Hot and steamy striping in the hall (Black & Decker Wallpaper Stripper)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Black & Decker Wallpaper Stripper
Date:	25/03/04 (499 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy

Disadvantages: ?

Stripping and getting steamy in the hall..

This is a tale about the very first time I used a steamer to strip wallpaper. I used it to strip the wallpaper of the walls in my front hall.

The wallpaper in my hall had been there for years and years, painted over several times. With just having finished the kitchen extension and just about to have a front porch added to the front hall it was time to remove the wallpaper from the hall walls. . Now can we afford to get the decorators in? No spent too much money already.
So I started to take off the wallpapering the old fashioned way applying water with a sponge then scraping it off with a scraper, tum ti tum it took ages and ages to do a small piece.
We had gone out for a meal with some friends and I was despairing at the time and mess I was making removing the wallpaper. Friend says, do you want to borrow our steamer. ? Yes please I said.

So having woken up early the next day I unpacked the steamer.
This consisted of a rectangular plastic tank to put water in and a hose that you attached to the fitting on the tank. And there is a flat plate to attach to the hose this disperses the steam over a wider area. There is an electric lead and a plug. There is a small amount of information provided. Not really very good instructions.

So duly filled tank with water there is a maximum and minimum fill mark on it. I switched the electricity on I waited for the water to heat took about 10 minutes from cold. It was quicker when I filled it with hot water.

I started in a corner and held the flat plate to the surface of the wall it made a hissy steamy sound and steam was applied to the wall surface after a couple of seconds I moved the steamer pad to a new position and it gaily steamed there I steamed a small area then turned the steamer of and tried to remove the paper found this quite difficult as it was still firmly stuck on so I resteamed the area again and this time foun

d it easier some of the wall paper had bubbled up from the wall. I found if I started from an area where there was a hole in the paper already it came of easier.

As I tore the paper from the walls I discovered another layer underneath. I duly applied the steamer to this and wow it came of easier nearly a whole sheet of paper in one go. I worked out why this was easier. The top layer of wallpaper had been painted so the steam found it difficult to penetrate the paint barrier and get into the paper so unless I started at an area where the steam could get under the paper it did not soak in it took a couple of hors to remove the top layer and about half the time to remove the layer of unpainted paper underneath. Yes it was a quicker than not using the steamer. The tank of the steamer needed refilling after about 80 minutes.

I did find occasionally the steamer plate got bunged op with paper stuck to it.
A word of warning the water gets very hot I would not recommend this to be used by children also the hose got very hot and occasionally the steam would spurt out so keep your distance from the steamer plate.

When the tank is empty it needs refilling but this can not be done instantly it needs about 10 minutes for the tank to cool down so I would recommend this is coffee time
as it takes 10 mins to cool before you can add fresh water and about10 mins to reheat the water to steaming point. I know I needed a coffee and rest at this time.
Oh yes it was hot steamy work.


Builder comes next week to start on the front porch So next job for us will be the redecoration of the hall and then the sitting room needs redecoration I think I will use the steamer to remover the ancient wall paper there we may employ someone to actually do the decorating (husband hates decorating and I always make a mess) but at least we can save some money by preparing the room.
thanks for reading my hot and steamy reviewStripping and g
etting
steamy in the hall..

Summary: