I Hate Woodchip! Help!

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How do you make this stuff look presentable without going to the trouble of steaming/scraping it off? Is there a special textured paint one can buy to disguise it?

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 07:59 (nineteen years ago) link

sorry, scraping is the only wat. If you plaster ober it it will fall off.

I have grazes on my hands from helping a friend move out from a flat with woodchip on the hall walls.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:02 (nineteen years ago) link

i have it on the CEILING of my kitchen and i really can't be arsed to steam/scrape it either, so i'm with rumpy on this :)

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:02 (nineteen years ago) link

Problem is, people often put woodchip up because the little lumps and bumps help disguise giant lumps and bumps. You might scrape it off and find the whole room needs replastering.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:25 (nineteen years ago) link

Just rip it down - you will feel a lot better once it is gone, but it will be hard work!

― 3underscore (___), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:27 (nineteen years ago) link

We've got artex on the ceiling Steve and woodchip on the walls, it's like a house of horrors! And no matter what colour we paint it, it still looks grotty!

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Our worry is that if we start scraping we might go through the wall! Do you think sanding would work?

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Rumpy, steaming woodchip off is actually much easier than you'd think. Still a pain, obviously, but really, it needs to be done. Sanding would create vast amounts of dust and you'd go through sand paper like no-one's business - not to mention you'd end up with wallpaper with thousands of holes in it.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:48 (nineteen years ago) link

p.s. but do use a steamer don't just try and do it with elbow grease.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:49 (nineteen years ago) link

my 20quid argush steamer does the job well, i am just a lazy bugger. also our kitchen definately needs replastering anyway...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:53 (nineteen years ago) link

Artex is the worst though. Sanding Artex is the devil's chore.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 08:55 (nineteen years ago) link

you have to be really careful with Artex - the early stuff can be a health hazard if you sand it

― Vicky (Vicky), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 09:01 (nineteen years ago) link

I feel your pain, Rumpy. I had to get rid of a housefull of artex and woodchip too - but a steam stripper really works well on the walls and is worth every penny.

It's true that people put up woodchip to disguise lumpy walls though, so it could all turn into a nightmare of replastering (though I guess you could sand down the walls after you remove the woodchip and re-paper with plain lining paper before you paint, if all else fails).

There's a new product whoch you can use to plaster over artex, instead of sanding it. "Evenceil", or something.

Good luck! (Get all your mates round with the promise of free beer and curry, and get them all to muck in!!)

― C J (C J), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 09:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah, skimming over artex seems to be the preferred method these days. I had some work done on my rising damp a couple of weeks ago and the workmen ripped all the artex off the wall up to dado height and replaced it with nice smooth plaster. It's an interesting mix.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 09:18 (nineteen years ago) link

welcome to ILX: Home and Garden channel :)

do any londoners know a decent plasterer/kitchen re-builder by the way?

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 09:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Hey, what about some nice ethnic wall hangings?

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 10:19 (nineteen years ago) link

Score the woodchip then steam it - it comes off in slices then! As for artex, Nitromors works and also clears bronchial problems - open the windows and use a mask.

― Schwa! (Schwa!), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 11:42 (nineteen years ago) link

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