Rotted Trim in New England aka Wood Rot
August 16, 2016Painting Kitchen cabinets
August 30, 2016Wallpaper removal is not the same in every case. You have decided to remove your wallpaper and you have no idea what coul;d be under the wallpaper.
In the years we have been removing wallpaper in residential homes and the commercial environment we have found a wide range of surprises. Some of the surprises are quite nice and others are close to a disaster.
A few TIPS if you are “thinking’ of removing the wallpaper in the near future and you do not know what you may be encountering:
- Remove a receptacle cover (shut electricity off to the plug or switch first) and try removing a small
area around the plug as this will give you a quick snap shot of what you may find.
- Try removing an area of wallpaper behind a door carefully just in case you decide to leave the wallpaper project for another day then you can reqlue down the area interrupted.
- If the closet has been wallpaper, try this area first as it is easier to end the project here if you do not find good results.
We have found many scenarios behind wallpaper and the following is how we have remedied the situation:
- Mold, Mold, Mold. water has found a way behind the wallpaper and it is not noticeable from the outside of the paper.
- Remedy: in most cases the best way to remedy this and be safe is to have the wallboard replaced as well as the insulation if it has been damaged also. This is best handled by a professional.
- Lots of Glue residue that remains on the wallboard.
- Remedy: We use the hottest water that you can handle and use scrubby pads and wash and wash and wash the glue off. you will have to change the water often and use a lot of elbow grease.
- More Glue:
- Remedy: A broad knife often used for applying wallboard compound can be used to scrape the glue off after it has been wet with hot water. Be careful as not to damage the walls with the broad knife.
- Wallpaper that will not come off:
- Remedy 1: One option is to wet the wallpaper with warm water and your favorite wallpaper remover and cover with plastic. The plastic will self stick to the wall and this will allow the wallpaper to stay wet and hopefully start to lift.
- Remedy 2: Sheetrock over the existing wallpaper with 1/4 inch thick wallboard. This will in some cases save you time and a lot of frustration but the only drawback is plugs and switches might have to be adjusted for the additional thickness of the walls.
- Wallboard behind the wallpaper was not primed. The wallpaper was installed directly over unprimed wallboard or repairs. When moistened the top layer of wallboard paper comes off and untreated wallboard mud reactivates:
- Remedy This is going to be a mess…. You will probably have to skim these areas after wallpaper removal with joint compound.
Important Note: We prime all our walls after the paste has been removed with an oil based primer to “lock everything down, then we perform necessary repairs and second prime at this time for a flawless finish.
Wallpaper removal is not usually a task everybody finds “FUN” in but a nice finish can be achieved with patients and time.
If you would like a free quote or have questions regarding wallpaper removal please send a message to Ron@RasmsdenPainting.com .