Wallpaper removal? How much fabric softener/water to use? Does it matter what kind? What works the fastest?

Question

I have been at it for 2 hours, and have only removed 6 feet of wallpaper border. I used wallpaper remover (in a spray), and have already gone through the whole container. I hear that you can get fabric softener and mix it with water, and have the same results. Seeing as I have another 40 feet to go, thats going to be my cheapest option. My question is, what is the mix ratio? Does it matter what kind of fabric softener?

Any tips for making this go faster? The border has been up for at least 15 years, and its the cheap stuff, so it doesn't come off easily. Under that, the wall has been painted with a flat laytex paint. I've been scoring it, spraying the stuff on it, and letting it soak, like the bottle says, for about 5 minutes. Problem is, its just soaking it up like a sponge, and its really not losening anything. Meanwhile, my arms are turning into rubber and I'm cutting the c**p out of my fingers from the scraper. Theres got to be an easier way.

Answer 1

The way that I removed wall paper is ,peel off the top paper and spray the part with the glue with very warm water I used a spray bottle with just water no fabric softener , do an area of about 2' let it soak in and then scrape it off , when you have finished removing all the base paper wash the walls down with TSP to remove all the glue and rinse with clear warm water

Answer 2

Try using very hot water. That has always worked well for me. Good luck.

Answer 3

You are screwed since it wasn't applied properly with a sizing. I would try the fabric softner with 1 par fabric softner to 2 parts HOT water. Lots of elbow grease. If it's on that good I would just prime over it and paint.

Answer 4

A wall paper steamer is going to be the best solution. Hear in the UK you can purchase one for £20. Do not use the steamer in one position for any longer than the manufacturer advises as it can pop the plaster off. The plaster is only really in danger of popping off if it is already not adhered to the base material and can therefor be used with confidence in most conditions including drywall..