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How on earth do you take off a wallpaper border? (Read 567 times)


I fly.

    We bought our house from a golf pro and our guest room has the world's ugliest golf border.  After almost 3 years, I've decided to take it down and paint the room.  But it's stuck tight.  Any tips?

    Bring it on.


    We've Got Big Hills

      Move to Tennessee.

      I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.

       

      Poor baby


      325th place or bust!

        We bought our house from a golf pro and our guest room has the world's ugliest golf border.  After almost 3 years, I've decided to take it down and paint the room.  But it's stuck tight.  Any tips?

         

        Have you tried The Google?  A search on "wallpaper removal" will provide links to a number of sources.  I like this one since it seems to speak to my level:  Smile

        http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/getting-to-know-wallpaper-removal-techniques.html

        PR: 5K 22:41, 10K 51:05, HM 2:04, Sprint Tri: done!

          Ours was easy to remove but not sure if it was anything we did or not.  We just got a bucket of soapy water and a sponge and got the border wet, and it peeled off pretty easily.  It was only on the wall for a couple of years though.  Not sure if that made a difference, or the type of glue on the border itself.
          Michelle


          I fly.

            Move to Tennessee.

             

            That will solve this problem. 

            Bring it on.

              And create others.  They have a lot of craps there.  I have this from a reliable source. 

              If we don’t try we’ll never know. At least I can find out how good I can be.  I can have an answer at the end of the days, and have a hell of a good time with the process. -Desi Davila

                 Any tips?

                 

                A hot steam wallpaper remover.  We rented one from a local equipment rental place. 

                 

                MTA: I guess that's redundant since steam is generally hot.  Carry on.

                mr train you are a pain, your words - they make me go insane

                they strike my ever-thinking brain like little drops of acid rain

                oh, to my life you are a bane; crazy, mixed up, mr train - r2e

                 


                Blaaahhhh

                  I couldn't get the soapy water to soak through the wallpaper in my house. I eventually got everything off, but it was a mess. Next time around, if the soapy water doesn't work, I'll scuff the surface of the paper using the palm sander and try again.


                  By My Will, I Rule

                    hire a professional.

                    and 37 minutes is 37 minutes in the correct direction.

                      another approach is to paint over it with latex paint and either:

                       

                      1 - It will cover the border and stay on, in which case: problem solved

                      2 - It will soak through the border, loosen the glue, and it will all fall down, in which case: you need another coat of paint.

                       

                      The above might work, but what I have done before is use a spray bottle of water to alternately soak and scrape. It takes patience and a lot of time. I have found that the steamer tool usually takes me longer, and depending on the wallpaper and glue combination, it does not always work. Plus, that steamer thing gets hot.

                      If the wallpaper is water resistant, like in a bathroom, you may have to first peel the outer layer (with a scraper) then use the water spray and scraper to remove the paper backing and glue that is still on the wall.

                       

                      They make a special scraper tool for this job. Buy one and get some extra blades.


                      $$Cha-ching$$

                        They also make these little tools that scratch the surface of the paper first so the steam and/or soapy water gets behind it quicker...I saw it on tv so it's gotta work!

                         

                         

                        Being the best tiny spec that I can be!


                        325th place or bust!

                          They also make these little tools that scratch the surface of the paper first so the steam and/or soapy water gets behind it quicker...I saw it on tv so it's gotta work!

                           

                           

                           

                          I've seen several home-repair shows that have recommended that device as a way to get stubborn wallpaper off the walls.  (More precisely, to allow the steam/removal solution to get through to the glue.)  They are cheap...

                          PR: 5K 22:41, 10K 51:05, HM 2:04, Sprint Tri: done!


                          A Saucy Wench

                            They also make these little tools that scratch the surface of the paper first so the steam and/or soapy water gets behind it quicker...I saw it on tv so it's gotta work!

                             

                             

                             These work quite well.  For our house the chemical stuff did not work AT ALL, but the steam worked great.  BUT we ended up having to retexture because the texture came off with the paper.

                             

                            You can buy a steamer at homedepot or rent one.  Unless you live right next door to HD it is almost better to just buy because you have to get it back so fast.

                            I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

                            "It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer

                            "I don't care how old I live! I just want to be LIVING while I am living - Jack LaLanne.
                            "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
                            I failed the 12 minute run at 15...BQ'd at 38

                               

                              I've seen several home-repair shows that have recommended that device as a way to get stubborn wallpaper off the walls.  (More precisely, to allow the steam/removal solution to get through to the glue.)  They are cheap...

                               I've got one of those, too. Didn't do much for me. For one thing, it makes all these little holes that the wallpaper rips along so when you peel off the paper, you get (many, many, many) smaller pieces. It's much more satisfying to have the paper peel off in huge sheets. Also, I did not find that the water soaked in except for in little spots by the holes, and not enough to release the glue.


                              Best Present Ever

                                We bought an old house that had ugly wallpaper borders in every room.  We found that there were 3 layers, all improperly applied, the last of which was stuck directly to the plaster.  Grrr.  After much swearing and use of all kinds of gross chemicals and hours of holding up sanders and rented industrial steamer thingies, we ended up hiring someone to come in and sand the sh*t out of the walls.  Worked great!
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