Wallpaper steamer how does it work

It won't topple over if you push against it because mortar holds all the bricks together. Remover breaks down the brick wall i. Nothing is holding all the molecules together anymore and the bricks fall apart. The wall is no longer a wall; instead, it's just a pile of bricks or individual molecules. Now, let's consider a homemade remover made of vinegar and water. Acetic acid in the vinegar allows hydrolysis to take place. The adhesive that once glued the wallpaper to the wall no longer exists. Commercial removers are typically sold as solvents or gels and are chemically acidic or basic.

Active ingredients vary but common ones include sodium hydroxide, enzymes or acetic acid. Commercial wallpaper remover works the same as homemade remover. An acid or base in the remover acts as a catalyst for hydrolysis -- the process that breaks down the adhesive glue. Acids donate positively charged subatomic particles called protons, and bases accept these protons. Wallpaper adhesive is acid and base sensitive, which explains why it responds to acidic and basic wallpaper removers.

Both kinds of removers work the same way: They get through the wallpaper's top layer and dissolve the glue on the back. Some commercial products contain an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of adhesive without getting consumed in the reaction.

In other words, these enzymes speed up the process of hydrolysis. An enzyme is like a lock and a molecule is like a key; in other words, enzymes only target the molecule for which it's made. To extend the brick wall analogy we mentioned on the last page, one enzyme might be created to break down mortar holding together a red brick and brown brick. Another enzyme might be engineered to break down the mortar fusing a black brick and orange brick.

Products with enzymes will work faster than removers without them. You've heard that there's more than one way to skin a cat -- well, there's also more than one way to take down wallpaper.

Removing wallpaper can be as easy as one, two … rip! Of course, there's no way to learn this until you pull at a loose seam. If a panel comes off right away, the wall was coated with a primer before it was covered. Just keep pulling slowly until you're done.

This can take less than an hour or it can take up your entire day, depending on the size of the room. You may need a paper scraper for any patches that don't come off right away and a sponge and bucket of warm water to wipe off any sticky residue.

This method is easy, quick and costs you nothing. Unfortunately, wallpaper rarely comes off that easily. However, simple alternatives abound. Wallpaper steamers can do the job when other methods fail. They're especially effective on tough projects, such as wallpaper that's been wallpapered over or painted.

If the wallpaper isn't porous, you can score it by cutting slits with a razor or scoring tool. Here's how you handle the rest:. Wear protective goggles, gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. Try to keep the plate lower than your arm. Otherwise, hot water can drip from the plate and burn you. When the steamer isn't in use, set the hot plate on a cookie sheet or similar surface. Again, steamers work for the same reason liquid and gel removers work -- they allow hydrolysis to occur.

Heat also makes an effective catalyst for hydrolysis and also helps makes liquids more soluble. Wallpaper steamers heat water until steam forms, which is then applied directly to the wallpaper adhesive.

The steam breaks down the glue through hydrolysis. Step 1 Prepare Area. Step 2 Prepare Wallpaper. Step 3 Steam from Bottom. Step 4 Move up. Step 5 Refill Water Tank as Required. Unplug the steamer for one minute before opening the fill cap to top up the water tank.

If you need to, use a smaller stripping knife that will allow you access into these hard to reach areas. With your wall now totally stripped bare, the final job is to remove any remaining rubbish left on the wall so that you are left with a perfect base for your new covering. This is mostly going to be small bits of paper and any remaining adhesive. Starting at the top of the wall and working down, use a stiff brush to brush down the entire walls surface. This will remove any loose bits of paper and dust.

The best and most thorough method is to use a wallpaper paste removal solution. These are available from most DIY sheds. The last job is now to wipe the entire surface over with clean water and then let it fully dry. Open a window or two to allow in some fresh air as this will help. Once your wall is totally dry, you can then fill any damaged areas help with this can be found in our filling cracks project here. We hope that you have found our how to use a wallpaper steamer DIY guide useful so now that you know exactly how to use one you have no excuses so get to work!

