How to remove wood chip wallpaper

Wood chip wallpaper hates water, so the best way to remove it is to thoroughly soak the wall and keep it moist. This will loosen the paper and paste, allowing it to come away from the wall more cleanly

Preparation is important. As it gets wet, wood chip will turn mushy and sticky so, before starting, line your floor with dust sheets that can be thrown away.

To start, make plenty of cuts into the wood chip when it’s dry using the edge of a steel blade stripping knife.

Once scored, use a large paintbrush, roller or spray to generously soak the wood chip with warm water. Adding wallpaper remover or washing up liquid to the water will reduce the run-off and allow more water to be soaked up. You may want to repeat this step two or three times to make sure the wall is thoroughly moist.

Apply the steamer to the wood chip wallpaper, starting from the ceiling and working down the wall. Our top tip – work on one wall at a time, keeping the wall moist to aid the steamer.

Once removed, wash the walls and fill in any chips or cracks so that they're ready for your new paint or wallpaper.

Jason Hines is the Director of Trading for Decorating at Homebase