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mentalguy2004
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

Friends of ours are moving into their new house and asked if it was possible
to take the wallpaper off with a steamer. Sounds like the paper has gone up
over plasterboard, but wouldn't there be some sort of lining paper? If not,
what's the easiest way so as not to damage the walls? They want to paint
directly onto the plasterboard which I'm dubious about.

I'm tempted to say no just so I don't get asked to do it


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The3rd Earl Of Derby
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

mentalguy2004 wrote:
Friends of ours are moving into their new house and asked if it was
possible to take the wallpaper off with a steamer. Sounds like the
paper has gone up over plasterboard, but wouldn't there be some sort
of lining paper? If not, what's the easiest way so as not to damage
the walls? They want to paint directly onto the plasterboard which
I'm dubious about.

I'm tempted to say no just so I don't get asked to do it


I've always been against papering direct to plasterboard for this reason.
Whatever you do, steaming it off will also wet the boards surface,best
solution is to steam it off and let it dry out then have it skimmed.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite


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Andrew Gabriel
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

In article ,
"mentalguy2004" writes:
Friends of ours are moving into their new house and asked if it was possible
to take the wallpaper off with a steamer. Sounds like the paper has gone up
over plasterboard, but wouldn't there be some sort of lining paper? If not,


The plasterboard surface should be sealed before papering,
specifically so you can get it off. Apparently it often
isn't in newbuilds.

what's the easiest way so as not to damage the walls? They want to paint
directly onto the plasterboard which I'm dubious about.


I really doubt you will be able to and get acceptable results,
unless the plasterboard was properly sealed. Otherwise it will
need a skim of plaster first. Can they paint the paper, or is
is textured?

--
Andrew Gabriel
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mentalguy2004
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?


"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
"mentalguy2004" writes:
Friends of ours are moving into their new house and asked if it was
possible
to take the wallpaper off with a steamer. Sounds like the paper has gone
up
over plasterboard, but wouldn't there be some sort of lining paper? If
not,


The plasterboard surface should be sealed before papering,
specifically so you can get it off. Apparently it often
isn't in newbuilds.

what's the easiest way so as not to damage the walls? They want to paint
directly onto the plasterboard which I'm dubious about.


I really doubt you will be able to and get acceptable results,
unless the plasterboard was properly sealed. Otherwise it will
need a skim of plaster first. Can they paint the paper, or is
is textured?

--
Andrew Gabriel


I don't know if it's flat, textured or what. I made the mistake of listening
to my wife who went round there, and as usual I get half a story


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John
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

I've got this problem in my house. It's damn near impossible to get the
wallpaper off even with a steamer.
If you try, it takes ages and you don't know when the wallpaper stops
and the plasterboard paper starts. It's even more difficult to spot the
join when it's all wet and steamy.
Once you start, you're committed so think about it carefully first. If
possible, decorate over the existing paper.
The only wall I've managed to renovate successfully required new
plasterboard and a top skim.
I was removing wood chip if that makes any difference.
Good luck

John



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Mary Fisher
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?


"mentalguy2004" wrote in message
...



I don't know if it's flat, textured or what. I made the mistake of
listening to my wife who went round there, and as usual I get half a story


You should listen properly!

Mary




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mentalguy2004
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?


"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"mentalguy2004" wrote in message
...



I don't know if it's flat, textured or what. I made the mistake of
listening to my wife who went round there, and as usual I get half a
story


You should listen properly!

Mary


Hey, that's what SHE said!


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Mary Fisher
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?


"mentalguy2004" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"mentalguy2004" wrote in message
...



I don't know if it's flat, textured or what. I made the mistake of
listening to my wife who went round there, and as usual I get half a
story


You should listen properly!

Mary


Hey, that's what SHE said!


I bet she's fed up of saying it too.

Mary




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Dave
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

mentalguy2004 wrote:

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"mentalguy2004" wrote in message
...

I don't know if it's flat, textured or what. I made the mistake of
listening to my wife who went round there, and as usual I get half a
story


You should listen properly!

Mary


Hey, that's what SHE said!


If you had done that, you would still be scratching your head. Very few
people an convey what they mean by speech, let alone a wife.

