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Wallpaper – Excellent Resource Books
Wallpaper Removal
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:
CLICK HERE to get all the tools I recommend in one place. It's easy and fast.
Scraping Paper
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!
Related Articles: Stripping Wallpaper - Now it is Easy, Drywall Repair
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Enzyme Wallpaper Removal Products
Drywall Repair – Plaster Repair
Drywall/Plaster Repair & Restoration Tips
Some idiot who lived in your house before goofed up. They failed to install the right wallpaper primer on the walls before they hung the paper. Now it is impossible to remove the paper without blasting. Out comes the TNT, and off comes the paper.
A Drywall Mess
I have seen paper hangers and some homeowners who have applied paper directly to unpainted drywall! What a huge mistake. The wallpaper paste attaches the wallpaper very well to the porous, coarse drywall paper. As soon as you pull the wallpaper off, the upper layers of drywall paper come with it. This happens so often that I usually get one e-mail about it per week from someone across the USA.
Don't Panic!
If just a small area of drywall gets ruined, there is a great chance that you can repair it. If the entire wall surface is ruined, you may have to call in a pro. First of all, it isn't necessary to rip down the drywall and start over. You can skim coat the damaged area with a thin coat of drywall joint compound and it will look superb once sanded. If you want to avoid dust, consider wet sanding the skim coat. You have to be careful as you do it. Too much pressure or water will remove too much of the joint compound.
Before you begin to coat the damaged area, you need to seal the exposed drywall paper with a waterproof primer. White shellac or the stain killing paints work well for this! You can find these at any paint store.
If you don't use this type of primer before you start, the water in the joint compounds will usually cause bubbles to form in the rough drywall paper. It is a nightmare. The special primers are easy to use and dry within an hour or so.
Multiple Thin Applications
Once the damaged area is primed, apply a thin coat of drywall joint compound using as wide a blade broadknife as you can handle. I prefer to work with a 12-inch broadknife or possibly a 10-inch one. The thickness of the application should not exceed 1/16th inch. I would actually prefer a little less. You will probably get a few lines from the edges of the knife, but don't worry about those now.
Let it Dry
If you have a fan handy, aim it at the freshly patched area. It should dry within four hours or so. Lightly sand off any high spots. Brush away the dust and apply a second coat at a 45-degree angle to the initial application broadknife strokes. You apply the joint compound and basically scrape it all off the wall. You are doing this to simply fill in any low spots. You do NOT want to add any additional thickness to the compound! Once dry, sand the patched area and see what it looks like by holding a light close to the patch. If you see imperfections, fill those in and sand again.
Working With Plaster
Plaster repairs are much easier to accomplish than drywall repairs. Usually, the damage caused by scrapers are random nicks and gouges. I prefer to use the setting type dry powder joint compounds to solve these problems. These products mix with water and stick much better to plaster than the premixed joint compounds you buy in buckets. All of the major drywall manufacturers make these setting type compounds.
The newer ones are easy to sand once dry. They come in different set times as they are much like concrete. Once you mix the powder with water, the compounds start to get hard. If you wait too long to apply them, the compounds actually harden within your mixing bucket or drywall pan! To start with, buy one that has a 90 minute set time. This will give you the time you need to work with it. Two applications are almost always necessary. Use a smaller three inch wide knife to apply these products to the small wall nicks and gouges. Don't forget to wash your tools well and run plenty of water - at least one minute's worth - down the drain!
Related Articles: Stripping Wallpaper - Now it is Easy, Enzyme Wallpaper Removal Products, Wallpaper Removal
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Wallpaper Hanging Pointers
I would wager that I get at least three emails per month from homeowners who have stripped wallpaper from drywall only to find that more paper came off then what they expected.
Yes, the paper facing of the drywall was ripped off as well. Frequently the distraught homeowner gets out some drywall joint or topping compound and applies it to the damaged area trying to make the wall smooth again.
But two hours later the repaired area looks like a nightmare. There are blisters everywhere! The moisture from the joint compound has caused the inner paper core to swell.
CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local wallpaper hangers in case you're getting cold feet.
Wallpapering Tips
When I was first married, my wife Kathy and I wallpapered many of the wall surfaces in our first two homes. I had absolutely no training and picked it up rather quickly. As I look back, I was extremely lucky!
