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Woodchip wallpaper - how to remove?

20 replies

LouiseEH · 15/07/2018 15:32

I would like to redecorate my sons bedroom as part of his Christmas present (I know it’s ages away but I need to start saving for it now)
He has horrible woodchip wallpaper on the walls which, seems extremely hard to remove.
Would I get a nice smooth wall if I paste super thick lining paper over it? I would then like to paste a nice decorative wall paper over that too

TIA

OP posts:
Yellowcrocodile · 15/07/2018 15:51

You need to remove the wallpaper, otherwise you won’t get a flat, even finish.

It’s very thick, we used a steam gun to get ours off. Then get the walls skimmed

mayhew · 15/07/2018 15:54

Score it, steam it then it will scrape off. Commiserations

nipersvest · 15/07/2018 15:58

it comes off fine with a steamer, we had it on our hall, stairs and landing. I'm not a fan of scoring it first, dh does that but I find you end up with score lines on the wall which then need sanding out.

lining paper won't cover woodchip.

LouiseEH · 15/07/2018 16:41

Thanks for the advice, would 2000 grade lining paper not even do the job?

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 15/07/2018 16:45

You just get the wood bumps, so no. Steam off as others have said. Just adding more paper means it’s a bodge.

LouiseEH · 15/07/2018 16:48

Looks like I’ll need a steamer then lol

Thanks everyone :)

OP posts:
bakedlikeabun · 15/07/2018 18:00

I've just learned to love mine. I'm sure it will eventually come back into fashion.

KevinTheYuccaPlant · 16/07/2018 07:51

Before you buy a steamer, try mixing up some wallpaper paste to a slightly thinner mix than usual, slather it thickly all over the woodchip and leave it for about half an hour. Should just all peel of easily once the paste has soaked in. You might need to score the woodchip if there are layers and layers of paint on it.

PigletJohn · 16/07/2018 10:03

Or get a garden sprayer, mist the walls very lightly, by the time you have worked all the way round the room the first lot will have soaked in, go round again, and again, and again, until the paper in perceptibly wet (but preferably not running off and into the floor.

Go and put the kettle on, then do it again.

Have your tea, then do it again.

Concentrate on the top of the wall. Once you have started scraping it from the top, spray on the bare plaster and it will start to run down behind the paper and work faster. Don't let it dry, keep wetting it.

Add half a drop of WUL per gallon to help it soak in

Use a scraper to roughly knock off as many of the scabs as you can first, because this will break the paint film and help the water soak in.

A steamer, if held in one place for long enough to make the plaster hot, can cause it to crack and blow off the wall.

When you have stripped paper, mist the bare wall and use your scraper. It will take off a wet sludge of old paste and fragments of paper. Do it until the scraper stays clean. Paint will not stick to glue.

Toofle · 16/07/2018 10:17

Piglet, you are a great resource.

WeightedCompanionCube · 16/07/2018 10:41

Get someone else to do it! I've been going at the last woodchipped room in our house gradually for ages until DH gets fed up and he does it.

Apparently an hour or so with the steamer did a good job on the one wall he's tackled so far.

AliMonkey · 16/07/2018 10:46

Just a warning - we spent every evening for about two weeks taking the woodchip off an admittedly large room, got it all off and then realised that the plaster was in bad condition and it needed replastering. The plasterer said he could have just plastered over the woodchip, so basically we had wasted all that work for nothing! But hopefully that won't happen to you.

CointreauVersial · 16/07/2018 10:51

LOL AliMonkey - that happened to DM after she spent 2 days scraping/soaking Artex off her ceiling. Grin

AdventuresRUs · 16/07/2018 10:58

Im too scares to remove ours as Im sure the wall will need skimming after and thats more money!

AdventuresRUs · 16/07/2018 10:59

Ah snap. Bit didnt realise they could plaster over!??!

ginghamstarfish · 16/07/2018 11:01

We went through this at a previous house and thought about having it skimmed over but the plasterer said it can be a gamble and not worthig doing ...

LouiseEH · 16/07/2018 11:27

This has me even more unsure than ever 😂

I don’t want to risk ruining the wall and have to fork out more money for it to be fixed

I truly hate the wallpaper though so maybe it’s worth the risk, hmm... 🤔

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 16/07/2018 18:44

plaster on paper is vile.

it makes the subsequent removal even harder and much more annoying.

It comes away when you try to change skirtings or electrical sockets.

Bodge Bodge Bodge Bodge Bodge.

MikeUniformMike · 16/07/2018 19:46

I don't mind woodchip - I had it in my bedroom as a kid. If your house is old, the plaster underneath might not be good.

PigletJohn · 16/07/2018 20:57

that's true

Almost invariably, woodchip is put up to hide bad plaster.

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