Cost to remove woodchip wallpaper?

[98elise]

I've recently bought 2 bed flat and it's stuck in the 70's with every room covered in woodchip.

What would it cost to get an average room (say 3m x 4m) stripped back, and made ready for paint?

It's safe to assume it is actually from the 70's, so 50 years worth of paint covering it!

[BoRED S2upid]

Do it yourself? I bought similar and it came off in massive sheets like cardboard it was very easy (I may have got lucky who knows)

[sfella]

You got lucky! Normally it's stuck like chit to a blanket!

[eliot]

sell - buy another house

[macron]

Steamer, take it real slow, keep your fingers crossed.

If it's heavily layered then if the glue breaks it may come off easily.

If you rush, you.ay end up needing to get it all replastered.

[Countdown]

First score the paper with a stanley knife or something similar. (huge X shapes all over) Then use the steamer - the water seeps into the backing and dissolves the glue and hopefully it should come off in great strips.

[RC1807]

Takes me back.

I feel sorry for whoever bought my grandparents’ house.

They moved in in 1976, woodchipped the whole house and it was emulsioned annually until my Gran died in 2011.
The purchaser would have been better off demolishing the house than removing the paper.


Good luck, OP!

[J6542]

It comes of solid plastered walls fairly easy, it’s when it’s stuck to plasterboard that can be a nighmare

[Tango13]

RC1807 said:

Takes me back.

I feel sorry for whoever bought my grandparents’ house.

They moved in in 1976, woodchipped the whole house and it was emulsioned annually until my Gran died in 2011.
The purchaser would have been better off demolishing the house than removing the paper.


Good luck, OP!

I now have a picture in my head of some very confused demolition contractors standing looking at a pile of rubble having dropped the entire house but the woodchip wallpaper still standing having shrugged off the wrecking ball with ease...

I agree with the above poster suggesting a stanley knife and scoring then steaming/soaking

[Condi]

Countdown said:

First score the paper with a stanley knife or something similar. (huge X shapes all over) Then use the steamer - the water seeps into the backing and dissolves the glue and hopefully it should come off in great strips.

Doesn't need to be a steamer just soak it with water, it will get behind the paper via the cuts and start to work on the glue. Very old glue might not come off though.

As for the cost of doing it - a few years ago I got 2 guys from an employment agency for 2 days. Pretty cheap, they will have been paid minimum wage, obviously employment agency took a fee so they charged more than minimum wage, but considerably cheaper than paying a decorator to do donkey work.

[Countdown]

Countdown said:

Yes you could soak it with a sponge but it gets very tiring having cold water running down your arm for days. (Especially if you’re doing the ceiling- I mean who papers the bloody ceiling!!) Steamer makes things easier and quicker.

[Simpo Two]

98elise said:

What would it cost to get an average room (say 3m x 4m) stripped back, and made ready for paint?

£7.24: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wide-Wallpaper-Scraper-De...


You're retired, so that means you're old enough to know how to actually do stuff

[Ynox]

Zinsser paper tiger and Zinsser Dif. Great wallpaper stripper that you just spray on. No risk of blowing plaster.

I’ve got a steamer but find dif way easier.

[Octoposse]

I timed myself doing a small-ish double bedroom - 80 hours all in, from steaming to walls, ceiling, and skirting boards painted.

I’m sure a professional would have done it much faster, but it’s a decent job and if I ever want to change the colour, etc, all the hard preparation is already done

[ARHarh]

Over the space of 2 years I did my 4 bedroom bungalow, even the ceilings were done. I used a steamer and scrapper. Some came off easily, most did not. I ended up with blown plaster in a few spots, not too bad but still an added cost. I counted the black bin liners I filled up, 87 in all. It would take best part of 2 days to do a room back to plaster and ready to paint. Add in plaster repair and it will be another day per room.

[A500leroy]

You will likely need a full replaster afterwards, loads of people used wood chip back in the day as a cheaper alternative.

[jdwoodbury]

Ynox said:

Zinsser paper tiger and Zinsser Dif. Great wallpaper stripper that you just spray on. No risk of blowing plaster.

I’ve got a steamer but find dif way easier.

This….I had the same on the last property, takes some time but it was the only way. Walls still needed skimming afterwards as normally woodchip is covering something nasty.

[PRO5T]

Depends how good you want the finish but I always priced in a full re-skim for the plaster. You can cut corners and re-line in paper but if you want it looking perfect it’s the only way.

[essayer]

Just skim over it

[LooneyTunes]

I have had entire houses need doing.

Proper commercial steamer. They are a different beast to the ones from the DIY sheds: higher steam output, much larger tanks (so more time working between fills/reheats), longer hoses (can often do a room without moving the steamer).
Zinser Paper Tiger
Sharp stripping knife

Unless the wall was screwed before the woodchip went on, I’ve never had a wall need anything other than light filling and sanding afterwards.

Above all, give it plenty of steam.