Reddit mentions: The best wallpaper adhesive removers

As an old house lover (and fellow old house owner), I'm begging you to please restore those windows! It can be done!

I'm making this response extra long and detailed since this question comes up from time to time. Hopefully it can be a resource for others.

But I say this as a guy who bought a real wreck of a house where the previous owner had let everything go. We needed to fix all 45 openings at once as part of a major rehab, and after 6 weeks of effort, about $3000 of experimentation (including taking a week off work and hiring two people to help me), I finally gave up and put in vinyl windows. It completely broke my heart, and my house is uglier because of it. But sometimes, an old window is just too far gone to save. But in that process I learned a lot and I'd like to share a few things.

1. Old windows were designed to be maintained. That's why after almost 150 years your windows are still in pretty good shape. Modern vinyl windows are designed to be disposable. Once the seals break, they start to stick in their channels, etc., your only option is to put them in a landfill.
   
   
2. Properly maintained old windows with properly installed weather stripping and properly installed/maintained storm windows are every bit as energy efficient as modern vinyl windows. This article goes into detail and has a huge list of references including links to primary research on the topic for the people who don't believe me.
   
   
3. If you are at all handy, you can figure out how to maintain your old windows.
   
   
4. If you live in a place where old houses are common, there may well be a local shop that specializes in this kind of thing. Here in Boston, we have two great resources. The nonprofit Boston Building Resources does classes on window restoration and sells all the stuff you'll need. And Olde Bostonian will do it all for you if you have the cash. This isn't Home Depot level stuff, so look for specialists.
   
   
5. Old windows are a big source of lead paint dust, especially from the two sashes (the two actual window parts that move up and down) rubbing in the frames. If you have kids or are planning on having them, removing the lead paint from the windows is the biggest lead paint improvement you can make in your home. Even if you aren't planning on having kids, work safely. Grownups can get lead poisoning, too. Or, like us, you might have an unplanned pregnancy. Or you might have friends who have kids. Or want to sell it to a nice family someday. Get a lead-safe respirator (not cheap dust masks), do as little dry sanding as possible, and take the windows to a spot outside of your house (garage, shed, outside on a nice day) to do work on them so you don't spread lead dust all over your house. If you can set up a little containment zone with some plastic sheeting on the ground, that's good practice. EPA would have you go nuts with plastic and tyvek suits and so on. That may be overkill, but common sense tells you to minimize spreading lead dust around your house and keep it out of your body. Also, if it's possible to pull off the old trim and the old window sills and replace that with new trim while you've got the sashes out, that will get rid of another huge source of lead paint. If not, consider repainting those pieces with encapsulating paint after you put it all back together.
   
   
6. The biggest lesson I learned is DON'T DO THEM ALL AT ONCE! We had to because we needed to renovate the whole house. But it sounds like you don't have to. Pick a room where you can live without a window for a little while, like the attic or a rarely used guest bedroom. Pull ONE window apart and figure out how it works. Repair and replace that one window. Then do a second window in that room, and so on. As you get better at it, you might move up to pulling all of the windows in a single room out at the same time.
   
   
7. Steam is your friend. Buy a steamer. The size and type depend on how much work you will be doing. I tried a couple and found this one to be the most ideal. Steam will soften up paint and putty so that you can easily scrape it right off.
   
   
8. You'll want some good specialty tools. I really like these scrapers. One. Two. Three. I also found this set of small prybars (especially the very smallest one) to be invaluable in getting old windows apart.
   
   
9. If you're going to be doing a bunch of windows, set yourself up with a really comfortable work zone including a big flat work surface (plywood over sawhorses) and a place to put all your scrapers, glazing tools, etc. Hopefully you have a garage or shed where you can leave stuff for a while.
   
   
10. And last but not least...don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. These windows are 150 years old. You can go insane building steam stripping boxes and trying to make the paint perfect and trying to get everything functioning the way it did the day the house was built. But you don't have to. Just get them to the point where they open and close, the glass is not broken or rattling, and they are reasonably weatherstripped. Let the exterior storms do more of the work on energy efficiency. I would definitely NOT recommend putting each sash into a steam box and stripping all of the glazing and paint and starting from scratch. That way lies madness.
    