All project content written and produced by Mike Edwards , founder of DIY Doctor and industry expert in building technology. Find a tradesman now! We love feedback on our DIY tutorials it helps us to make them the best they possibly can be so if you have any comments you would like to share with us, click the button below and let us know. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer Main navigation. Search this website. Blog DIY Competitions. Twitter Facebook Pin It Buffer.

Project Page Menu. Standard wallpaper steam stripper There are various different methods of stripping wallpaper, more information on these can be found in our stripping wallpaper project here , but for the purposes of this guide, we are going to look at how to use a wallpaper steamer stripper.

What is a Wallpaper Steamer and how Does it Work? The main parts of a wallpaper steam stripper The main body of the steamer is in essence a tank that incorporates a heating element.

What Types of Walls do I Have? If you find you have lath and plaster, this can be very tricky to deal with. By gently tapping on the wall you should either hear a dull, solid thud or a hollow knock. A pattern is printed on to a basic backing paper. They are generally easy to hang and also strip porous Vinyl-coated Paper : A pattern is printed onto a very thin plastic or vinyl film that is in turn bonded to a backing paper non-porous Standard Vinyl : These paper types are not to be confused with the type above as the vinyl or plastic coating is much thicker and much harder wearing making them ideal for bathrooms and kitchens as they are for the most part water resistant non-porous Blown Vinyl : This type of paper is very similar to the embossed type mentioned below but feature an additional plastic top coat making them much tougher and harder wearing non-porous Washable Wallpaper : Again, these papers should not be confused with the 2 vinyl-types above.

Essentially they are a standard pulp paper pattern printed on to paper with a plastic coating stuck over the top that allows them to be wiped down with a damp cloth non-porous Anaglypta and Embossed : Anaglypta is really just a trade name but is now generally used to describe many types of embossed plain wallpapers but where Anaglypta tends to feature a plain pattern, embossed tends to feature a coloured pattern porous Flock or Velvet : One of the oldest and most traditional wallpaper types.

Instead of a flat printed pattern they feature a material that looks and feels very much like velvet that gives it an almost 3D effect porous Hand Printed Wallpaper : This wallpaper-type is arguably the most traditional form of paper and incorporates the original method of decoration.

A flat, plain paper is hung on the wall and then the pattern is physically printed on using large print blocks. They are both expensive and not very common and should only be hung by a professional with the necessary experience porous Dry-stippable, Peelable or Temporary Wallpaper : This type of wallpaper is fairly modern.

The best way to do this is to score or perforate the paper. Using a knife will almost always score or mark the wall meaning more work to repair it! Preparing Peelable Wallpaper for Stripping How should you prepare peelable paper for removal with a wallpaper steamer?

How to Strip Wallpaper Using a Wallpaper Steamer With our paper now correctly prepared and ready, we can get down to the job of actually steaming it off the wall. Cover up any remaining furniture with dust sheets Once the furniture is sorted cover any carpets or exposed floor space with dust sheet right up to the skirting.

Roll out plastic carpet protector Staying Safe When Using a Wallpaper Steam Stripper As we have mentioned at the top of this guide, if not treated with respect a wallpaper stripper can be a dangerous tools. Boiling water can easily scald and burn Allow suitable ventilation by opening door and windows Full read and digest the instructions and manufacturers guidelines on how to correctly operate your steam stripper Before you start anything, turn off the power or fully isolate the circuit to the room you are working in for both sockets and lights.

How to use a Wallpaper Stripper to Strip Wallpaper Firstly, place the main body on a flat and level surface, unscrew the filling cap and fill it with clean water up to the maximum fill line that should be indicated on the body itself. Wallpaper steamer plate held on walls surface — Image courtesy of kezzabeth. Stripping off the wallpaper using a stripping knife — Image courtesy of kezzabeth. Clean up as you go This is a very important step!

Cleaning as you work also saves on a massive clean up job at the end.