Sorry Mary :-)


Dave
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Posted to uk.d-i-y
Dave
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

mentalguy2004 wrote:

Friends of ours are moving into their new house and asked if it was possible
to take the wallpaper off with a steamer. Sounds like the paper has gone up
over plasterboard, but wouldn't there be some sort of lining paper? If not,
what's the easiest way so as not to damage the walls? They want to paint
directly onto the plasterboard which I'm dubious about.

I'm tempted to say no just so I don't get asked to do it


While the weather is set to rain, get as much steam into the room as is
possible. Pots of boiling water, as many electric kettles you can find,
steamer going full blast, until you think you are in a tropical forest.

You will now find that the paper will almost drop off the walls without
a scraper being used.

Oh! I forgot. Do this very early morning, or late at night, assuming
that there has not been any heating in the house. If there is heating
on, even at this late stage in the year, turn it off and open all doors
and windows for several hours before bringing up the steam levels. This
way, all the walls will be as cold as you can make them and the steam
will condense all the more onto them.

HTH

Dave


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Posted to uk.d-i-y
 
Posts: n/a
Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

John wrote:
I've got this problem in my house. It's damn near impossible to get the
wallpaper off even with a steamer.
If you try, it takes ages and you don't know when the wallpaper stops
and the plasterboard paper starts. It's even more difficult to spot the
join when it's all wet and steamy.
Once you start, you're committed so think about it carefully first. If
possible, decorate over the existing paper.
The only wall I've managed to renovate successfully required new
plasterboard and a top skim.
I was removing wood chip if that makes any difference.
Good luck

John


replacing unskimmed PB is a fairly quick easy job, I wouldnt bother
trying to steam it. For composting fans, Gypsum is safe on the garden.

Use PB screws, not nails.


NT

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Mary Fisher
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?


"Dave" wrote in message
...
mentalguy2004 wrote:

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"mentalguy2004" wrote in message
...

I don't know if it's flat, textured or what. I made the mistake of
listening to my wife who went round there, and as usual I get half a
story

You should listen properly!

Mary


Hey, that's what SHE said!


If you had done that, you would still be scratching your head. Very few
people an convey what they mean by speech, let alone a wife.

Sorry Mary :-)


Don't apologise for your lack of comprehension :-)

I bet I'd have understood what she said, the problem is that husbands make
things too complicated. They can't understand incisive, elementary words.

Mary


Dave



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Ian_m
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

"Dave" wrote in message
...
mentalguy2004 wrote:

Friends of ours are moving into their new house and asked if it was
possible to take the wallpaper off with a steamer. Sounds like the paper
has gone up over plasterboard, but wouldn't there be some sort of lining
paper? If not, what's the easiest way so as not to damage the walls? They
want to paint directly onto the plasterboard which I'm dubious about.

I'm tempted to say no just so I don't get asked to do it


While the weather is set to rain, get as much steam into the room as is
possible. Pots of boiling water, as many electric kettles you can find,
steamer going full blast, until you think you are in a tropical forest.

You will now find that the paper will almost drop off the walls without a
scraper being used.

Oh! I forgot. Do this very early morning, or late at night, assuming that
there has not been any heating in the house. If there is heating on, even
at this late stage in the year, turn it off and open all doors and windows
for several hours before bringing up the steam levels. This way, all the
walls will be as cold as you can make them and the steam will condense all
the more onto them.

When I was a kid, my uncle used to use the bottom half of a hot water tank
on legs with an immersion in to boil water in the room, leave 1/2-1hour and
walk in and just pull all the paper off by hand. I am sure health and safety
would have a major wobbler if they saw this type of thing today.


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The3rd Earl Of Derby
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

Ian_m wrote:

When I was a kid, my uncle used to use the bottom half of a hot water
tank on legs with an immersion in to boil water in the room, leave
1/2-1hour and walk in and just pull all the paper off by hand. I am
sure health and safety would have a major wobbler if they saw this
type of thing today.


Hmmm! at todays electricity prices, I guess the OP would take a wobbler

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite


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Ian_m
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?


When I was a kid, my uncle used to use the bottom half of a hot water
tank on legs with an immersion in to boil water in the room, leave
1/2-1hour and walk in and just pull all the paper off by hand. I am
sure health and safety would have a major wobbler if they saw this
type of thing today.


Hmmm! at todays electricity prices, I guess the OP would take a wobbler

Hmmmm. Electric at say 10p/unit. 3KW immersion for 1hour - 30p. A bargain
if it gets the job done quickly.




