Glass Block Window Design Suggestions and a Funny Story
Do you have a window on the side of your house that faces a neighbors house? Do you feel like a fish in a bowl? Why not replace that window with wavy glass block? You can throw away the window shade and curtain! Abundant light will shine in, but your neighbor's watchful gaze will be permanently blocked.
How would you like to build a contemporary wet bar? Why not use glass block as the base for the bar? Backlight it with colored light bulbs for a dynamic look.
What about that dark spot between your kitchen countertop and the wall cabinets? You can brighten it with block windows!
Room partitions can be built using block windows. They allow natural light to travel uninterrupted from room to room. Mix and match block designs within the same wall for an interesting look.
As crazy as it sounds, how about block panels as the balustrade in a stairwell? You can build staggered wood boxes that will accept the panels between the handrail and the stairs.
Shower and tub enclosures are great places for block windows.
Don't let corners or angles stop you! Outside corners, endblocks, 45 degree blocks and hexagonal blocks are all available.
You may enjoy this story. A few years ago, I built a very interesting room addition on top of a structural-steel frame. This room addition was similar to a deck and it extended over a driveway apron for a three-car garage. The structural-steel frame was needed to support the weight of the addition.
The addition was really a giant master bathroom. The architect had selected a wavy glass block for a large full-length window in the shower stall. This glass-block window faced the woods behind the house.
One day while I was installing the tile, the wife stopped by to check on the job progress. Not only were we building a room addition, but we were also rehabbing about 90 percent of the entire house. It was impractical to live in the house while the work progressed.
This woman had a marvelous sense of humor as I had discovered while working on the job. While I was inside the shower area working on the tile she remarked, "Wow, the glass-block window sure let's in lots of light!" I agreed and replied, "Oh yes it does. By the way, who selected the glass pattern?"
This glass block was smooth glass, but the thickness varied so when you looked through it things were really fuzzy and distorted.
She replied, "Oh, the architect did. My husband and I thought it would really match the 1950's style of the home."
I responded, "Well, we love it when the architect specifies this glass block." She said, "Why?"
Keeping a perfectly straight face, I said, "This is a unique glass block. When you stand close to it and look through it, things are fuzzy. But when you stand back, like in your woods, it acts like a magnifying glass. I wonder if the manufacturer has ever realized that?"
Her jaw dropped and eyes widened as she no doubt was thinking about the peep show she was going to offer to any and all who happened to be looking at the addition while she showered. I let her astonishment bake for about a minute or so and then said, "Gosh Carol, I was just kidding!"
She got very embarrassed because I fooled her. We remain friends to this day. Her house is only two away from mine!
Author's Note: We've received other questions with similar problems or questions. Here's one from Lena K. of Rockville, MD, regarding basement replacement windows.
"Our basement windows leak air as well as water when snow melts. The house was built in 1965 and the windows seem to be from that time. They are below the ground level with wells dug out around them. They are set directly into concrete blocks. I looked at different replacement window manufactures and installers, and none of the ones I saw offer specific windows for basements. Do you have any suggestions? (We aren't planning on doing the replacement ourselves). Thank you."
HI TIM! My husband and I built a home about two years ago and requested Low-E glass for all of the windows in our house. We mainly were trying to protect our hardwood floors and our furniture from fading. It hasn't helped, AT ALL. My curtains, dining chairs, living chairs, etc. have all faded considerably. I have reason to believe that my windows may not actually be Low-E (which we paid for) and wondered if there is any way to distinguish. Sincerely, Michele Sells
DEAR MICHELE: Low-E glass is not supposed to block ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun which are responsible for your color-fade problems. Low-E glass does a fantastic job of blocking heat using a thin metallic coating on the inside surface of insulated-glass panels. To protect the possessions inside your home, you should have covered the windows with a window film that does stop UV radiation.
