Wood chip - how much of a nightmare to remove?

[LawnFever]

Finally getting around to getting our house decorated and first need to strip all the very old wood chip thats in the living room & dining room. If I get a really decent steamer is it an absolute nightmare to get off or is it reasonable to think we could do it ourselves?

We’re going to get it all reskimmed so we can decorate but we’re on a budget so I’d rather not pay someone to do that bit it if it’s not the end of the world!

Any tips for getting it off? Are these wallpaper removing liquids worth it?

www.screwfix.com/p/zinsser-dif-wallpaper-stripper-concentrate-1ltr/8421J?tc=DA5&ds_kid=92700052136101683&ds_rl=1243321&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=CjwKCAjwqvyFBhB7EiwAER786SxqGFRsItPv8YE-MCpr6JS1HdLAR4InC_DTXVRbwwoR_Z_kfOjWCRoCW7oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Scrape it first to break the paint layer, score it as well, also it’s good to get two steamers going and work together on it. It will take a long time but will be worth it.

Fill the steamers from the kettle

I used a steamer, came off ok. It was a long and boring task but not as bad as I thought it would be. Room looks so so much better now

My experience with woodchip consisted of lovely long strips slipping away from the wall, followed by absolute bastards taking chunks of crumbly plaster away with it. So the problem with woodchip is that you have literally no idea what's underneath it - or why some hooligan decided to slap it up in the first place.

Echoing @PubicMenace, what I've been told is that wood chip has usually been put up to hide something. Removing it is just the start of the problems!

I find being short sighted helps, because unless I get up really close I can't see the wood chips, just the colour.

My father used to swear by warm water and vinegar.

A decent steamer is a must but also get a long handled scraper with a v sharp blade is worth it. Bit pricey but coz it has essentially a large razor blade not just a metal edge like a regular scraper works so much quicker. Got mine at B&Q and forget the make but one of the posh branded ones do them.

First house it came off in sheets

Second house, came off in bits

The downside to the steamer is it gets really hot in the room quickly!

I wouldn’t scrape the wall paper it just makes it come off in smaller pieces

Score the walls with a Stanley knife in diamonds like you might a ham or piece of squid 😂

Go round and soak the walls then use the steamer and good quality scrapers, it should come off easily in diamonds.

Old school Decorator’s daughter

@cissyandbessy

A decent steamer is a must but also get a long handled scraper with a v sharp blade is worth it. Bit pricey but coz it has essentially a large razor blade not just a metal edge like a regular scraper works so much quicker. Got mine at B&Q and forget the make but one of the posh branded ones do them.

I got one of those scrapers after watching decorator use one and then managed to do another room myself after previously having a nightmare, hence the decorator. Such a difference!

@Iggi999

I find being short sighted helps, because unless I get up really close I can't see the wood chips, just the colour.

This is how I’ve mostly managed to ignore it for so long

@cissyandbessy

A decent steamer is a must but also get a long handled scraper with a v sharp blade is worth it. Bit pricey but coz it has essentially a large razor blade not just a metal edge like a regular scraper works so much quicker. Got mine at B&Q and forget the make but one of the posh branded ones do them.

Good shout I didn’t realise this was something that existed I’ll investigate!

Thanks all, I’ll summon up the energy to make a start - it’s all being skimmed anyway so if it’s awful at least I have a plasterer booked in to sort it.

Can anyone recommend one of these tools? A link would be fab .

I have two rooms to strip in our new house and anything that makes it easier would be welcome.

If it is old enough it may come off in sheets. Of all the decorating chores I dont mind stripping wallpaper especially as you've got lovely newly plastered walls to look forward to!

Pound shop has the razor blade scrapers. They are good.

My dad swore by hot water,washing up liquid and knife
But that’s what he used for all wallpapers
I found that scoring it and a good steamer worked
We went over it with fine sandpaper once it was off but you won’t need to if it’s being skimmed

I used a steam iron and a stanley knife but ours was old so it came off nicely. My friend’s was new and didn’t do just paid extra for the builder to plaster over it. Thankfully that is possible with woodchip.

Score it and then steam. It comes off with a bit of scraping but be aware that there's a risk of the plaster coming off too! also, have some following you to clean it up as you go because once it's damp it starts to set like papier mache!

I hired a decent steamer, and used a long handled scraper/blade from screwfix. Boring but effective! As pp said, you don't know what lurks beneath though!

Be prepared to skim or replaster afterwards. It's usually hiding something - from bitter experience.

It was fine it our old house. Cross hatch it with the edge of the scraper, user a proper steamer. No problem.

It was the original victorian blood red, tissue thin wall paper underneath that was the absolute nightmare.

Ended up sanding most of that off.

@SpeakingFranglais

Score the walls with a Stanley knife in diamonds like you might a ham or piece of squid 😂

Go round and soak the walls then use the steamer and good quality scrapers, it should come off easily in diamonds.

Old school Decorator’s daughter

From recent experience, this is right

Soaking the wallpaper (with a sopping sponge w a drop of Fairy) made a huge difference to how easily the paper came off. I'd try a bit without scoring as you may be lucky and it comes off in sheets, or if it doesn;t then you can score

What worked for us: soak (go round room), soak again, then steam & strip

One tip: don't hold the steamer down too long, as this is one of the things that makes plaster crumble

A strong solution of cheap biolgical washing powder sprayed on has it sliding off easy.

Ours had about 10 layers of paint on 😩 We had to take a blow torch to it!