I should have had lots of bubbles, puckered seams and overall failure. I did have a few of the above and I sort of thought they were normal. But now I know that perfection is not that hard to achieve. Here are some of the most important things you need to know.
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:
CLICK HERE to get all the tools I recommend in one place. It's easy and fast.
Seal Before Repair
If you have damaged drywall like this, you need to seal this brown inner paper before you start to apply joint compound. Years ago, I accomplished this with either shellac or oil paint.
These oil based products would not cause the paper to blister and they blocked water from getting to the paper. You can still use these products, but you can also use a new water based product that does the same thing.
Don't ask me how it works and prevents blisters, but it indeed does work. This product is called Gardz and is made by the Zinsser Company. It is a unique product that is blue in color but dries clear.
You can usually find this product at a large paint store or at a home center. If you can't find it, feel free to buy some shellac or oil paint.
Two Different Sealers
Keep in mind that if you are repairing damaged drywall you will need to use two sealers. The first sealer we just talked about.
The second sealer is a different product that is applied to the repaired area and/or all new or existing drywall surfaces. This second sealer is the one that stops the wallpaper adhesive from damaging the wall surface a second time.
This wallpaper primer/sealer is different than shellac, oil paint or the Gardz product. It has a different composition and actually is the best thing to use under wallpaper.
It is a very unique product in that it allows the adhesive to grab very well but doesn't allow it to transfer through the primer into the paper below. Do not listen to salespeople or store clerks who tell you differently! You must get the special primers.
Wallpaper Videos
Watch these videos to get an idea of what you're up against. You can do this job since it's a small room and there's not much to cut around.
Wallpaper Pointers
Wallpapering is a very interesting craft. There are all sorts of papers out there and they have unique characteristics with respect to hanging. Regular vinyl coated papers that are perhaps the most common can be successfully hung by a homeowner.
Booking is a technical term used by professional hangers. Once adhesive has been applied or activated it causes the paper to swell. The paper must swell before it is applied to the wall.
If you apply the paper too quickly it will swell on the wall. The results are bubbles and puckered seams. You book the paper so that the adhesive doesn't dry out as it is swelling.
All you have to do is gently fold the paper so that the wet back side of the paper comes into contact with itself. Do not crease the paper at the halfway point. Be sure to line up the edges as you book it so that they do not dry out.
Generally speaking the swelling of the paper happens within 3 to 5 minutes. Some papers take longer. Simply read the instructions that come with the paper.
Specialized Wallpaper Primers for Drywall
Be careful when you visit a paint store or home center. You can't always trust the info you get there. This is especially true when you talk about specialized primers for wallpaper. If you are going to do a wallpaper job, I would highly recommend that you visit a store that specializes in wallpaper sales.
We have several in Cincinnati, Ohio, but one really stands out above the rest. It is called Walls and More. This shop is owned by a professional wallpaper hanger - one who is a member of the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers, Inc.
The advice you get here is golden. I would like to think that you would get similar great advice, products and accessories from a specialty wallpaper store in your city or town.
Special Resins
You need a special product to act as a sealer for fresh plaster or drywall. A regular paint primer or sealer is NOT the same as a wallpaper primer or sealer.
The wallpaper primer/sealer contains special resins that block wallpaper adhesive from penetrating past the primer/sealer. In fact, the product I used simply looks and acts differently than regular paint. It reminds me of oil based paint in a way but it is indeed water based.
The Products
The wallpaper primer/sealer I prefer is called Shieldz Plus. It is white but can be tinted just about any color you like. You typically tint it to the color of the background of the paper. This product is made by the Zinsser Company. You can find Shieldz at most paint stores, home centers or wallpaper stores. Go to the Zinsser web site for more details or retail outlets.
Sherwin Williams stores carry their own knock off product of Shieldz. They used to sell Shieldz but I think they thought they could make more money by coming up with a different formulation. Their product is called PrepRite PreWallcovering Primer. You should be able to find it at any Sherwin Williams store.
Relaxation
I am not talking about you but the paper. When you activate the paste on a prepasted paper, you don't go over and hang it right away. The paper actually expands a little and it can take two or three minutes for this to happen. Some papers take longer to relax or expand. That is the actual term, relax.