Window films are plastic sheets of varying thickness that perform many functions. Some window films stop UV rays, some stop infrared (IR) rays which cause things to heat up inside your home on a summer day. If you have ever walked in front of a window where the sun is streaming in, you can instantly feel the IR radiation on your skin. Other window films do double or triple duty. Some thicker window films will block UV, IR and large objects from coming into your home. These thicker window films are used to stop windows from being blown out during hurricanes or other large windstorms.
You can often see the ultra-thin metallic coating of Low-E if you look at clean windows on a sunny day at an approximate 30 degree angle. The glass will often appear to have a bluish or even light green cast to it. Regular glass that has no Low-E coating never has this coloration.
You may have to look at your windows at different times of the day to detect this coloration. It is not readily apparent. It may pay to go to a hardware store to buy a piece of regular glass to help you determine if you have Low-E glass. If you have someone hold the regular glass next to your windows and ensure the glass is parallel and in the same plane as the window glass, you might see that the regular glass looks very different than your windows.
Air Conditioning - Recommendations for Maximizing Comfort
1. Avoid letting direct sunlight into your home. Close window shades on windows that have sunlight penetrating through them. The sunlight produces intense infrared radiation which is absorbed by anything it illuminates. This heat is then given off inside the room. Stop this heat before it gets into the room!!
2. Just as you would with a refrigerator, keep all windows and doors closed. Imagine that your house is a huge low level refrigerator. Opening windows and doors allows hot and sometimes humid air to enter the house. This heat will have to be removed by the air conditioner at an extra cost to you!
3. Consider running the furnace fan continuously, expect for parts of the USA where it is extremely humid. This constant air movement balances the temperatures and helps to avoid hot and cold spots in rooms.
4. Kitchen activity can add massive loads to your system. Try to do all cooking and baking during early morning hours before the major heat of the day builds up. A standard stove and oven in operation for one hour can add TONS of cooling load to your system! Use exhaust fans to vent excess heat and humidity from cooking activities.
5. Any cleaning activity which adds moisture to the air should be done in the morning or late evening hours. This excess humidity should be kept to a minimum during hot afternoon hours. Wash clothes, showers, etc. in morning hours. These activities can add tremendous amounts of humidity to the air in your home. Make sure your clothes dryer is vented to the exterior. Unvented clothes dryers add massive amounts of humidity to the air.
6. Find a comfortable setting for your thermostat and leave it in that position. High quality thermostats are more sensitive than you at determining when the system should turn on and off.
Heat Gain
The manner in which the size of air conditioning equipment is determined is really quite simple. It begins with the process of measuring the rate and amount of heat which is accumulating inside of your house. Many things have to be measured to account for all of the things that contribute heat to your home. A partial list of the things which have to be measured are the following: wall, floor and ceiling square footages, thickness of wall, floor and ceiling insulation, exterior wall construction materials and method of construction, window and door sizes, window and door efficiency, compass direction each side of the house faces, geographic location of the house in the continental USA, number of occupants, number and types of appliances, specialty lighting fixtures,miscellaneous heat generating objects, etc.
As you can see, many things have to be taken into consideration. Not any one thing is hard to measure or calculate, it's just that there is a lot of it to do!!
Tables, charts, etc. have been developed to translate these measurements and data into the rate and amount of heat gain. These tables, charts, etc. can be found in several publications. They usually can not be used accurately by a homeowner who is unfamiliar with the concept of air conditioning. However, some booklets are written in such a manner that a person with a keen interest in measuring, recording, and calculating data can get highly accurate heat gain measurements. In the event you choose to attempt this, and you are not a HVAC professional, make sure that a HVAC professional or engineer checks your calculations. If the person you are dealing with has a computer which is programmed to perform the calculations, you simply have to provide the necessary data. The computer will do the rest. Some programs are very sophisticated and they will ask all of the questions. You simply have to provide the correct measurements.
