Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

how much would you pay for a decorator to strip woodchip?

27 replies

redandblacks · 09/09/2013 16:52

Can you agree to pay by the hour? I know I should do it myself but I just can't bring myself to that point

OP posts:

Artyjools · 09/09/2013 18:39

Have you tried to take it off yourself. Some of it can be really, really difficult, and therefore time consuming. I have no idea whether anyone will agree to do it by the hour though.

WildThongsHeartString · 09/09/2013 23:32

Having done that job; I would pay any price
However, the woodchip was on old plaster so it was coming off in ugly chunks! Horrible. Ended up having to get it all skimmed anyway.

bigbadbarry · 10/09/2013 12:59

We use a local handyman and pay him by the day. Great if you can find somebody who comes trusted not to string the job out for longer than necessary!

Original poster

redandblacks · 10/09/2013 17:45

I am resigned to the fact that I cannot bring myself to do it. Previously, I had a builder in to do the stairs and landing and he said that he would never do it again but actually lent me all the equipment for free to do myself! I thought the rooms would be more manageable but a handyman came in to do on e of the bedrooms and actually disappeared off the job without even coming back for payment - once again, leaving me with more equipment and a good luck card! Is there a miracle product which would strip it off easily?

OP posts:

Mum2Fergus · 10/09/2013 17:50

I'm gearing myself up to remove woodchip from stairwell and up/down stairs hall. Any quotes I got were in line with what a crap job it is

WaitingForMe · 10/09/2013 17:56

Why should you do it yourself? There was a poster a while back who argued that cleaning ones own home was a great leveller and she was generally considered to be bonkers in this.

My decorator worked for a daily rate (£120) and was twice as fast as I'd have been and cleaned up after himself. Money very well spent!

wigglybeezer · 10/09/2013 18:01

Erk, we are on the brink of purchasing a property which has, wood chip, vintage embossed paper and polystyrene ceiling tiles (thankfully no artex) as well as a lot of pine cladding. Is it really that awful?

Original poster

redandblacks · 10/09/2013 18:25

Well it hasn't really come back in fashion again has it?/

OP posts:

BlueSkySunnyDay · 10/09/2013 18:33

This is the job from hell, particularly if it has been painted a few times. DS charges £120 a day but personally id recommend getting a fixed price for it as it could take AGES.

We had some in our hall and our local builders merchant recommended some stuff we coated the woodchip with first and this helped massively, sorry a while back so I cant remember what it was. We found with just using the steamer it was just coming off in inch square pieces as the steam wasn't getting through the paint (yes we did score it first)

Be prepared to have bad walls underneath, that's often why people put it up in the first place.

SoupDragon · 10/09/2013 18:35

I read the thread title and thought "Whatever they damn well ask for!"

Having said that, I've done it once (a small room) and it wasn't too bad. IIRC, I scored through the paint and then used a steam stripper.

BlueSkySunnyDay · 10/09/2013 18:36

wiggly i'd hazard a guess that underneath all that you are going to find all your walls and ceilings need re-plastering. On the plus side plasterers aren't hideously expensive and are brilliant to watch - wish I could do it!

SoupDragon · 10/09/2013 18:38

Yes - often the woodchip was put up for a reason other then "looking nice". I was lucky and got away with just repapering with an ordinary lining paper before painting.

BlueSkySunnyDay · 10/09/2013 18:43

The biggest crime in our house were the polystyrene tiled ceilings, what were they thinking?

LEMisdisappointed · 10/09/2013 18:52

if a client asks DP how long it will take to strip wall paper he will say - how long is a piece of string and try and persuade them to do it themselves, he lends them a steamer

impecuniousmarmoset · 10/09/2013 19:14

My immortal soul and a couple of my children?

Sorry. No idea really.

Sure you don't want to do it yourself? It's messy, but if you rent an industrial steamer (none of those tiny DIY type jobbies) it's really not so awful at all - even quite satisfying on the bits that come off easily. It's just time-consuming.

RevoltedMum · 10/09/2013 19:27

I thought steamers took the plaster off the wall?

LEMisdisappointed · 10/09/2013 19:29

They can do revolted, if used too much, although it tends to be not such a problem with woodchip, of course if the plaster is weak then,,,,,,,,,,

You can buy wall paper strippers that have stanley blades in, those are quite good for that too

You have my sympathy

LEMisdisappointed · 10/09/2013 19:29

They can do revolted, if used too much, although it tends to be not such a problem with woodchip, of course if the plaster is weak then,,,,,,,,,,

You can buy wall paper strippers that have stanley blades in, those are quite good for that too

You have my sympathy

impecuniousmarmoset · 10/09/2013 21:29

Most woodchip was used to cover up dodgy plaster, so sadly you'll be very lucky if yours is beautiful and intact underneath it!

Blankiefan · 10/09/2013 21:55

Don't totally despair. We've done it a few times now. It's never fun but if you're patient and plod along, it mightn't be that bad.... [optimistic emoticon]

Original poster

redandblacks · 10/09/2013 22:10

Thanks - I have a phobia of the big steamer which the man kindly left behind. I am not sure it has blades though. I fear I just don't have the time or patience - we are talking four large-ish rooms. I heard about this american product once but my memory fails me.

OP posts:

BlueSkySunnyDay · 18/09/2013 00:00

Sorry just came back to this - the American product was what we used we put it on first and it made the job about 10000 times easier (but sorry was ages ago and cannot remember what it was called) I do remember it was a really short name and was recommended by our local builders merchant.

BlueSkySunnyDay · 18/09/2013 11:42

OK I had Daz in my head, tried dap, dax

Have found DIF here they are a US company so i'd say its the stuff.

impecuniousmarmoset · 18/09/2013 18:08

And by the by, I'll put in a plug for the website that BlueSky links to - we ordered a load of decorating equipment from them last year and the bloke rang us up just after we'd ordered, at 8.30pm on a Sunday, to check whether we really meant to order a load of roller sleeves that didn't go with the roller we'd bought! Obviously we didn't - anyway I was impressed with the service!

Crutchlow35 · 18/09/2013 19:43

I LOVE stopping woodchip. Radio on, glass of wine and away I go.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread