'Tar-ry silver leaf' found under old wallpaper??? General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[siwilks]

Hello,

We have stripped the wallpaper out of our bedroom with the hope of being able to tidy up the plaster and then paint. It's all OK except for a column at the external corner and two rectangular patches in the middle of the external walls, which are covered with a very thin silvery foil held on with a sticky black substance. We haven't been able to get this off completely yet, but are also wondering whether it has any purpose we should know about?

Cheers,
Si

[thedoctor]

Sounds like it was a means of covering and preventing further spread of damp. The only other reason for foil is to reflect heat from behind a radiator. This may be completely off the wall, especially if your bedroom is on a first floor but take a look for signs of damage in the corresponding areas outside. Cracked render, badly pointed brick or stone, leaking gutters.