The point I am trying to make should be obvious. You can and should try to perform these calculations. It will give you an appreciation of the level of knowledge that a HVAC professional possesses. If you go the entire route and finish the calculations, have the 'pro' check them for accuracy. As we discussed earlier, if you install the wrong size air conditioning unit you will either be uncomfortable and or will waste massive amounts of electricity trying to get cool.
Equipment Maintenance
When you have the proper equipment installed, you have to properly maintain it. If not, it will not be able to adequately cool your house. This maintenance is very simple. The equipment must always have the proper amount of coolant ( freon ) and the coils both outside and inside of the house must be clean. If the coils become clogged with dirt and dust they can not accept or distribute heat quickly. I recommend that you have your equipment checked in the spring and fall. The cost of the service calls will be paid for by the energy that you will save in operating costs. It really is worth it.
These publications are excellent books to help you educate yourself as to heat gain in residential houses. I suggest that you write to these individuals and request pricing and shipping information. The prices for these publications are well worth it. They will quickly educate you so that you can ask pointed and educated questions of your HVAC contractor. Armed with some of the information in these booklets, you will quickly spot the knowledgeable professional!
MANUAL J Load Calculation for Residential Winter and Summer Air Conditioning Air Conditioning Contractors of America 2800 Shirlington Road Suite 300 Arlington, VA 22206
REZ-1 Residential Load Estimating #791-413 Published by The Carrier Corporation Availability is through your local Carrier A/C Distributor Locate in your local Yellow Pages under "Air Conditioning"
Short Form Load Calculation TM Segment 207 & Residential Cooling Data Sheet Published by The Lennox Corporation Lennox Internal & Field Training Unit JRT Bookstore Lennox Industries P.O. Box 799900 Dallas, Texas 75379-9900
Residential air conditioning is a very complex and complicated trade. Many homeowners do not realize the amount of technology and training it takes to properly calculate and install air conditioning equipment. Heating and air conditioning is by far the most technically advanced trade in residential construction. Technology advancements are common. Professional HVAC contractors must constantly attend seminars and classes to stay current.
However, even though HVAC technology produces high-tech equipment on a daily basis, some things do not change. One of the constants in residential cooling is the necessity of performing specific calculations to accurately determine the 'heat gain' of your home or business. It is impossible to properly size air conditioning equipment without performing these calculations. The recent advancements in personal computers have made this a much simpler task, however the calculations must be performed either by hand or by computer.
Another constant in residential air conditioning is humidity. Humidity is the moisture that occurs as water vapor in the air we breathe. The higher (more water vapor) the humidity in warmer air, the more uncomfortable we become. This principal is very easy to understand. The evaporation of water from a surface actually is a cooling process. It actually lowers the temperature of the object. Normal body perspiration is the way in which our bodies cool themselves. As the perspiration evaporates from our skin it cools it. However, the slower the rate of evaporation, the slower the cooling process.
When the humidity is high, the air has less ability to accept additional moisture. In other words, it is harder for water to evaporate. Air conditioning equipment has the ability to lower the humidity of air in your house. However, it can only do this while it is running. The moist air in your house passes through an evaporation coil inside of your furnace. This coil is cold, much like a cold can of soda or beer. Just as water droplets form on a cold can, the water from the air does the same thing on this coil. As long as you do not introduce any additional outside air or have numerous air leaks, the process happens within a few hours. The air in your house becomes cooler and drier. The perspiration on your skin can more readily evaporate and the net result is that you feel very comfortable.
However, if the air conditioner does not run long enough, it can not extract enough moisture from the air. The air will get cooler, but it will feel damp. You will feel cool but clammy.
The point of all of this is that the air conditioning unit outside of your house must operate long enough to properly 'cool' your house. It can only do this if it is sized properly. And, as I mentioned earlier, it can only be sized properly if you do the calculations. If a unit is sized too small, it simply won't have the ability to cool the house when it gets hot, even if it runs constantly. Whereas, a unit which is too large (too much capacity) will 'short' cycle. It will not run long enough to remove enough moisture from the air.
