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Old Wallpaper over plaster walls

6 years ago

So I have an 100 year old home that has plaster walls and 30-50 year old wallpaper that’s not going to be easy to remove. We’ve tried calling contractors and painters in to help but no one seemed interested, so it looks like I may have to do this myself. Removing all of the wallpaper seems daunting and I have no idea how to fix the plaster behind the wallpaper. I’ve considered tiling over the wallpaper or re-wallpapering the walls with textured wallpaper. I’m not sure if any of these are possible. Does anyone have suggestions on an easy way to fix this dilemma?

Comments (5)

  • 6 years ago

    It’s not an impossible job...are you sure there is just a single layer? The paper looks newish, like 20-30 yrs old. Go on YouTube and find a video of how to do it. It’s easier on real plaster, more difficult on old drywall. Hopefully the Wall was sized before the paper was added. That means a layer of paint and paste was added to the wall prior to papering. It’s much easier then.

  • 6 years ago

    Stripping most wallpaper, especially older wallpaper hung on plaster walls, is not that difficult to remove if, as has been mentioned, the wall has been sized. You can rent a wallpaper steamer, or do as I did. Buy one. (Well worth the money! I have used it to strip many rooms of wallpaper in two homes and have loaned it to friends.). Score the paper with a razor blade. Place the heated steamer on the wallpaper long enough for the steam to penetrate the surface of the paper, and then scrape away with a metal scraper. The paper should come off in ribbons. Be sure to cover your floors to protect them from the moisture from the steamer and the paste from the piles of paper. You might have paper with two layers. Take them off one layer at a time. Then, when all of the paper is off....scrub down your walls. (Back in the day, I used TSP!). You might have to go over the walls a couple of times with hot water to get off the paste residue. Then wait until the walls dry. And...paint! It takes time. But it is very satisfying to see the fruits of your labor. Good luck!

  • 6 years ago

    If we're talking about lath and plaster, the walls may not be able to take the weight of tiling over wallpaper. I wouldn't tile over wallpaper in the best of cases, as it just seems to be asking for trouble.

    Papering over the wallpaper is just pushing the issue down the road. It's more covering than fixing, though that might be your goal.

    Stripping old paper can be a pain, but it's doable. Steaming can work really well, but if you can't do that, there are stripping solutions that you can apply (we found some orange colored goo that was non-toxic). You can use a scorer so that you can scrap and peel off the old paper ... it can be tedious. Newer wallpapers are scrubbable-strippable and come off much more easily.

    To fix plaster damage, it depends on how big the damage is. If its a small spot, joint compound can patch it up pretty well. Plaster washers can help with instability. If the damage is larger, multiple layers of mud may be required to repair.

  • 6 years ago

    We were In your position, when we moved into our first home. Two layers of 50 yo wallpaper on top of plaster...in every room. It was an arduous, and tedious task. I can understand why no one is interested in taking on the task.

    For those that are too young to know, very old wallpaper was attached with glue. It was not the easily peeled back stuff that exists now. We wound up renting a steamer. We steamed, and scraped. Fortunately, the plaster was not destroyed.


  • 6 years ago

    Removing wallpaper can seem overwhelming if you look at the whole job. I suggest that you focus on it one wall at a time. I would start with the end wall that has the big window. When it's done, then you stand back & congratulate yourself & collect your reward. Something like, when I get this wall done, I get to have a cookie. Or a beer, or whatever!



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