Part of the remodel includes stripping all the wallpaper and replacing it with sprayed-on texture (orange peel). Most of the paper did not strip cleanly…the top layer came off, but the backing is stuck on pretty well. How far do I need to go with the stripping? Can I float a thin coat of joint compound over the backing, then spray? I know not to use light weight, but have forgotten the preferred favorite. The house is all 1/2″ sheetrock, no plaster.
Do it right, or do it twice.
Replies
You will have problems with adhesion if you don't get all the paper and all the paste off. I'm speaking from a bad experience. Nothing sticks well to old paste.
My experience has been that the skim coat will soak the backing paper which will then come off. Tough way to remove wallpaper though. A yard sprayer and some liquid wallpaper remover from any paint store will work lots faster.
You can get that backing off, get a garden sprayer and some DIF mix it a tad stronger then the directions on the back, spray it on, soak the wall pretty good starting at the top.
If you already have the top coat of the paper off and just the backing remains the job is a little easier.
Let it sit about 20 minutes and wet it again, after you wet it the second time get a plastic putty knife, the cheapy ones, and give it a try, it will either peal off nicely, or if not re-wet it and try again in another 15-20 minutes.
I've stripped quite a few walls this summer alone and never met a paper that wouldn't come off.......eventually.
The plastic knife is important, round over the edge and the corners, metal knives can cut into the compound in back of the wall paper too easily which only leads to more touch up before paint, not really a problem with your orange peel though..
In most cases skip the "paper tiger" thing, it only leads to more touch at the end also, and I've never had a problem stripping wall paper with out it.
After you get the paper off mix up a little more solution and grab a sponge and wash the entire surface, to make sure you have all the glue off, if you wet the wall with the sponge and then skim over it with the knife you should get this nasty "sludge" to form up, that's the rest of the glue coming off. Start at the top work across until you get to the bottom, then sponge down again with clean water.
There is also a citrus stripper product that is sold at Benny Moore out here that my boss swears by, but I've never used it, just another option.
Stripping wall paper sucks, right up there were taking popcorn down.
Good Luck
PS, sorry for the extra long post..
The Count-Down begins, 96 days left
Edited 9/14/2003 12:44:17 AM ET by CAG
Well, since all the face paper is off, leaving just the backing and glue, I'll try the garden sprayer. What is DIF? Brand name for a paper stripper?
And do I use all-purpose compound for the texture?
Do it right, or do it twice.
Edited 9/14/2003 9:26:10 AM ET by ELCID72
you askin the wrong guy about spray texture, I'll defer that one.
DIF is a brand name. I had a bottle in my jeep so there is a picture below
The same company also makes a product that is sold in a spray bottle, looks a lot like Windex, but I haven't used it either.
Working on the bottom of the food chain allows you to hone your skills at the crappiest of jobs lol
oh, and just so you're prepared, the "sludge" that is created is nasty, dries a lot like plaster of Paris on your hands, very sticky/gooey and dries hard, also might want to lay plastic down on the floor to catch all this crap.
keep a bucket in one hand, when you peel away the strips it's better to put them in the bucket then on the floor, also gives you a place to scrape the crap at the end of blade off, keep the blade relatively clean, it moves much smoother.
Bet you didn't want to hear so much about stripping wall paper did ya? The Count-Down begins, 95days left
Nice picture. You must be an almost-collige gradiate.Do it right, or do it twice.
just noticed there was no picture there...
oops..The Count-Down begins, 94 days left
Neil
you actually took a picture of a DIF bottle? Bwahahahhaha......too funny!
How bout a pic of you and your fiance' so we can all get a gander...maybe sitting on the hood of yer jeep.
Be almost graduated and married and kids....heh heh
Gee, yer almost one of us
BE well 4
andy The way we regard death is critical to the way we experiance life.
When your fear of death changes, the way you live your life changes.
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Elcid,
You will eventualy get blistering if you spray over the wall paper backing. Try some wallpaper remover with a very wet sponge and get as much of the backing off as possible. If there are some tough spots left, spray KILZ on those spots and that will keep the left over wallpaper backing from blistering. Hack
Rather than stripping the old paper and glue - Seal it with a stain blocking primer (my choice would be BIN).
After sealing it, do any skim coating repairs you need to to get as smooth a surface as you need - than texture.
Over the years I have done a number of paint jobs over wallpaper and as long as it is not allready coming loose, the BIN will seal it so that the moisture from the paint or texture mud will not cause it to peel.
In the case of old plaster under the paper, it does far more damage to try and remove it.
In your case with newer wall board, the Bin will just make it easier to get an evan looking texture.
Terry