The way you achieve this is to paste a strip of paper and then book it. Booking means you fold the back of the paper on itself. In other words, you paste a piece of paper and then fold it back so the bottom half of the strip that has the paste contacts the top half that has been pasted. Line it up carefully so that the edges meet. This prevents the edges from drying out.
Pasting or Activating the Paste
Most papers today are pre-pasted. It can be a nightmare activating this paste using a trough or a bathtub. I recently discovered another awesome product made by the Zinsser Company.
It is called SURE-GRIP. It is a paste activator. This product is a fine powder that is mixed with water. You stir it and let the water sit for 30 minutes. At the end of the wait period you end up with a slippery liquid that is the consistency of thin pancake batter.
You apply this to the back of pre-pasted paper instead of dipping it in water. It is quick, easy and it does a superb job of maximizing the holding power of the adhesive. If you soak a pre-pasted paper the traditional way you can actually remove the paste! This activator is the only way to go. I will always use it in the future.
Plumb
You must start your first piece of paper plumb. You should also start hanging paper in the corner of the room that you don't often look at. You do this so that when you hang your last strip and it doesn't match it is hardly visible.
Every time you go around a corner you must re-plumb the paper. I do this before I hang the piece. I take a piece of scrap paper that is dry and butt it up against the last full sheet of paper that was hung, fold it into and around the corner and make a light pencil mark where it stops. I then create a crisp plumb line using a level up and down across this mark.
Corners
The professional way to do a corner is to install a full piece of paper into the corner. You temporarily let it wrap around the corner. You make sure the paper is matched up with the last full sheet and you smooth it into the corner.
Then use a sharp razor knife and cut the paper precisely in the corner. Pull the two pieces of paper apart and pull back the smoothed paper from the corner about one inch. Install the cut half of paper around the corner and hold it about 1/4 inch off the plumb line so that you have about 1/8 inch or so of the paper folding back around the corner.
Be sure you try to match the pattern for top and bottom elevation. Smooth the second piece of paper once it is positioned exactly. If the paper is vinyl coated, you must use a vinyl to vinyl adhesive where the two pieces of paper overlap one another.
CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local wallpaper hangers in case you're getting cold feet.
Carolyn missed a few steps on installing wallpaper from a home improvement show. She asked Tim for assistance. CLICK HERE to read that Hanging Wallpaper column.
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Specialized Wallpaper Primers for Drywall
How To Hang Wallpaper
Whole House Fan Tips
Whole House Fan Tips
Whole house fans are really fantastic devices. They can, in many instances, provide extremely effective cooling with very little energy. Only areas with oppressive humidity levels find these fans not so useful. The effectiveness of a whole house fan is directly related to the relative humidity.
I explain in this linked air conditioning article, the effects of humidity and cooling. Simply put, our bodies cool themselves by evaporation. The process of evaporation actually extracts heat from our body. That is why we perspire when we are hot. The body wants that perspiration to evaporate so that it will become cooler. If it is humid outside, the perspiration can't readily evaporate into the air. The air has just about as much water as it wants! That's why it's humid!!!!!!
Air movement increases the rate of evaporation. That is why clothes dry faster on a windy day. Whole house fans are designed for just that purpose. They create a breeze which blows across our skin, which evaporates perspiration, which makes us feel cooler. It's really amazing when you think about it.
Sizing
As with anything, make sure that you have the right size. Can you imagine a large dump truck being powered by a lawn mower engine??? Don't make a similar mistake with a whole house fan. These fans all have different capacities. They can push only so much air. Assuming that you have 8 foot ceilings, determine the total square footage of your house. Multiply this number by 3. The result is the minimum cubic feet per minute capacity that the fan must produce.
Exhaust
What ever goes in must come out. If the fan wants to push 8,000 CFM, it better have a place to easily push it to. Your attic or roof vents must be adequate, otherwise the fan will be restricted. The blade will spin, but it won't be pushing as much air as it should be. You must have 1 square foot of free open exhaust area for every 750 CFM capacity of the fan.
Supply Air
The fan must be able to easily replace the air it is pushing. That means that you must open enough windows and/or doors to give it an ample supply of air.
