It's the most boring part of the decorating process, but getting rid of that old gloss-painted woodchip is the first thing to tackle if you want to redecorate. The good news is that a steam stripper makes the job easy.
Time to complete job: One day for a small to medium room. Remember to allow another half day to fill any holes and cracks and sand rough areas before redecorating.
Approximate budget: Budget steam strippers cost £20 from the DIY stores.
Safety: Make sure you have an RCD adaptor to fit between the stream stripper and your socket, unless your house wiring is RCD-protected. Never use steam strippers near power sockets or switches.
Before you start: Remove as much furniture from the room as possible and lay dust sheets around the area to be stripped to protect the floor. Open any windows and close all internal doors.
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Step 1: Preparation
To allow the water and steam to work on the paper, perforate the surface with a wallpaper scorer. You can use a craft knife to score the paper but don't press too hard or the plasterwork will be damaged.
Tip: If you don't have a steam stripper, soak the walls with warm water and leave the paper to soften for twenty minutes before stripping. -
Step 2: Using the steam stripper
Turn on the steam stripper and work methodically across the first wall, moving the pad onto sections of the wall and removing the dampened areas with a scraper.
Tip: Try to work from the top to the bottom of the wall so that the water from the stripper will drip onto the paper to be stripped. -
Step 3: Finishing
Work across the room, taking off ribbons of stripped paper with the scraper. Some areas may need extra work with the steam pad.
Tip: When the paper has been removed, a residue of old glue is often left on the wall surface. This can ruin your new finish so use a nylon abrasive pad and plenty of hot soapy water to thoroughly scrub the walls.
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