OK, I have a question for you guys in reference to walls

[Ballygrl]

The people who owned the house before us re-did the bedroom, they wallpapered all the walls, we lived with it for a few years then wanted to change it. Hubby tried to remove the wallpaper but it seemed like the walls might come down with it, also hubby said it's a pain in the butt to remove the wallpaper, so we basically painted over it and we added wainscoting to the bottom half of the wall . Now there are seams of wallpaper that are coming off in a few places. Hubby doesn't want to remove the wallpaper at all for the reasons stated above, he thought he heard there was a product out that is like paneling but it's covered it all different types of wallpaper? has anyone ever heard of this at all? we thought we'd put something like this over the walls.

[Janice]

We have had to do a lot of work on our house over the years. I know there is "paneling" with pictures that make it resemble a wood product.

As far as painting over wallpaper you should (or should have if you didnt) use something like TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) on the wallpaper before you paint. It sets up a stipple so that it (the pant) resists peeling off. Tsp (available in paint stores and most hardware stores as well as Lowes and Home Depot) is good for taking off wallpaper too. You buy and use a little hand held thing called a cricket to make gazillions of small perforations, then spray or wipe on the tsp to eat the glue off behind the wallpaper. Both the tsp and the cricket are very cheap.

Back to the paneling ... there may be some pressboard with wallpaper designs on it if I remember correctly.

Another possibility is using cheesecloth and/or sponges and making your own "wallpaper" design.

[TexasCop]

Just do what I did......turn all the walls and ceiling into mirrors.   

[Wineslob]

There is a steamer (rental?) you can use that will remove the wallpaper. After that you would have to re texture the walls.


I hate paneling and wallpaper.

[Eupher]

There is a steamer (rental?) you can use that will remove the wallpaper. After that you would have to re texture the walls.


I hate paneling and wallpaper.

Agreed. There will NEVER be another time when I have to deal with wallpaper. (And I learned to never say never years ago......)

[IassaFTots]

I have wallpaper in one room, the bathroom, on one wall.  I am going to replace the drywall instead of removing the wallpaper.  Heck, the wall is 40+ years old, time for a replacement!

It will be cheaper and easier and calmer to replace the wall rather than deal with the wallpaper.  Plus, I am getting rid of the soffit on that wall, and it will tear the wall up immensely.  I am sure of it. 

[Doc]

I have wallpaper in one room, the bathroom, on one wall.  I am going to replace the drywall instead of removing the wallpaper.  Heck, the wall is 40+ years old, time for a replacement!

It will be cheaper and easier and calmer to replace the wall rather than deal with the wallpaper.  Plus, I am getting rid of the soffit on that wall, and it will tear the wall up immensely.  I am sure of it.  

Wallpaper WILL come off, even if it has been painted over......it may take some time (and a little mess), but it will come off.

The most stubborn wallpaper removal job I've encountered was in a 50 y/o house that we remodelled.  I ended up mixing fabric softener with water, and sponging it on the walls every few hours for a couple of days. Eventually the water mixture will penetrate the surface and release the paste holding it to the wall, and when that happens it basically just falls off. Stubborn spots come off with another soaking, and scraping with a three-inch putty knife.  You can also mix up the hot water and fabric softener in an old spray bottle (like Windex), and spray it on rather than sponging.

You can accelerate the process by renting a "steamer", which is a device that mixes similar chemicals and applies it as steam to penetrate quickly.

Either of these methods are a hell of a lot less expensive than hanging new drywall over it........

doc

[IassaFTots]

Wallpaper WILL come off, even if it has been painted over......it may take some time (and a little mess), but it will come off.

The most stubborn wallpaper removal job I've encountered was in a 50 y/o house that we remodelled.  I ended up mixing fabric softener with water, and sponging it on the walls every few hours for a couple of days.  Eventually the water mixture will penetrate the surface and release the paste holding it to the wall, and when that happens it basically just falls off.  Stubborn spots come off with another soaking, and scraping with a three-inch putty knife.

