Do I have to steam a border off the walls?

[lucysmam]

Or is there an easier way to remove it so we can paint the whole walls?

There's a Pooh Bear border around the middle of our girls' bedroom but if we just paint over it, it'll look lumpy & wrong. Please tell me there's an easier way than borrowing the big steamer thingy from dp's mum

Make up a strong solution (~1/4) of fabric softener in hot water. Soak a big cloth in it and hold it over the border until it gets good and wet (if the paper is very water resistant, it'll help to rough it up with a bit of coarse sandpaper first). After a few minutes (long enough for the solution to sink in, but not to dry out), follow up with a scraper.

excellent, I'll crack on with that once both girls are back at school and nursery next week. Thanks very much

You usually only benefit from a steamer if there are multiple layers of wallpaper that have been painted over (so, don't paint or layer).

If it is a vinyl border, you can winkle off a corner and peel it off, it will leave a soft absorbent paper lining behind that comes off as below...

For papers, moisten well with warm water with a drop of WUL to help it penetrate. In your case go over it with a large soft paintbrush. Go right round the room and by the time you have gone round once the first water will have soaked in so you can do it again. If the whole wall was painted I would use a soft broom or a hand brush.

Then use a broad metal scraper (about 100mm to 150mm) which is quicker and less likely to gouge than a narrow one. If it does not come off easily wet it again.

Once the paper is off wet and scrape it again until all scraps of paper and traces of old paste are off. Wipe the paste slime off on a rag, don't smear it on the wall. If you paint onto paste or glue it will bubble and come off.

BTW the reason for avoiding a steamer if you can, is that unless you keep it moving all the time, the plaster gets hot and bursts off the wall.

Put a better border on top.