How do I remove 60+ year old wall paper from walls and ceiling?
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Ok, so my daughter and her husband inherited his grandmothers' brownstone in Philadelphia, but it needs alot of TLC I mean ALOT! The house is over 85yrs olds and walk paper is everywhere, the carpet is so old it sticks to the floor in some places, it's hardwood floors underneath but from what we've seen so far; its not in good shape. We are not really sure where to start to make this house a home again. We have decided to sheetrock some of the walls and ceiling but thank be almost the entire house. Help Please.
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Remove everything you don't want first .then start in one room and start repair then go to second room and so on paper should come off easy because it's so old .
Score the paper first then try mixing 50/50 warm water & vinegar (or fabric softener) in a spray bottle. Saturate the paper so the mixture can get in there and it will dissolve the adhesive.
I had a similar situation with a house that had been rented for 20+ years and the owner was out of state. My advice is to pick one room that is manageable and fix it first. I did that with the bathroom and it was amazing how much better I would feel when I got frustrated in the rest of the house but walk in there and go "aahh".
Good luck and be patient.
The older wall paper is easy because it's not vinyl coated and it's over plaster. Just use wallpaper remover with hot water in a bug sprayer . Soak it, let it work, scrape off with wide putty knife, then wash off.
You may be surprised with floors once old carpet and pad is scraped off. I'd look at refinishing them. Good luck
Thanks everyone, we will attack this journey soon as we get a good weather day.
Congratulations! Score and steam is what I have always done. Messy, a pain, but it gets the job done.
https://www.lowes.com/projects/paint-stain-and-wallpaper/remove-old-wallpaper/project
Work on the house from the top down and inside out, unless it needs a new roof. That shakes all the dust and cobwebs loose and can "rain" on you in the house. Same goes for working in the house, start on top floors first. Do all the dusty stuff first, like the drywall and refinishing the floors.
Don't make any snap decisions on the floors until all the old flooring is up. It can look absolutely dreadful, yet once sanded and refinished can and will look spectacular. I suggest sanding the floors before drywalling as it makes a huge huge dusty mess and you would have to wash all the walls after sanding. Hire out the sanding of the floors, as done incorrectly, you can easily ruin them, unless you have done this before and know how hard it can be.
Take it slow and methodical, and they will end up with a stunning home.
Thanks everyone for your input
If you are considering investing time, energy, and money into making the house a livable pleasant family home, then I would advise to first have an inspection done by a licensed professional home inspector. If the state of the rooms looks poor to you, then it could very well be that there are some (hidden) deficiencies due to damage, or inattention over time that have resulted in parts of the house being unhealthy or unsafe for habitation.
Sure, it will cost a little to get the inspection done, but then you will know if there are any concerns about the structure, HVAC systems, electrical, etc.. that require immediate attention before you embark upon redecorating.