"David Combs" wrote in message
...
Rewallpapering first and part of 2nd floor; previous stuff
put up 30 or 40 years ago.

(Well, actually we're just removing the wallpaper so we
can paint the walls -- wife says she wants a change...)


This room's (hall and stairwell) paper was cheaper than
the other, and is proving damn near impossible to get
off.

We're using enzyme-stuff "DIF" brand.

We've tried steam from kettle just off stove, boiling --
no effect.

Also *very* hot water (just short of boiling) -- no
effect (ie, no incremental improvement -- although
on the other rooms, yes, it did help there).

DIF does help, but not enough -- the back side of the
paper ("backing"?) and glue stick to the wall, and the
only way we know to get it off is the scraper, difficult
inch by difficult inch, taking a *huge* amount of time.

Is far more difficult than in the other rooms, with
a better class of wallpaper having been put up
(also 30 to 40 years ago).

QUESTION: (1) are these different brands of wallpaper-
remover chemical all the same, or do some use *different*
chemicals from the others?

(2) Currently, we're using DIF brand.

Anything better?

(Especially if you've actually tried DIF, and discovered
yourself that some other brand works better!)

(3) Any hints?

(4) Does making the blades eg razor-sharp help (they're
already pretty darned sharp)?


Thanks!

David



What I learned by scraping the wallpaper off almost every wall in a 1800 sf
house -

1. Let the water work. Wait a while. If you have to scrape, the water
hasn't soaked through to the glue. If it won't go through the outer paper
because it is foil or vinyl, use a paper tiger.

2. There are vastly different kinds of wallpaper in the same house that may
have been applied at the same time. In the bathroom, we had a foil covered
type that made it difficult to allow the water in. We used a paper tiger.
In the kitchen, the wallpaper looked as thick as paneling. Probably 10x as
thick as the bathroom paper. It all comes off different.

3. DON'T SCRAPE WITH ANYTHING SHARP. You will gouge the wall, then have to
retexture, which is not hard, but an unnecessary step, and tricky if you
haven't done it before. Use the plastic drywall mud spreaders to scrape
where you have to, and use light pressure. You only want to get the
wallpaper, not the drywall paper.

4. Get all the glue off. Even when it looks like it is all gone, mist the
wall, and look at it at an angle. You will be able to see the blobs of
snot. Removing this will give you a better paint job. If the wallpaper was
put on some time ago, they probably used cellulose glue, and all you have to
do to get it to release is get the water in there. If they used a modern
"glue", all bets are off.

5. It takes time. Lots of time. Lots of spraying. Lots of rubbing. Easy
it ain't. Patience it takes.

HTH

Steve