Balancing Air Flow
Your personal level of comfort is a function of the rate of evaporation. You can maximize this by increasing the rate of air flow through the rooms you occupy during the day and night. For example, at night, you should only have windows open in the bedrooms and hallways feeding these rooms. This will maximize air flow through those rooms. The fan will not suck air from the other unoccupied rooms. During waking hours, reverse this scenario. Close the bedroom windows and open the living, kitchen, family room, etc. windows instead. After all, these are the rooms you have now decided to occupy.
The other rooms will become stuffy. However, these fans are so powerful, that if you had only one window open in the house, it might replace the air in that room with cooler outside air in as little as 15 seconds!
Installation
If you decide to install one of these fans - and I might add that it is a good idea - you must follow the instructions to the letter! One of the most critical steps is making sure that the hole you cut in the ceiling is square! If the hole is not square, the louver will quite possibly bind. That is a major problem!!! Checking the hole for square is simple. Let's say, for example, that the fan needs a hole 31 inches by 31 inches. The hole will be considered square if the two diagonals are the same measurement. A diagonal is the line which goes from one corner to the opposite corner. There are two diagonals in every square or rectangle. In this example, the diagonals would measure 3 feet 7 and 27/32 inches.
Also, if you have to cut ceiling joists, etc., DON'T do it unless you know for a fact that you are not harming the structural integrity of your house. If in doubt, contact an experienced carpenter or a structural engineer. Absolutely do not cut a prefabricated truss!!! If you must, contact a registered structural engineer and obtain his or her opinion. Trusses are not designed to be cut!!!!!
Cleaning
Regularly clean the fan blades and motor. These will get dusty in a hurry. Excessive dust buildup on the motor can lead to overheating which will shorten its life. Be sure that the power supply (circuit breaker) is OFF. These fans are extremely dangerous!! They can cut off fingers or hands. They spin rapidly and, because of their size, they have tremendous tip speeds. The outer tips or edges of the blades are spinning extremely fast. Don't take a chance. Someone may accidentally turn the fan on, a child may do it, anyone. ABSOLUTELY KILL THE POWER!!!!!!
Covers
If you live in a cold climate, you will not use the fan in the winter. The louvers don't always fit tightly. They can leak tremendous quantities of air. The best way to cope with this is to put a lid on the fan. I usually did this fairly easily. I always made a box that fit around the fan. I would usually make this box about 16 to 18 inches tall. This box would keep the attic insulation away from the fan blades. I would then make a simple lid for the box. This lid should have insulation stapled to the top of it.
Timers
Timers are a must. Many people like using these fans at night. However, if the fan runs all night, it can, in some cases, actually get cold in the house. A timer takes care of this problem. You can set the timer to operate the fan for several hours. The fan turns off while you are asleep (ZZZZZZZ).
Variable Speed Fans
Some fans are available with variable speed motors. This can be a benefit. If you need rapid cooling, turn the fan on high. Once you are comfortable, adjust the fan speed so as to maintain your level of comfort. Give these fans serious consideration.
Maintenance
Many fans have rubberized drive belts. The adjustment of these belts is critical. If the belt becomes loose, the fan may not spin fast enough. The instructions which come with the fan usually tell you how to check this adjustment. Keep this booklet. Put it in a zip-lock freezer bag. Attach this bag to the outside of the wood tunnel in the attic. It surely won't get lost if you do this.
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Whole House Fan Manufacturers
Following is a list of major manufacturers of whole house fans. I personally called many of these manufacturers. Those I spoke with said that they would gladly mail to you, free of charge, their product literature. Many of them will also tell you the location of their closest distributor. I encourage you to call as many as you have time. Ask for the literature and read and compare the qualities of one fan over another.
Ask questions concerning motor maintenance. Does the motor require periodic lubrication, or does it have lifetime lubrication from the factory? Ask for information regarding sizing of the fan. Make sure that you purchase the right size!!! Ask about variable speed fans. Ask about timers. Some fans come equipped with timers. Other fans offer it as an option. Timers are wonderful. Go here for additional information on timers. Here's the list of manufacturers. Please give them a call! Seriously, they love to hear from people like you and me.
- Air Vent, Inc.
- AirScape
- Invisco
- Ventamatic, Ltd.
- FanAm, Inc.
- Tamarack Technologies, Inc.
Tamarack makes the HV1000 fan. This one pushes 1,000 CFM and has insulated doors.
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