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Posted to uk.d-i-y
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

Ian_m wrote:

When I was a kid, my uncle used to use the bottom half of a hot water
tank on legs with an immersion in to boil water in the room, leave
1/2-1hour and walk in and just pull all the paper off by hand. I am
sure health and safety would have a major wobbler if they saw this
type of thing today.


Hmmm! at todays electricity prices, I guess the OP would take a wobbler

Hmmmm. Electric at say 10p/unit. 3KW immersion for 1hour - 30p. A bargain
if it gets the job done quickly.


yes, cost effective way to get electrocuted.

NT

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Andy Wade
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

wrote:

yes, cost effective way to get electrocuted.


Why? It's only a big kettle with no lid.

--
Andy
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xscope
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

The best way I've found to remove paper from plasterboard is wallwik.

You can now get it in the UK from
http://www.wallwik-uk.com/products/w...al-sheets.html
(You only need the sheets, you can use your own sprayer to soak them).

Here are the photos from when I used it :-

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/chris.howard99/wallwik/

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MB
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

Although I've used a steamer, I've found using a garden sprayer filled with
warm detergent water far more effective and less messy. The spray nozzle is
very accurate. Spray one or two sections, seam to seam and top to bottom,
wait 15 minutes, spray one more time, wait 15 more minutes, and the paper
should almost fall off. It's worth a try.

The steamer makes an enormous mess, water eventually running down the wall
onto the floor, and I soon was also steaming.


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Mary Fisher
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?


"MB" wrote in message
...
Although I've used a steamer, I've found using a garden sprayer filled
with warm detergent water far more effective and less messy. The spray
nozzle is very accurate. Spray one or two sections, seam to seam and top
to bottom, wait 15 minutes, spray one more time, wait 15 more minutes,
and the paper should almost fall off. It's worth a try.

The steamer makes an enormous mess, water eventually running down the wall
onto the floor, and I soon was also steaming.


Doesn't water from a spray run down a wall?

Mary






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MB
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

Water doesn't run down the wall unless the garden sprayer isn't working
properly. It should spray a fine mist and not water as a hose would. The
sprayer is accurate, and you move the spray side to side, moving slowly
downward. When you've reached the bottom, you can repeat, starting at the
top. After the 15-minute waiting time, when you're about to start pulling
off the paper, you can spray the next two strips, which can soften while
you're pulling off the first strips.


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Dave
 
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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

Dave wrote:

mentalguy2004 wrote:

Friends of ours are moving into their new house and asked if it was
possible to take the wallpaper off with a steamer. Sounds like the
paper has gone up over plasterboard, but wouldn't there be some sort
of lining paper? If not, what's the easiest way so as not to damage
the walls? They want to paint directly onto the plasterboard which I'm
dubious about.

I'm tempted to say no just so I don't get asked to do it



While the weather is set to rain, get as much steam into the room as is
possible. Pots of boiling water, as many electric kettles you can find,
steamer going full blast, until you think you are in a tropical forest.


I forgot to add...

At this point, all the doors and windows of the room should be tightly
closed.

I have just been doing this in our bathroom that is partially tiled and
the rest had Marley Vinyl tile effect paper.

Wife had spent the best part of 3 hours removing about what amounted to
about two length drops of paper. After getting the steam up, I did 2
drops in about 20 minutes (she had cut the paper to get water
penetration and it was coming off in tiny strips) hence the slow rate.

Also, strip off to a pair of swimming trunks. You will be sweating a bit
in those conditions.

You will now find that the paper will almost drop off the walls without
a scraper being used.

Oh! I forgot. Do this very early morning, or late at night, assuming
that there has not been any heating in the house. If there is heating
on, even at this late stage in the year, turn it off and open all doors
and windows for several hours before bringing up the steam levels. This
way, all the walls will be as cold as you can make them and the steam
will condense all the more onto them.

HTH

Dave

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Default Can you use a steamer to remove paper from plasterboard?

MB wrote:
Water doesn't run down the wall unless the garden sprayer isn't working
properly. It should spray a fine mist and not water as a hose would. The
sprayer is accurate, and you move the spray side to side, moving slowly
downward. When you've reached the bottom, you can repeat, starting at the
top. After the 15-minute waiting time, when you're about to start pulling
off the paper, you can spray the next two strips, which can soften while
you're pulling off the first strips.


May be true of a proper tool, but I doubt true of an open drum of
boiling water.


NT

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