plaster falling off using wallpaper stripper.

[problem child]

Hi,
My relation has been allocated a housing association home and I went to round to decorate.
I started to strip the wallpaper with a steam stripper and heard cracking sounds. The plaster is coming off the wall in huge chunks !
I only held the stripper in place for short periods of time, having removed the top layer of the wallpaper first.
Is this my fault or is there a problem with the plaster?
Thanks in advance.

 

[1john]

Yes it may well be your fault. Just sponge the walls down once or twice and leave for a few moments, the paper will come off eventually.

 

[problem child]

Yes it may well be your fault. Just sponge the walls down once or twice and leave for a few moments, the paper will come off eventually.

Thanks ...not what I wanted to hear but was wondering. Looks like I might be facing a big bill

 

[Nige F]

I would argue that it isn`t your fault I would say ( from experience) that the render ( sand/cement) under the seting ( thin plaster skim that popped off) is too strong a mix and too smooth - ie. not scratched enough . Therefore the plaster comes off . Don`t let some know- nothing housing officer make the tenant pay for repairs I`ve got the T shirt from Housing Association maintenance - when dear Maggie was putting us Direct Labour guys out with the miners

 

[irishjimbo]

Hi,
My relation has been allocated a housing association home and I went to round to decorate.
I started to strip the wallpaper with a steam stripper and heard cracking sounds. The plaster is coming off the wall in huge chunks !
I only held the stripper in place for short periods of time, having removed the top layer of the wallpaper first.
Is this my fault or is there a problem with the plaster?
Thanks in advance.

Hi, Sorry to say it is your fault as the heat of the steamer is to intense and it is bolstering the plaster.Put the steamer in the middle of the room with the window and doors closed and leave for 1 hour or so to soften the paper then use hot water with washing up liquid in it and use a large paint brush and keep wetting it.( The washing up liquid does not let the water evaporate so quickly) ps don!t tell the housing you used a steamer just say the plaster came off as you were stripping, It does happen a lot.

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

Hi, Sorry to say it is your fault as the heat of the steamer is to intense and it is bolstering the plaster.

I was recommended to use a steam stripper by a colleague, and lots of DIY books say to use them. But I discovered that it can lift the plaster. I am not too happy about it. I do think it is often if not usually lifting plaster that is already blown. I know some of the plaster on my walls had blown, and it was already lifting and cracking in places. And there are small areas that are blown, but the plaster looks superficially okay so I will leave them. Let sleeping dogs lie, as they say.

Needless to say I no longer use the steamer on walls. It seems okay on the ceiling, where sponging is ineffective.

 

[Micilin]

Score with stanley knife and soak with warm soapy water.

 

[joe-90]

Paint roller and warm soapy water. Coat after coat after flippin coat. Then it'll almost fall off.

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

By the way, is that the AC/DC song title you have nicked? If so, nice tune.

 

[Micilin]

Or plaster over it - it's sure to fall off then !

 

[roughcaster]

Or plaster over it - it's sure to fall off then !

,,, without a doubt Mic.