Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 8, Issue 4, April 2004
Copyright 2004 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.
DECORATING DILEMMAS:
What to do about old wallpaper
By ROBIN DALY
On the mark or off the wall, some redecorating projects can drive us crazy even before we begin. I find the key to making the right choice and keeping your sanity is to educate yourself and to know what pitfalls to look out for. Once you are armed with knowledge, you can press ahead and get started on making changes.
Dear Robin,
Q: My walls, my walls, my walls! I desperately want to start a redecorating project, but I'm afraid to even begin because I have old wallpaper and I have no clue what condition my walls are underneath the paper. What are my realistic options? If I rip off the paper, will I start tearing into the wallboard? How do I approach this redecorating project without opening a whole can of worms?
A: Getting ready to practice your stripping techniques, eh? There are many homeowners in Seattle in the exact same situation as you. So take a deep breath, it's not as desperate of a condition as you might think at first glance. You do have options.
The bad news: you will be using a bit of elbow grease to remove the paper off the walls.
The good news: the results will transform your room into something that better suits your style even if it's adding another wallpaper pattern!
Your first step is to review the condition of the walls and the stability of the paper on them. Do you see any peeling edges or corners? Is there more than one layer of paper?
In an older home, you will often discover multiple layers of wallpaper. It's a fun trip back into the past to look at the different designs and colors they used and yes, people really did think those patterns looked attractive on the walls 40 years ago!
In my favorite stripping experience (I love saying that), I was actually able to peel the paper off every wall in the dining room in about fifteen minutes. The key to my good fortune was the fact that the walls were previously well prepared BEFORE the paper was ever hung.
It was fun! I was able to pull full eight-foot sheets off the walls with just a tug. Most of us are not that lucky. Believe me that was the only time I ever had that experience!
Be aware, there are a few situations where it is actually advisable to KEEP the old paper on the walls. If you are in a turn-of-the-century home, you might notice the walls have narrow strips of paper (about 20 inches or so) that have been painted. The thing you'll notice about these panels is that each seam is overlapped by a good half inch per strip.
If this is your situation, and the paper is on good and tight, my suggestion is to leave it alone! This paper may actually be contributing to the stability of your wall. To remove this might open up that can of worms you are so interested in keeping closed. Think of this seamed look as part of the "character" of your older home.
Most of us however are just anxious to update things and refresh the room.
Here's my advice: DO NOT PAINT OVER THE OLD PAPER! It's always tempting, but could lead to more than you expected.
Sometimes the moisture in the paint acts as a GREAT wallpaper stripper, and you will find your wallpaper is coming off the walls. Oops!
Plus, painted wallpaper never looks like pure, clean walls. It will always look a bit like you were trying to cover over something. It's really best to strip it off.
Try to avoid using a steamer to loosen the paper. The hot steam can push a lot of moisture into your walls, and that's not exactly a good idea.
There are a couple tools on the market that you can use to strip off the paper and still keep the integrity of your walls intact.
One of these tools perforates the surface of the paper with many small holes. The advantage of this tool is that is does not damage the wall surface underneath.
Then you will want to use an enzyme-based paper stripper. The enzyme will "eat" the paste, breaking the bond of the paste to the wall. All those holes you punctured into the surface of the paper allows the stripper liquid to get to the paste layer.
Once you have removed the paper, make sure to scrub any old residual paste off the walls. Now, you are ready to redecorate!
Don't forget to reward yourself for a job well done. You've earned it!
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Robin Daly is a third generation co-owner of Daly's Paint and Decorating, located Seattle's Fremont district, as well as in Bellevue. You can reach her at 633-4200 or news@theseattlesun.com. She LOVES to hear from you and answer your decorating dilemmas.