Removing Wall paper from an old shipping crate

[1961MJS]

Hi

I have my Great Grandmother's shipping container (crate) that had all of her stuff in it when she came over from Germany in the 1880's. Somebody wallpapered it with some itcky blue wallpaper and it's mostly gone. I'd like to get the rest of the wallpaper off without disturbing the writing beneath it. I think she came over from Wilhelmshaven to New York.

Ideas?

If there's a better forum for this post, and the bartenders want to move it by all means feel free.

Thanks

 

[LizzieMaine]

Have you tried steam? If it's just plain wheat paste holding it on, steam should loosen it enough to peel off the scraps.

 

[Shangas]

When we removed all the wallpaper from our house, we used specially-made wall-paper steamers. The hot steam melts the glue underneath the wallpaper, and then you just peel it off like a sticker (or scrape it off with a paint-scraper, if it's being stubborn).

I understand a similar effect may be produced with an ordinary flatiron, or using sponges and hot water.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I have removed lots of wallpaper with steamers and often found 100+ year old pencil writing underneath.

An art restorer might have a better answer. Possibly warm distilled water applied with cotton balls.

 

[tomtom42]

Hi 1961MJS,

have you tried just spraying it gently with plain water ? If you are lucky and whoever applied the wallpaper used regular "wallpaper glue" it should come of after 10 minutes or so - that type of glue just dries physically and will get soft and sticky again if moistened.

If the writing is pencil or waterproof ink (she did come by sea ?) it won't be affected at all. (ballpens did not exit at that time if I am correct...)

br,
T°M

 

[Trapped in T-wilight Zone]

Really old, as in half a century or more, wallpaper paste should soften enough with steam, hot water, mild soaking with cool water followed by careful use of a heat gun, or other similar warm and wet efforts. It may take more than a few minutes for the moisture to permeate and soften the old paste.
For what it is worth, to anyone else who may read this thread looking for help removing wallpaper. A few years ago, working on our (not old enough) house, we needed to remove a bunch of '70s wallpaper (bad enough it looked like an acid trip, it was poorly done and on nearly half the walls in the house). After fighting about half a wall the hard way, we did a bit of asking around. The suggestion we got was diluted vinegar. I forget how much we diluted it, but I think it was about one part vinegar, three to four parts water. Sponged on and allowed to set for just a few minutes, wallpapers pulled off the wall in large pieces, some nearly full sheets.
I don't know if vinegar would work for the old-world paste or not. I would be careful if I were to try it on anything I really cared about (like with anything else I was experimenting with). Then again, you said the crate was 1880s, but not just how old the wallpaper was or if you know.
That crate sounds like a wonderful piece of family history. I hope you and your family cherish it for generations to come!
Good luck!
W2

 

[1961MJS]

Hi 1961MJS,

have you tried just spraying it gently with plain water ? If you are lucky and whoever applied the wallpaper used regular "wallpaper glue" it should come of after 10 minutes or so - that type of glue just dries physically and will get soft and sticky again if moistened.

If the writing is pencil or waterproof ink (she did come by sea ?) it won't be affected at all. (ballpens did not exit at that time if I am correct...)

br,
T°M

Hi

I'm pretty sure the writing in either India ink or paint, it's in large letters because it's on a 29-30 inch by 24 inch crate, I didn't measure height because that wasn't the limiting factor... it's about 30 inches tall too.

Thanks again.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Most likely leftover wallpaper applied with paste made from flour and water.

 

[Hercule]

We used to use warm water with a bit of fabric softener in it.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Hi

I'm pretty sure the writing in either India ink or paint, it's in large letters because it's on a 29-30 inch by 24 inch crate, I didn't measure height because that wasn't the limiting factor... it's about 30 inches tall too.

Thanks again.

Hot water and Scotch.....(Scotch is for you)....cheap spray bottle and hot water, let it just sit after misting it. The wall paper will eventually peel right off. The steam approach would work, but steam is normally used on walls as the mess of hot water and wall paper paste can get on flooring/carpets so steam is used instead of hot water. On your item, just the hot water will work. The Vinegar mixed with hot water also is not a bad application, as vinegar is a natural acid that will help separate the glue from what it is sticking to...but it may also make the glue a bit more "gummy" to the surface you do not want it to be sticking to.

 

[AdeeC]

Be careful, I used to be a professional paper hanger many years ago and used to strip a lot of old paper. It can be real easy or very difficult. Every paper is different with variables like glue types, substrates and age. Your best bet is steaming if you want to be sure you preserve what's underneath. Using water works on many papers very well but may need some scraping to remove stubborn bits and also can lead to water damage to what is underneath. Wall paper steamers can be hired from big box hardware stores or paint shops. You can also use a domestic steam mop or steam iron for small areas.