#7. How to strip old painted wallpaper?

Question

How to strip old painted wallpaper? I’m only making a problem worse. I’m aware I’m probably going to have to mud this entire wall to do it the right way. I tried putting a hot rag to it and it isn’t really helping. Need some advice.

Answers

• One problem you will run into is every area where you see the brown paper needs to be sealed with a good primer. If you don’t, it will bubble up and wrinkle when you put drywall mud on it. I would also suggest using a fast drying mud like a 20-minute mud it comes in powder form, you just have to mix it with water. This will also help because the quicker it sets the better chance you have of it not trying to bubble up like typical mud will do because it sits so long before drying and absorbs into the wall.
  • So, using sparkling won’t work as a primer?
  • No, the paper will wrinkle and bubble up and make it rely tough to get a smooth finish.
• I soaked the paper in 50/50 hot water and fabric softener. I also used the wallpaper circle score tool.
  • I have one. Don’t know what it does besides but cuts all on the paper.
  • Yeah, I used that first before really soaking. The cuts allow the water to get to and soften the wallpaper adhesive.
• Use a wallpaper steamer to strip old painted wallpaper. Before you start painting or skim coating use a product called gardz problem surface solver.
• We used a steamer with distilled vinegar and water although I can’t remember the amounts. For the glue residue, tsp cleaning solution. We had to sand after and did very minimal mudding. Also remember, when mudding it’s good to use an actual primer and then you can use a 2 in 1 paint and primer. If you use a 2 in 1 over mud, it’s going to dull the finish so the spots you mudded will still be obvious.
• I have scraped as much off as I could. There was always glue residue left. Don’t stress over that. I would then paint the wall with an oil-based stain killer (I like Zinner). Mud or texture the wall. Once dried, use a water-based primer and then paint.
• To strip old painted wallpaper, using a steamer, it’s messy but so much easier.
• Buy a $40 wallpaper steamer and make your life easier.
• A spray mister liquid fabric softener 1/4 and hot as you can handle (not boiling) to fill bottle and spray on wall cheapest solution use a scraper should come off very easily.

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