Wallpaper installation requires some pre-planning if you intend to use three different wallpapers in one small room like this! Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
"It's important to realize, that I had no training whatsoever in hanging wallpaper. I just tried it. Believe it or not, I lucked out. There were few problems."
Wallpaper Installation - Requires Skill & Attention to Detail
Back in the latter 1970s, I was a wallpapering machine. My wife Kathy and I had just moved into our second house, a monster three-story, five-bedroom, frame house. Kathy loves wallpaper.
I must admit, I do like the feel it gives a room or hallway. Anyway, we installed wallpaper in the dining room, kitchen, entrance hall, main stairwell, second-floor hall, and one wall of our bedroom. With Kathy's help, I'll bet I put up 100 or more rolls.
I found wallpaper installation to be both soothing and very therapeutic. Being a detail-oriented person, I enjoyed cutting around ornate woodwork and working the seams. Kathy was fantastic at getting the paper pasted and precut.
It's important to realize, that I had no training whatsoever in hanging wallpaper. I just tried it. Believe it or not, I lucked out. There were few problems. Little did I realize at the time, failure could have struck at any moment. Paperhanging is both a science and a craft. Left to amateurs, problems can and will arise.
How Important is Wall Preparation?
Wall preparation is very important. Don't skip this step.
When was the last time you really read the label on a paint can? Come on, be honest. Virtually, every set of instructions includes a phrase similar to "...apply to a clean, dry, surface."
Read a little further and you will probably see something to the effect regarding the proper use of primers. Wallpaper is no different. The key to a successful wallpapering job lies in its foundation, the wall surface.
Does Wallpaper Telegraph Wall Defects?
Smooth wallpapers will telegraph every pimple, crack, depression, or defect the next day. Bumps you never realized will be highlighted as soon as the paper dries and stretches itself over every piece of sand or grit. Wallpaper can be very unforgiving.
What Causes Other Wallpaper Problems?
Dust, dirt, grease, water-soluble stains, etc. can cause major problems. Dust will cause the paper to simply fall from the wall. It gets between the primer and/or adhesive and the actual wall.
Grease will produce the same results. The moisture in the adhesive can dissolve colors found in stains and make them bleed right into the paper.
All of these possible failures and problems are lying there waiting for the unsuspecting rookie. Make a mistake and $300 - 400 worth of paper can be trashed in a day!
Is Ammonia the Best Wall Cleaner?
Ammonia is probably one of the best cleaning solutions for wallpaper preparation. Simply mix 1 part of ammonia with one part water.
Avoid soaps that contain phosphates. Even after rinsing, a small amount of phosphate may remain on the wall. This will react negatively with sizing or wall primers causing them to bond poorly to the wall.
Why is Backrolling Wallpaper Important?
Backrolling a roll of paper performs two important functions. It allows you to inspect the paper for printing or color flaws. It also works to get the curl out of the paper. Do it with every roll!
Should All Rolls be the Same Dye Lots?
ALWAYS make sure that each roll is from the same run or dye lot. If not, you will have problems, trust me!
Should I Study the Paper Layout and Wall?
Before you break out the adhesive, you need to figure out how the paper is going to work on the wall. For example, your paper may have a dominant feature in the pattern. You don't want this feature sliced in half by the ceiling or a chair rail.
Is Wallpaper Seam Placement Critical?
Wallpaper seam placement is critical. You don't want a floor to ceiling seam to be alongside a door frame casing.
The casing could be out of plumb. It's best to let the paper go over the casing about 1 inch so the seam is above or on top of the headpiece of the casing.
Should Wallpaper Be Plumb?
If you are fortunate to have level, or nearly level, ceilings, your paper's seams must be plumb. If not, the pattern will climb or fall across the ceiling. When making the plumb line, make the actual line 1/16th of an inch away from where you actually want it to be.
Should the Edge of The Paper Touch the Plumb Line?
