Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - Fabric Wallpaper Removal

We've recently bought a house with the ugliest wallpaper in the world. I think it's fabric, but I'm not sure.....it actually feels sort of like straw. It's probably an 1/8th of an inch thick and it is the color of broom straws (sort of beige/yellow).

Has anyone ever removed this type of wallpaper? Can I treat it like normal paper? I've used a steamer before, but I was thinking about DIF....any suggestions?

Thanks, Michele

Sounds like you have grasscloth wallpaper. Congratulations, you have one of the wallpapers that can be a real pain in the neck to remove!! :rolleyes: :eek:

Try dry stipping it first. Find a seam and at the bottom of it, work a putty knife behind it to get a start. Then grasp your small removed section and attempt to pull the wallpaper straight off the wall. If it doesn't budge, read below. If it starts coming off, ensure you look at the wall surface as you are pulling. If you notice that the wall is coming off with it, stop immediately. If it pulls off without wall damage, you are very lucky!

If the method above fails you are still not doomed. You will find my wallpaper stripping advice (http://www.wallpaperinstaller.com/wallpaper_stripping.html) useful. The one additional input I have is that buying a garden sprayer for soaking purposes is a must in your situation. Spray VERY close to the grass surface so the solution gets to the backing material. Your situation requires additional amounts of liquid to be used as long as additional waiting periods. Grass is a very thirsty material and requires higher amounts of water to soak through the grass to the backing material. Take you time, lay out some drop cloths, and go absolutely nuts with your solution and it should come off fine.

Thanks very much for the help....I was afraid that would be my answer.

When you say use a water hose, how can I make sure I don't soak the wall....will the paper be damp or really wet? Is this better than steaming?

I think I'm going to try the dry thing and if that works, great, otherwise, I might need a professional. I'm afraid I'll mess up the walls.

Thanks, Michele

P.S. I checked out your website. It's fabulous!

When I say wet, I mean absolutely dripping crazy wet. If you do choose a pro instead, I have links to wallpaper professionals across the nation that you can access here (http://www.wallpaperinstaller.com/other.html).