vinyl paper stripping being really awkward!!! General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[stevienut]

I'm currently stripping a landing. stairs and large hallway, which is papered with vinyl which refuses to peel the vinyl covering off - it tears really easily and so peeling off the vinyl to allow easy stripping of the paper backing is prooving a nightmare. i've tried scoring the vinyl covering to try and soak and or steam the paper behind but it isnt proving easy!! Does anyone have any experience or ideas as to how i can speed up the process. At this rate it's going to take me days ( its taken me 2 evenings to srtip the landing!!

[polarbear]

Hi,
Vinyl papers are usually very easy to strip?
The best way to strip them is to just peel the initial surface of which comes of very easily,you will then be left with what looks like a lining paper,all you do then is cover this with warm water and some fairy liquid .

[stevienut]

Hi Polarbear,

thanks for the advice. i've stripped quite a bit of vinyl in the past but , as you rightly point out, you can usually peel off the vinlyl layer and easily soak off the paper backing. However, as i mentioned in my post, this wont work for this aprticular paper. Ive tried to peel this but it doesnt work.

Update: since i posted this query i have consulted with a decorator friend of mine who recommended buying a 'bladed scraper' which unlike a conventional scraper has a very sharp blade akin to a stanley/ craft knife. what you do is then shave off the vinyl covering and then soak as per usual . it DOES seem to work!

The other tool he recommended was a wheeled perforating tool that allows you to put hundreds of perforations into the paper so you can wet thry into the backing paper and remove it this way - not tried this yet but it wasnt expensive about £5

Steve

[mommasue]

Both the blade and the spiker work well, but using a steamer, simply allow the steam to soften the vynil and then pull it off.

The spiker is a brilliant tool and well worth the money....... if all else fails it is a great way of venting ones spleen on the subject!!! ;-)