Mike Zekich is owner of Safe & Simple Wallpaper Removal
in Pasadena, CA, which in addition to removing wallcoverings, markets its own Safe
& Simple Removal Solution to painting and wallcovering contractors. Mike is ready
and willing to field questions about removal from his fellow contractors.
Need stripping supplies or a great stripping contractor?
Contact Mike at www.safeandsimple.com.
Stripping Wallcoverings
How do you strip grasscloth?
Grass cloth is relatively easy to strip since it is a porous product and is usually installed with wheat or clay based. These adhesives tend to react better to a wet removal solution. Grass cloth is often easier to remove because it tends to absorb the dirt in the air. This dirt, when wet with a
solution, actually makes the removal easier since the dirt helps absorb the wet solution which in turn helps to penetrate the grass cloth.
Removal of grass cloth is usually messy. This is because the "grass cloth" strands, clay adhesives, and paint chips (if painted over) tend to go everywhere. I suggest you use plastic on top of a drop cloth as a catchall.
Grass cloth when painted over is more difficult. We would recommend that you first try these to options (in a small area first) to determine which is the best way to go:
A. Dry scrape the material starting at a seam. If it is plaster, this will be easier than drywall. (You can muscle against the plaster better.)
B. Wet an area. Sometimes (even though painted over) this will work.
C. Wet an area after you have pin holed it. Pin holing will allow the wet removal solution to penetrate.
We rarely go to the extreme of pin holing. We specialize in removal and have found that with painted over grass cloth, by the time you pin hole & soak, you can remove more paper quicker by doing A or B (above).
Some tips:
1. Take the time for proper protection, the clean up will go easier.
2. Start on one wall, get that going, wet if necessary, let solution work while prepping another area. Repeat at second wall and so on.
3. Work your way around the room by alternating procedures. Eventually you will look back at a wall that is 100% complete and get a feel for timing.
4. For stubborn painted over and dry scrape we use the Allway 4" wallpaper scraper. Change blades often. You can buy and adapter for this tool that will let a common broom handle extend your reach. (Very handy at times.)
5. If dry or wet scraping, plough a 4" starting path horizontally from strip to strip near the top of the wall. Then, using only 1/3 of the tool blade, get under the edge of the paper to scrape. Too often people will use this tool head on and get frustrated trying to plough a 4" path. It will go quicker if you pick at it.
6. By starting near the top, you will save strength & stamina by working down hill and chips, glue, etc. will be falling away from you.
7. Rewet areas. Keep the area relatively damp. You will use a lot of solution since the grass cloth (usually backed with paper or liner) will absorb a lot of the water.
8. Sometimes (with multi-layer painted over grass cloth) the paint is so thick that it tends to scrape off in chunks. Wear eye protection to avoid getting particles in your eyes.
What is the best way to remove paper backed string cloth from unsized or primed drywall?
First try to dry pull the string from the backing, then wet the backing. Some times we find it easier to soak through both the string and the backing. This seems to work better when on bare drywall. Also I recommend that you try pulling the soaked material at different times. Sometimes when the backing is very wet it is more difficult to remove than when you wet the backing and just before the backing dries out, you scrape the backing.
Often we find that the adhesive is not 100% uniform behind the backing. After wetting the backing we will try to peel at loose spots until the backing tears. Then we will rewet the dry area. We will move back and forth from strip to strip, wetting, peeling, wetting peeling. It seems like it takes longer, but in the long run it is the most expedient.
Also try to pull the string or backing from different directions. Bottom right corner towards top left corner, vice versa, or from top down. We often find that it will make a tremendous difference once you get the feel of which direction to pull. If it is on primed drywall, your job will be easier.
What is the technique for removing paper from drywall walls that were not primed?
When we remove wallcovering from raw drywall before we ever start the job we make clear on our estimate that "We are not responsible for the finished appearance of the wall if existing wallcovering is installed on an unprimed or unprepared surface."
Amazingly, some removals on unprimed drywall come out without a hitch. We follow the same removal procedure whether primed or not. My crew will do their best to limit any damage. One trick we have done (example: paper backed vinyl) is to dry strip the vinyl and then wet the backing as we normally due. Sometimes if the backing gets saturated and then we let it almost dry out, it will remove easier.
What about removal on raw drywall primed with Roman’s R-35?
It will vary, so the key on any removal is to visit the site beforehand, sample the removal, and write a proper estimate. I find that it is often a sales advantage to me to spend the time with the client and forewarn them of potential problems. We get a lot of work because of this honesty. They don't like the bad news, but they usually compliment us for telling the truth.
We save a sample of every wallcovering that we remove and have our chemist analyze them quarterly. We have done this for six years and his findings are very interesting:
1. In 90% of the cases, we find that the wallcovering is hung with something added to the paste.
2. The effect of activators is nil in regards to removal. I actually believe that it helps when rewet.
3. In 75% of the cases where the homeowner installed a prepasted, they have added something besides water.
4. In 95% of the cases, when a paste is added to a prepasted it will make for a more difficult removal EXCEPT when using strippable clay.
5. In 90% of the cases, removal is easier if the wallcovering is installed on a good, clean, dust free substrate, and well primed.
6. In 99% of the cases, mixing adhesives (regardless of the wallcovering type) will chemically alter the effects of adhesives and dramatically affect the removal process.
Mike's Website: www.safeandsimple.com.