Never place a seam on the plumb line. It will show through (especially if the paper background is white)! Avoid using chalk lines. The chalk will, in some cases, bleed through the paper backing!
Do Prepasted Papers Work Well?
Prepasted wallpapers work well when you do certain things. Activate the adhesive with lukewarm water. The paper usually only needs to be immersed for about 10 seconds. The paper must relax just like ordinary paper.
This may take 5 - 10 minutes. This relaxation period allows the paper to fully expand. If you do not allow the paper to expand on the table, it will do so on the walls! The result are long vertical blisters that often cannot be removed.
Have a helper handy. The helper can be cutting your paper and activating the glue while you hang. This way a 'relaxed' piece is ready to go as soon as you are.
This is what my wife Kathy did for me years ago. I just didn't know it was right at the time! Plus, I didn't know all the fancy wallpapering words.
How Does Wallpaper Resist Gravity?
The wallpaper must resist the force of gravity to stay on the wall. However, its grip on the wall mustn't be so strong as to damage the wall in the event you wish to remove the paper at a later date.
This is a tough balance to achieve. Primers, sealers, and sizing are designed to create the necessary base so that adhesives can stick well and that wall coverings can be removed with little damage to the wall surface.
What is Wallpaper Sizing?
Wallpaper sizing is a coating that prevents the rapid setting of the wallpaper adhesive. Sizing allows you plenty of time to move and adjust the paper once it's in contact with the wall.
Wall sizings are compounds that act like sealers. They equalize porosity. That is, they allow the wallpaper adhesive to dry uniformly. Sizings also are supposed to provide extra bite. They also are meant to enhance the adhesive's holding power.
I remember hearing the salespeople say at the wallpaper store that I needed to "size" my walls. I asked what it meant. They just pointed to a box and said it must be put on the wall. No one, at that time, could give me a clear answer as to its purpose.
One characteristic that all sizings share is that they do little or nothing to protect the wall surface below for future removal of the wall covering.
The cornflower and starch sizing compounds should only be used on surfaces that have a very good high-quality latex or oil-based paint surface. Never use this sizing compound beneath a non-breathable wallpaper. Mildew may become a HUGE problem.
Cellulose and pine flower sizing compounds are much more resistant to mildew. They aren't like the starch which is basically the equivalent of "filet mignon" to mildew.
Homemade sizings simply refer to using a thinned down on-site adhesive. You would typically thin down the adhesive to the consistency of thin latex paint. If a clay-based adhesive is being used, the clay will act as an excellent base to absorb the water in the wall covering adhesive. This will speed up the drying process.
The act of sizing a room for wallpaper is a process in and of itself. Once the walls are clean, smooth, and ready to go, you apply the sizing all at once. Begin applying the sizing at the spot you intend to begin wallpapering. That way the sizing maybe will be dry when you are ready to go.
Are There Modern Sizing Paints?
Yes, there are wonderful newer sizing products that look just like paint. The product in the photo below is my favorite - Zinsser Shieldz.
This is a great modern sizing compound product. It's just like paint. I've used it with fantastic success. CLICK the IMAGE to have it delivered to your home.
What Are the Best Wallpaper Tools?
Here's a list of the best wallpaper tools I know of:
retractable razor knife with snap-off blades
4.5 or 6-inch drywall taping knife
smoothing brush or plastic smoother
4-foot level
grout sponge
measuring tape
paint roller & pan
paintbrush
Click the Image Below to get all, or some, of the tools now:
Yes, you can wallpaper on new drywall. You need to paint the wall with the Zinsser Shieldz product. It may require two coats.
Let's say you have a new drywall wall you wish to wallpaper. If you do not apply a high-quality primer/sealer, you (or a future homeowner) WILL ruin the drywall when they try to remove the wallpaper.
