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Score painted woodchip wallpaper

Updated: October 2026

The emulsion has turned the woodchip into a shell, and the steamer is fogging the room while the sheet stays dry. To score painted woodchip wallpaper you break that paint film with light, repeated holes, then you let stripper or steam reach the paste. You should know which tool the sources name, and when to stop because the skim is coming with the chip. The general sequence is on [how to use a wallpaper scorer](/hub/painting-supplies/wallpaper-scorer/sub/wallpaper-scorer-how-to-use). The six-tool table is on our [wallpaper scorer comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/wallpaper-scorer), with amazon.co.uk prices from 15 October 2026, noted by the Products Compared editorial team. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The emulsion has turned the woodchip into a shell, and the steamer is fogging the room while the sheet stays dry.

Our top picks

Zinsser Zinsser Paper Tiger triple head

Best overall

Zinsser Zinsser Paper Tiger triple head
8.3/10about £16.12
View offer
Stanley Stanley Maxi orbital scorer

Alternative

Stanley Stanley Maxi orbital scorer
6.6/10about £21.92
View offer
Coral Coral 65300 orbital scorer

Preis-Tipp

Coral Coral 65300 orbital scorer
7.8/10about £9.11
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why painted chip refuses a steamer
  2. 2.Which scorer the sources actually name
  3. 3.Score, then moisture
  4. 4.Plaster, and what is not woodchip

Why painted chip refuses a steamer

Woodchip is wallpaper with chips in the sheet. Once it has been emulsioned, often more than once, the paint is a film and steam runs down the skirting. Steam on an intact paint film is steam wasted. Wickes lists painted woodchip among porous papers that can take steam, and also lists painted paper as a face that needs a score. Those lines do not agree. If a short plate darkens the sheet and a corner lifts, you may need fewer holes. If the plate only polishes the emulsion, you need holes first. The scorer does not lift the sheet. It only opens the film.

Which scorer the sources actually name

Zinsser UK tells you to score woodchip with a Paper Tiger, using light pressure, then stripper. Writers who stayed light say it perforates the painted face. The same texts describe a wheel or clip coming off when they pressed. Who should skip it for other jobs is on the best wallpaper scorer page. Coral's page for the 65300 says the six-wheel tool is not recommended for woodchip. Those UK texts split: some report getting through after many passes, others go back to a knife. The maker line stands. The WP Chomp bullet mentions heavier pressure for texture, but four of eight UK texts say it broke quickly. Head layout against paper type is the wallpaper scorer buying guide.
Zinsser Zinsser Paper Tiger triple head

Testsieger

Zinsser Zinsser Paper Tiger triple head
8.3/10about £16.12
View offer

Score, then moisture

Work a test patch about the size of a dinner plate. Orbit lightly until the emulsion is peppered and the chips are not torn out in lumps. A trench means you have gone too far. If the wheels will not start a hole, Speedy Hire's order is worth trying: soak, then score, then soak again, because a slightly softened film can take the spikes when a dry shell only skids. Do not soak the whole room before the patch behaves. Then apply stripper as Zinsser UK describes, or use steam in short contacts once the holes exist. Scrape while the sheet is damp, with the blade flat. Wash the paste off once the paper is down.

Plaster, and what is not woodchip

Blown skim, hollow when you tap it, was already loose. Woodchip is not an asbestos coating. HSE asbestos essentials a28 is about textured coatings, not chip paper. Do not sand or scrape through a coating that may contain asbestos, and large-scale steaming of that coating is notifiable non-licensed work. If the bumps might be Artex, do not treat them as woodchip until you know the surface is paper. If the Paper Tiger loses a head on the first wall, continuing with more pressure is how the next metre gets gouged.

Common questions

Can I soak painted woodchip without scoring?
On several coats of emulsion the water usually sits on the paint. Score a patch, then soak, and compare it with an unscored patch beside it. If the unscored side stays dry, you need the holes. A thin single coat sometimes creeps through on its own. Do not soak a whole room on hope.
Is the Coral tool meant for this job?
No. Coral says the 65300 is not for woodchip. Some UK reviews describe a result after many passes, and others say it did not pierce. Those texts do not cancel the maker’s exclusion. The Paper Tiger is the tool Zinsser UK names for scoring woodchip, with light pressure and stripper afterwards.
Will the Paper Tiger go through several coats of emulsion?
UK texts say it perforates painted chip when you keep the passes light and repeat them. Several coats need more passes, not a heavier lean. The same reviews describe wheels and clips falling off when the press goes up. If a wheel locks, stop.
Should I knock the chips off with a scraper first?
A minority of Paper Tiger texts did that, then soaked the opened sheet. It can work when the wheels will not start. Keep the blade flat and clip the raised chips rather than slicing the skim. The default in the Zinsser UK guide is still the scorer, then stripper. The scraper lifts the sheet after the paste has softened.
Should I use steam, stripper, or both?
Zinsser UK pairs the score with stripper for woodchip. Steam works once the paint film is open, in short contacts. A stubborn patch can take holes, solution, and a brief steam. Wickes’ pages disagree about whether painted chip steams like a porous paper, so trust the test patch over a single retail sentence.
How do I avoid dots in the plaster?
Keep every wheel spinning and stop when a head locks. Dots are the print of a spike that has gone through the paper. A second light pass on the paint is safer than one deep pass. If the skim is already marking, move to moisture and a flat scraper.
What if the skim comes off with the chip?
Stop. The paste has taken the plaster face with it, and a sharper wheel will take more. Let that area dry and get a plasterer to repair the skim before you line or paint. A sound next patch can still be stripped. A hollow, blown area should be left until it is repaired.

Related pages

Wallpaper stripper comparison

Wallpaper scorer

Best wallpaper scorer: conditional pick for UK walls

Wallpaper scorer buying guide: six wheels or three heads

How to use a wallpaper scorer without gouging plaster

Wallpaper scorer vs Stanley knife: which opens the wall

Sources

Maker pages, a UK trade shelf, Dunelm, Graham & Brown, HSE asbestos essentials a28, and the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Shelf prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in the six listings dated 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. Zinsser UK, Paper Tiger triple head (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Zinsser UK, how to strip wallpaper (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Coral, orbital wallpaper perforator 65300 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Brewers, wallpaper perforators (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. HSE, asbestos essentials a28, textured coatings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 141A (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Dunelm, how to remove wallpaper (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Graham & Brown UK, wallpaper FAQ (retrieved 15 October 2026)