    OK, on to your questions.
    
    

• Here's a great video about disassembling a window. I found all sorts of amazing things done to the windows in my house that made them hard to disassemble. Generally speaking, first cut the paint between the sash and the frame with a utility knife and see if that works. If not, look for nails and screws that might be holding the window sash in place. Often these are painted over and are hard to find.
  
  
• It seems you might have single sash windows. That's unusual for an 1870s house but not completely unheard of. I had some of those in my house. After you've taken all the trim off and removed the lower sash, you will be able to pull the top sash out. There will be something holding it in place. Figure out what that thing is and remove it. As for the lower sashes, previous owners might have gotten frustrated with broken sash cords and covered up the pocket holes. When you disassemble the window you will hopefully be able to figure out what they did and undo it.
  
  
• There are plenty of good guides on how to weatherize old windows. The DOE has a great page on the topic with links to detailed instructions on a variety of methods. The video series linked below is also good.
  
  General resources and tools I found useful:
  
  
• The Save America's Windows forum, organized by topic, is a gem (if not always easy to find what you're looking for).
  
  
• This 4-part window rehab workshop youtube video series is pretty good.
  
  
• Book 1: Save America's Windows: Caring for older and historic wood windows.
  
  
• Book 2: The Window Sash Bible: a A Guide to Maintaining and Restoring Old Wood Windows

You could probably get results that approach professional work like this using a couple machines in conjunction. Obviously pro's tools are going to get things that just won't come out otherwise... but time and determination tends to make up most of the gap.

>Steam cleaner: http://www.amazon.com/HomeRight-C800880-SteamMachine-Cleaning-Wallpaper/dp/B00A1B4B58/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1395695083&sr=8-6&keywords=Wagner+steamer

-- Plus --

>Carpet/Upholstery shampoo extractor vacuum: http://www.amazon.com/BISSELL-ProHeat-Compact-Multi-Purpose-14259/dp/B002KCMH6Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395695238&sr=8-1&keywords=Bissel+little+green+machine

I'd probably start with the steam to help loosen the really gnarly spots/stains and move on to the extractor to pull all the gunk out.

Combine that with some good upholstery shampoo and some strong degreaser and some elbow grease with a semi-stiff brush and you could get anything out of your interior.

I would remove all the paper and re-paint. It's going to be a bitch of a job, but it's doable with steam and remover solution. I used this cool little tool called the Paper Tiger which puts little holes in your paper to let the removal solution seep in and makes removal easier. It was pretty useful if you use as directed.

The old adage I live by in my house is "Do it right, or do it twice."

I had really good luck with a wallpaper steamer. It heats the water really hot, in a plastic square. You hot it in one place for 20-30 seconds, then scrub with a cleaning liquid. It's not the fastest process, but it worked really well. One of these things:

https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0282018-Steamer-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O

It's not a process you really want to repeat, so I concur with sealing it well, once it's clean.

If it is paper-like, get a wallpaper remover (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0282018-Steamer-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418328051&sr=8-1&keywords=wagner+wall+paper+steamer) and let it do it's thing on small sections at a time.

My Fiancee and I (really her though :) ) removed lots of glued-down linoleum paper backing after scraping up the top part. Worked great, just took a while with the steamer and a good putty knife.

Couple thoughts on removing the wallpaper:

1. See if you can get a drywall knife to slide under the wallpaper - ideally between the wallpaper and its paper backing. When it's painted over, I've found wallpaper can be a lot more tear resistant and easier to remove. If you can, try to gently loosen up big sections at a time and rip 'em off. Then just steam off the paper backing at the end (you can try tearing off the paper backing, but if you're tearing up the drywall just get a steamer for ~$50).
   
2. If that doesn't work you can try using something like the paper tiger to perforate everything and then use a steamer to slowly pull-off/chip-away-at the top layer. This will be a lot of work. You'll still probably need to steam off the paper backing at the end.

I would personally strip it. Try a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. Douse it down, let it sit for a few minutes and it might just wipe right off the walls with a scraper/trowel. You might try gently scoring the paper with a box cutter or an exacto knife before you douse it, that seems to let the vinegar soak in.