You can accelerate the process by renting a "steamer", which is a device that mixes similar chemicals and applies it as steam to penetrate quickly.

Either of these methods are a hell of a lot less expensive than hanging new drywall over it........

doc

Truthfully, I will have to replace the drywall.  I just got lucky that it was the same wall that had the wallpaper.  There are some electrical issues that need to be resolved, and some insulation issues.  Fortunately, I only have to buy the supplies. 

[debk]

The people who owned the house before us re-did the bedroom, they wallpapered all the walls, we lived with it for a few years then wanted to change it. Hubby tried to remove the wallpaper but it seemed like the walls might come down with it, also hubby said it's a pain in the butt to remove the wallpaper, so we basically painted over it and we added wainscoting to the bottom half of the wall . Now there are seams of wallpaper that are coming off in a few places. Hubby doesn't want to remove the wallpaper at all for the reasons stated above, he thought he heard there was a product out that is like paneling but it's covered it all different types of wallpaper? has anyone ever heard of this at all? we thought we'd put something like this over the walls.

Check out DIY or HGTV's websites. I remember seeing a show on one of them, last fall, that was about a house that was being - I think they only did one room. Anyhow...the thing I remember was that there decades of layers of wallpaper. Instead of removing it, they applied some sort of sealer - might be what Janice is talking about - that sealed the wallpaper, so that the wall could be painted, and the seams would not curl.

Since both Lowe's and HomeDepot are their big advertisers, I would think they would have the stuff.

I remember thinking I wish it would have been around when I ruined several walls in my old house because the walls had not been primed before they were wallpapered. 

[Janice]

Here are a couple of links inre to decorative wall coverings:

http://www.construction-index.com/usa-wall-panels.asp

http://www.innovative-accents.com/

http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/decorative-wall-panels-42/decorative-panel-3370.html

http://www.gp.com/build/product.aspx?pid=1087

[Ballygrl]

Thanks for all the info everyone!

Hubby is adamant about not removing the wallpaper, he said it's a pain in the butt job to do, and he's concerned about the walls, and he would have to do it alone because I'm allergic to I guess the wallpaper glue and broke out in head to toe hives the 2 times I touched it so no way could I help him with it. I'll show him all the links and hopefully we can find something that we can use. I'm really excited he wants to do the room over because that means I have an excuse to go out and buy a new quilt and a comforter set and new pillows LOL.

[catsmtrods]

To hell with removing wallpaper! Its easier to put up new sheetrock.

[IassaFTots]

To hell with removing wallpaper! Its easier to put up new sheetrock.

 

[Ballygrl]

To hell with removing wallpaper! Its easier to put up new sheetrock.

That wouldn't be such a bad idea, then we can paint it the way we want, although I did see some nice things at the links people provided.

[Janice]

The only bad thing about the drywall is the demo/cleanup and that you'd have to tape and finish it when its done. (Assuming you want a smooth finish)

But it is kind of a neat learning experience and it it relatively cheap.

 

[Ballygrl]

The only problem with the drywall is that we have wainscoting on the bottom half.

[Randy]

Not really. You can buy 3/8 or 1/4 inch drywall made for skinning over a not so nice wall. Your wainscoating should have a chair rail around the top that will take up the difference between the top and bottom.

[Ballygrl]

Not really. You can buy 3/8 or 1/4 inch drywall made for skinning over a not so nice wall. Your wainscoating should have a chair rail around the top that will take up the difference between the top and bottom.

Yes we have the chair rail. I'll mention that to hubby.

[IassaFTots]

Not really. You can buy 3/8 or 1/4 inch drywall made for skinning over a not so nice wall. Your wainscoating should have a chair rail around the top that will take up the difference between the top and bottom.

My drywall was hung sideways, so I have seams where I shouldn't.  Which is why I am rehanging most of it.  That, and the wallpaper, and the poor patch jobs over molly bolts and the occasional fist-hole.   

[Wineslob]

occasional fist-hole

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.........

[IassaFTots]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.........

Previous homeowner had anger issues?????  I dunno.