Steam Stripping?

The use of steam strippig machines are appearing more and more widely used today for removing wallpaper in older buildings, which to us is just more people with no knowledge or skills, so they just blindly follow the herd.  

Today there has to be an app or a machine for everything, but does that mean that it is right? We used our brains, we used our common sense, we managed absolutely fine without 'Apps'. This really begs the question: is Modern Day technology really progressing, or regressing humanity? 

Most today simply do not question anything, which is very concerning: surely you wouldn't just jump off a cliff to your certain Death because you were told to? But Maybe you will nowadays, We created and first wrote  the following phrase when we started noticing that human beings were turning into sheep and this is what we wrote: " the inquisitive mind prevails, where the assumptive mind fails" today we are seeing a huge number of people who appear to come from planet assumption, and that is not good at all!

The Steam Stripper - why??

Firstly, you need to know what wallpaper paste is

Wallpaper paste or wallpaper adhesive is a specific adhesive, based on modified starch, methylcellulose, or clay which is used to affix wallpaper to walls. Wallpaper pastes have a typical shear thinning viscosity, and a "high wet adhesive tack" which are required to reduce the depth of penetration of the adhesive into both the paper itself and the wall itself, leading to a slow bonding speed; these qualities allow more time for the person who originally hung the paper, to achieve the best aesthetics to the overall wallpaper hanging job, so wallpaper paste is not a high impact adhesive. 

The wallpaper adhesive is applied to the wallpaper to let the moisture of the adhesive soak into and penetrate the paper. This allows the  paper to expand before it is hung, which in turn causes the paper to shrink back once it is hung on the wall creating a tightly fitting finish.

Note the word "wallpaper" occurs often, and being the subject we would e expect that! Now, given that WallPaper is clearly made up from two seperate words, which one of the two really needs steam to allow water to reverse a very thin film of water based dried paste? 

Wallpaper paste is a Reversible solution meaning that it will transform from a dry state (e.g new granules,) to a wet state (e.g wet paste,) and then back to a dry state once the water has dried out of the paste  on the wall.

So in order to o remove the wallpaper, the only thing you need to do is to re-wet the dried paste on the 'back side' of the paper, because once you achieve that, your re-activated paste will just simply peel back off of the wall - so why do so many immediately think they must use a steam stripper? Very simple answer to that question is this: Because so many today have assumptive minds, and just don't think about what they are doing!

But never forget! Decorating is easy! Anyone can do it! 🤣

Years ago there was the following saying : "if you. Can p!ss you can paint!"

Today that just equates to lots of wet armchairs today as far as we're concerned! 🤣

The challenges of wallpaper stripping in older buildings

As the name indicates, a steam stripper boils water to in excess of 100 degs C and uses this steam to soften the paste. But why? Was steam required to hang the paper: No, only cold water was mixed with dry granules to create the paste, so what makes you think you need a steam stripper then? We'll wait while you get a reality check watching this next video

Preserving your original walls: the key to successful wallpaper removal.

The use of steam is often damaging to the underlying plastered walls. Steam will penetrate the pores 9f plaster coat8ngs an often will bliw that plaster off 9f tyexwalls. The best way to remove wallpaper in period homes without damaging the original walls is to focus on reversing the paste using cold water, not steam.

This means gently softening and reversing the original adhesive without the use of steam or solvents, rather than forcefully. By applying moisture and allowing it time to penetrate the paper, the paste can be reactivated, allowing the wallpaper to be peeled away with minimal risk of damage to the underlying plaster or historic wall coverings. Patience and a delicate touch are essential.

Heritage lane's expertise: 

• A Bog standard pump up type garden sprayer available in most high street stores an online too miscall you need.

• Filled with warm water and a few drops of cheap washing up liquid or any type of liquid soap you prefer.

• Turn off the 240v power to the room, you don't need it, it's not like you need to plug in a steam stripper is it, and you most certainly don't want to be spraying live electrics with water!

• Start at one corner of the room and walk all the way around the perimeter of the room, spraying your walls, when you get back to your start point, repeat if all again.

• Then leave it alone for a good few hours to allow the water to pmetrate through from the outside (the face) of the paper to the pasted side (the back) of the paper, which is where the dried paste is that needs reversing back to a liquid paste.

• Go have your tea or dinner (washing hands first obviously) then maybe a bit of love island, or some other mind numbing useless Television nonsense. Or maybe even read ome more of our science sections here to learn even more! 

• Then one final spray soaking before bath and bed time.

• Tomorrow morning, after allowing good soaking time, you'll find your wallpaper wants to come off the walls nice and easily. In your room that now smells of coconut butter, lemon zest or whichever scented liquid soap you chose.

Wallpaper stripping additive?