There are several different types of primers and sealers. You can purchase an acrylic one that has pigment in it. This product can be used on just about any wall surface. They are fantastic, especially if you intend to use a see-through wallcovering (many are!). Usually, they clean up with water.
Clear acrylic sealers can also be purchased. They work great on existing wallpapers and vinyl wall coverings. However, if you use a see-through wallpaper, you may see the old wallpaper after your new paper dries. Be sure to ask if your new paper is semi-transparent.
Oil-based quick & slow dry primer-sealers are also available. They work well. However, it is not advisable to use them over existing wallpapers and vinyls. The oils in the product may dissolve the inks in the previous wallcoverings. Also, some ingredients in these sealers are actually food for mildew.
Marks on walls or wallpaper that were not removed during the cleaning process may cause a problem. The adhesive may dissolve the color in the stain and cause it to bleed through the new paper backing.
Use a standard stain killing paint for this job. After it dries be sure to put the regular primer/sealer over it before you paper. These stain killers are not approved wallpaper primers. They just kill stains.
Are There Other Wallpaper Installation Resources?
If you really want to get the facts on wallpaper, removal techniques, the facts of primers, sealers, sizing, adhesives, and installation you need to obtain the following books. Quite possibly both are available at your local library. If not, you will have to contact the publisher of your local bookstore. They were both written by a second-generation paperhanger. They are invaluable.
With the explosion of new video content on the Internet, you can find free wallpapering videos as well. There are also detailed DVDs that show you all aspects of wallpaper installation. It really pays to hunt around for different sources of information. It also pays to read multiple authors as one may do a much better job of explaining a process.
Also, be aware of the National Guild of Wallpaper Hangers. This is a fantastic professional association of those craftspeople who do really fantastic wallpaper work each and every day. They have all sorts of past newsletters that contain all sorts of wonderful tips.
If you are a rookie or in doubt about how to hang paper, I suggest you start in a small room with inexpensive paper. Go ahead and experiment as I did. You might get lucky!
Back when I was in college, I used to work part time for an individual who bought old houses and fixed them up for re-sale. I have clear, crisp memories of stripping wallpaper from countless walls and ceilings.
We would do it in the dead of winter with no heat in the houses! It was so cold some days that water would freeze on the walls, so we just used those old fashioned razor wallpaper scrappers on the dry paper.
If the conditions and paper were just right, you could really remove some paper. Fatigue would set in after a while, and the razor scrapper would slip and a gouge into the plaster would happen.
During warm weather, we could lightly mist the walls with regular water. After several applications and depending upon how many layers of paper were on the wall, a regular flat-bladed scrapper would allow you to remove the paper very quickly and easily.
There were no fancy enzyme additives or removers back then! Fortunately, there were no vinyl papers or vinyl coated papers either. Those can be a real bear to strip from a wall!
Washing Walls
Once the wallpaper was off the walls, we would have to wash them with soap and water. If you didn't do this, the residual glue would react with the paints and cause all sorts of problems.
I found that warm water with a strong solution of Spic & Span would do wonders. Any soap will do, but warm water will more readily soften the hard paste on the walls. You can also buy fancy wall cleaners that actually work faster than my method. Use those once you have the paper off the wall.
You need to have the walls glue-free before you start to patch them or paint. Let's move on.....
Surface Area Attack
Instant gratification is fast becoming the standard in our fast-paced society. The Internet, e-mail, cell phones, etc. don't help much. I love the Jamaicans. They have a word that is the opposite of instant gratification.
It is manana. The word translates to tomorrow and is loosely translated as another time. If you ask a Jamaican when something might be done, you get one of two responses: Soon come, Maan or Manana.
The point is that most of us want the wallpaper to soon come off the walls and ceilings. You can do that by using the great enzyme strippers. Want to really get wallpaper off the wall fast?
Then you need to increase the surface area of the paste that the enzymes can attack. You increase surface area by creating more pathways and avenues of attack. This is most easily accomplished by scoring the paper. Each tiny slice into the paper creates a new entry point for the enzyme to attack some of the dry paste.
