wallpaper removal- best spray/goop?

[thedutchtouch]

havent been active in a while, because the wife and i are expecting our first kid in december, and as a result moved back to maryland and bought a 1880s farmhouse.

a farmhouse with lots of textured wallpaper, that has been painted over, multiple times.

I've started the process of taking the wallpaper down, the paper itself is down but i'm left with a decent amount of the backing as well as all the paste to deal with next. any reccomendations for the best gel/spray/whatever to do the rest of the job? most walls are plaster, a small section of interior wall is drywall.

also, i don't know much about steamers, but igured they wouldnt be as good of an option as it would be more expensive to rent one for the length of time i'd need compared to chemicals, but not opposed to it if it's the ideal way to go. (can these steamers be repurposed later on to bend wood if i buy one )

thanks in advance

[Mandrake]

Highly recommend the wagner steamer. Delux model has attachments for other cleanings. Cost me about $100 4 yrs ago. All of the goops and tiger scrapers were a waste.

A vinegar spay seemed to help (before steaming), but it was marginal at best.

[woodcutter199]

Just finished removing wallpaper in an office and I used Dawn dishwashing detergent and water in a spray bottle with a 6" putty knife held flat to the wall to remove all the backing paper. Just a tip,. put the water in the bottle first.
DAMHIKT

[MstrCarpenter]

I own a rental type steamer and a better one that I built. Steam will penetrate the wallpaper but it's the condensing hot water that softens the paste. This is why steamers work much better if you keep the paper wet. If most of the paper is already off, then what is needed to remove the rest is scalding hot water with some vinegar. (I prefer the smell of apple cider vinegar over white or other chemicals.) I use a sponge mop dipped in the pot of actively boiling water/vinegar and scrape the paste off with a 10" drywall pan knife. Wash the wall with clean hot water to remove the remaining, and lightly sand when dry. Sometimes I'll fill deep holes with Durobond 90 (Portland based, not Easy Sand) but I usually prime before I fill the smaller holes or skim coat with ready mixed compound. The primer helps hold the surface together so you won't get (as much) grit in your compound. the same grit will leave scratches just as deep in the compound if you get some between your sanding pole and the wall.

If some of your walls need to be completely coated, I suggest you get real good at plastering or plan on vertical stripes of compound applied with a 10"-12" curved trowel, and, when dry, fill in the valleys with a 10" flat trowel. That would be two coats (steps), ready to sand (and possibly touch up) and prime.

If you have a lot to do I suggest hiring someone to skim coat plaster. Or, like I already suggested, get real good at plastering. Personally I've tried and can't do it. I do better than most applying compound in methodical steps that requires little to no sanding; but I can't even figure out how to keep the plaster from sliding off the hawk!

[Bob10]

I used one of these with soapy water worked well enough for me

[thedutchtouch]

thanks for the advice so far, perhaps steaming/hot water and apple cider vinegar is the way to go after all, will do some more research. the wallpaper had t ocome down because it was painted with multiple coats of thick latex paint, it was basically a waterproof layer so nothing would have been able to penetrate through to the backing/paste. i suppose i could have tried to score it but i figured it was going to be more of a pain getting through the paint than keeping the backing that was left behind soaked. if i go the hot water/vinegar route, will this ruin the mop for floor use?

no worries about plastering, i've done quite a bi of mudding/taping drywall as well as plastering walls, my dad and i built the house my parents live in, but we started from scratch then, no nasty wallpaper to take off there.

there's also two layers of wallpaper on the ceiling here - ceilingpaper? should be fun.

[thedutchtouch]

Mandrake said:

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Highly recommend the wagner steamer. Delux model has attachments for other cleanings. Cost me about $100 4 yrs ago. All of the goops and tiger scrapers were a waste.


A vinegar spay seemed to help (before steaming), but it was marginal at best.

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is this the model you are talking about? http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-915-0282014...B003PGQI3Y

[Restorer]

the 55.00 wagner at home depot works well. doubles as the steamer for my steam box. steaming is the only way I remove wallpaper. I've tried about everything out there. It all makes a mess. steaming is just an easier mess.

[Woodenfish]

A Paper Tiger and a solution of a bit of Downy fabric softener and warm water works better than the wall paper removal chemicals.

[fredhargis]

Woodenfish said:

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A Paper Tiger and a solution of a bit of Downy fabric softener and warm water works better than the wall paper removal chemicals.

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^^^^^^^ be aware that the perfume in Downy is fairly strong; best used on a day when you can open the windows.