Removing Wallpaper From Damaged Drywall
Nasty Surprises
Redecorating can be fun, or it can be a trial. As old layers come off, there are challenges that can make you wish you'd never started. Pulling a strip of wallpaper off a wall and discovering (or creating) damaged wallboard is one of these circumstances. Your first steps are to diagnose the cause of the damaged wallboard and determine its extent, then mitigate (stop) the problem and finally restore the wall---and its covering---to a habitable condition. To start, it's helpful to know the age of the house, the type of materials in the wall and the covering and the type of structure that exists both behind and above the wall. In wallboard that predates the 1970s, asbestos may be a component in the wallboard---in which case, professionals must be brought in.
Persistence Pays
If rips show in the paper or there are "mushy" places where the wallpaper sinks a bit, repairs to the wallboard may be necessary. A good wallpaper steamer is the first and best choice; it makes the paper and paste soggy so they can be pulled or scrubbed off. Heavy vinyl papers---popular in the 1970s and 1980s---won't absorb moisture, although they're usually "backed" with a paper liner. The vinyl is fairly easy to pull off, but the paper clings to the wallboard. If the wallboard is damaged, this paper may pull bits of wallboard off as it's removed. If no water or mold damage exists, this layer can be sanded and primed to make a new wall surface. Sprays of diluted vinegar or bleach in a well-ventilated space (open the windows) and scrapers are the last resort of the frustrated paper stripper. Vinegar acts best on stubborn paste, and bleach should be used if mold is present. Vinegar and bleach should never be mixed because the reaction will release toxic gas.
Follow Through
Once the paper is off the wall, it's time for repairs. Cover stripped drywall with "sizing paper," available at wallpaper suppliers. Scrape out cracks, cover with mesh tape and patching compound (flexible compounds work well on small cracks).
If a large area is ruined, determine whether the damage is caused by water or mold. In either case, the area will have to be cut out and replaced with a wallboard patch, but first find the source of the water; a leaky pipe, badly caulked bathroom fixture on the next floor or roof leak may be the culprit. You may even need to hunt squirrels or other critters. Whatever the cause, find and address it before fixing the wall.
If mold is present and a solution of TSP and bleach doesn't kill it, call a professional to make sure your mold is just a nuisance and not a toxic variety. Remove affected wallboard---mold grows down into the material---and replace it with new board. When the cause of the problem is cured and the wall is repaired, priming and sizing (the base coating for wallpaper) can proceed.
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