Just A Few Tools
Let's get started with the tools. Fortunately, you don't need many tools to wallpaper.
Here's a list that will get you going on this job:
retractable razor knife with snap-off blades
4.5 or 6-inch drywall taping knife
smoothing brush or plastic smoother
4-foot level
grout sponge
measuring tape
paint roller & pan
paint brush
Click the Image Below to get all, or some, of the tools now:
The type of scraping tool used and the angle of attack when using the blade determine how well you will remove paper from a surface and how much damage you might inflict upon that part of the wall.
The best angle of attack to remove the most paper and do the least damage to wall surfaces is a low one. My guess - from experience - suggests that you should be in the neighborhood of 15 degrees off the horizontal.
The scraper will jump over the paper and cause you massive frustration if you start the scraping process too early. Remember our discussion of instant gratification? Read the directions on the label of the enzyme wall stripping product and follow those to the letter.
See if it doesn't work well. Always try to work ahead. This means get other walls soaking while you are scraping and washing down a different wall - the one you began with.
Washing Walls
Washing the glue residue from walls works best if you use two simple tools. You need a pump sprayer or an old Windex type sprayer bottle and a large tile grout sponge.
Use the sprayer to mist the entire wall you wish to wash. This will once again re-hydrate or soften the residual paste.
The large grout sponges I use really work well as washing tools. They easily pick up large amounts of glue before they need to be rinsed.
Speaking of Rinsing....
Washing the walls with soap and water is one thing, but rinsing the walls with clear water is just as important. Failure to rinse the walls immediately after and/or during the washing process will cancel out all of your hard work.
Use a different bucket and a sponge or rag to do the rinsing. As soon as the water begins to get the slightest bit cloudy, dispose of it and get fresh, clean water.
Your walls must be free of all glue to get a great paint job or re-paper job. Take your time and wash and rinse well.
Enzyme Wallpaper Removal Products
OK, you want to know how to remove wallpaper but you don't want to use the heavy, hot steamers. Besides, those only work well on the old fashioned wall papers, not the vinyl coated products that are more prevalent today.
You need to use the enzyme strippers. You can find these products readily at any large paint store that sells wallpaper. There are different types of enzyme stripping products, but they all basically do the same thing.
The enzymes - once they are allowed to come into contact with the old paste - actually chemically alter the paste and make it so it isn't sticky. Once the paste loses its ability to be sticky, the paper comes off the wall very easily.
You may see different brands of enzyme strippers or paste loosening agents at the paint stores or home centers. The leader in the wallpaper removal industry is the Zinsser Company. Their scientists have the adhesive removal business figured out! Look for the Zinsser name when you buy your enzyme stripper.
Zinsser makes two varieties of enzyme stripper. The original formula is called DIF. You mix it with water and apply it to the paper. It soaks through regular wallpaper or penetrates through scratches that you make in vinyls or vinyl coated papers.
The enzymes work fairly rapidly - within an hour in most cases - by rehydrating (softening) the paste and turning off the adhesive switches within each paste particle.
Some customers complained about how messy it was to use the original DIF water solution, so the Zinsser people went back to work and developed the premixed DIF Gel formula. This is a ready mixed enzyme compound that you roll or brush onto the wallpaper. No vapors, drips, runs, etc. It is fast acting and can soften most pastes in about 20 to 30 minutes.
Want more information about DIF? Simply visit the Zinsser website or visit your local full line paint and wallpaper store.
The Zinsser people also make two handy wallpaper removal tools. One is the Paper Tiger. It is a hand held tool that has plastic cutting wheels that cut tiny slices in wallpaper. These slices allow the strippers to quickly penetrate the paste.
Once this is accomplished, you use the paper scrapper tool by Zinsser. It has a neat blade that is positioned at the correct angle so you don't gouge the walls. Look at your paint supply store for both of these handy tools!
