang my mind about a million times a day!

We had the exact same wallpaper as your second pic on our ceilings in our 1930s semi. I don't think it's original. Ours was clearly put up to cover a multitude of cracks in the plaster - we had to skim all our ceilings downstairs. I'm now studiously ignoring the same paper on the ceilings in the bedrooms .

I think we had the last one in the house where I grew up!

As a pp said upthread, I reckon they're all 1960s/1970s. Unless you can't face or afford a potential full skim, I'd get rid.

Ahh okay. Sounds like I'll be getting rid of it then. I was looking forward to not bothering!

Likely that if you take the wallpaper off you will need to skim the walls afterwards.

Keep the middle one.

Ooh we have the middle one on our ceilings - living room and hall landing and stairs. Edwardian house too. It's certainly been on a long time - we had a leak and a bit fell down and it's got layers and layers of paint on it.

Personally, I’d keep it unless you really loathe it. When you remove it, the plaster will probably come with it.

I think real Edwardian embossed wallpaper would have larger patterns and deeper relief, the third one is a good deal later and the first maybe 30s. The second could pass.

As a veteran of removing painted-over relief wallpaper, I recommend something like this, a large spray bottle like this, some cheap washing up liquid and the best steam stripper money can hire. Score the paper with the tool, spray it with a solution of washing up liquid and water, have a cuppa and it should be ready to steam off in sheets. I bet the plaster underneath is that weird gritty sort.

Lucky you, having a lovely Edwardian house with original features! It was a golden age of British housebuilding.

I've just realised that the last one (the rope design) wasn't in my childhood home, but is at the back of the kids' built-in cupboard in our current home! Glorious.

I removed paper like that in a house I once bought, half the plaster cam with it. You might want to hire a plasterer before you remove it

I've just moved from a property with the exact same paper as no 2 and a very similar one to no 1.

The property was built in late 30s but I'm pretty sure the paper wasn't original from then as the other flats in the building didn't have it.

I HATED the ceiling the most!

There was embossed paper in the Edwardian era but it was usually rubber like texture and featured art nouveau patterns. However, regardless of whether your wallpaper is original if you don't like it get rid. Some walls will likely need replastering.

Thanks everyone. A bit disappointed it's not original to be honest, one thing I'm loving about having an old house is finding hidden treasures (fireplace, outside tiles, parquet flooring) but never mind,

I actually quite like the ceiling one (no 2) and don't hate no 1 so I think we will keep for phase 1 of renovation (!) and maybe try and make a feature out of it somehow... we are on a budget and any savings we can make are a bonus as we have a kitchen renovation to do soon which is likely to be pricey. I am definitely getting rid of no 3 - really dislike and it is everywhere - all over the hallway, up the stairs, on the landing. I have had a plasterer come to give a quote for other work so have him coming next week if what I find is really bad. It does seem as if wallpaper is holding this house together

Keep first two! You could always paint it?
May be a big job if you remove.

Keep first two! You could always paint it?
May be a big job if you remove.

Agree, keep the first 2. My friend has a 1930s house and has both of those in her house. Don't like the third one at all.

I'd remove it because I hate all embossed wall paper.
You already know it's most likely the plaster will need skimming, so it's not like that will be a shock.

All the walls in My house are skimmed and painted white.