If that doesn't work, DIF should take it off.

I say this because if it's textured slightly I don't see how you're going to get a smooth finish if you paint over it.

Here is the quick and dirty: Clear the room out as good as you can. Lay down painters plastic. Pick up a product called Dif and a tool called a paper tiger, available at hardware stores near the paint, or at regular old paint stores. Follow the instructions to apply. I use a pump sprayer to apply the dif mix. Use this style scraper but make sure you dull the blade's edge beforehand, or you will nick the crap out of your wall. I like to put a horizontal slice across the wall about chest high, then start pulling from that slice. Try to take the biggest piece off the wall that you can. Make sure you get both the wallpaper and the glue layer. The glue layer looks beige and fuzzy when dry but turns paper-bag brown when wet. When all the paper is off, go over the walls with a damp rag to remove any remaining bits of glue. If you have any questions let me know.

Source: painter

edit: You will need to reapply the dif fairly regularly, so I suggest wetting one wall/area at a time. Also added some info above.

I use Zinsser DIF gel - spray it onto the wallpaper/border, let it soak in, and scrape gently with a scraper. Let it really soak in, and everything will come off very easily, but note that it's a gooey mess to clean up.

btw your picture link doesn't work

http://www.amazon.com/Zinsser-2466-Wallpaper-Stripper-32-Ounce/dp/B0015ODY08/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310082967&sr=8-1-spell

Newbie here. I've got several items purchased at auction that are in new condition but the outer packaging/boxes are in various states non-new condition. Some of the are damaged (ripped, taped, various stickers and other markings) and some are missing entirely (so the item is packaged in a non-retail box).

Can I sell any of these items on Amazon and/or FBA? If so, what condition? Can I sell some of these items as USED (LIKE NEW) condition if they are well-packaged in plain white or brown cardboard boxes as long as I disclose that the retail box is missing. But I'm a new Amazon seller so obviously I need to be careful to avoid any problems especially early on.

For example, I have one of these in new condition, obviously never used. All parts and the manual are included, can I sell on Amazon as long as I disclose the non-retail packaging? What about FBA? I also have several smallish household items in similar condition (end tables, lighting fixtures, office chairs, etc.).

Thanks for whatever input anyone can provide.

(EDIT: I've actually already listed that steam cleaner on Amazon, but when I saw this thread today I figured it would be good to get some feedback from some users here.)

http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0282018-Steamer-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420737039&sr=8-1&keywords=wagner+wallpaper+steamer This is the steamer that is pictured. I bought this steamer myself. It was worth every cent. I believe it was 2-4 times faster (compared to Fabric Softener and hot water) and much cleaner. You can always sell it on craigslist when you are done with it.

Spend $75 on a steam cleaner. You no doubt have other things, like grout, that are going to need some heavy duty cleaning as well, and the steam cleaner can do that too.

In this video, she gets to the oven at 7:15. Actually I'm planning to tackly my kitchen with this thing tomorrow. I should take before and afters.

If you have some labels that don't like to come off, use a little bit of DIF if you have some on hand. It's made for removing wallpaper, but does one hell of a job on tough labels. Good luck on your kegerator build.

Mix some TSP Tri-Sodium Phosphate with some water and wipe down the walls.

I've also used Dif Wallpaper Remover on regular painted walls and it worked like crazy. Not what it's designed for, but it did the job.

Another tool you may be able to rent or buy is a wallpaper steamer:

https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Products-1-Gallon-Wallpaper-Steamer-x/dp/B0009XEL4O

You can get a spiky tool that will puncture the wall paper and make it possible to either spread a wallpaper release agent or steam the wallpaper off.

I don't know anything about any of those products, but figured they would give you a place to start more research.

EDIT: you will probably need to skim coat some areas of the walls and retexture.

Dowel. Figures 9 and 10. The web will have many more pictures and videos. If you can't get the titebond to bond, you could try a wallpaper spiked removal roller.

http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Products-282018-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O

First get This and then use this

Get a wallpaper scorer and some DIF gel. Both are usually available at your local hardware store. Score the border, spray with gel, wait about 10-15 minutes and peel/scrape off the border. If it's stubborn, spray once more, wait another 15 minutes and try again.