Remove woodchip wallpaper
Updated: 17 October 2026
You are looking at painted woodchip that shrugged off a sponge, and you need to remove woodchip wallpaper without blowing the plaster. This page is that job: score the paint, keep the plate moving, and stop when the plaster lets go. The [wallpaper stripper comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/wallpaper-stripper) is the table if you still need a tool. Peter F., the DIY & tools editor, used DIY Doctor, Wickes, Zinsser UK and the reviews in this folder, not a square-metre test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are looking at painted woodchip that shrugged off a sponge, and you need to remove woodchip wallpaper without blowing the plaster.
You are looking at painted woodchip that shrugged off a sponge, and you need to remove woodchip wallpaper without blowing the plaster. This page is that job: score the paint, keep the plate moving, and stop when the plaster lets go. The wallpaper stripper comparison is the table if you still need a tool. Peter F., the DIY & tools editor, used DIY Doctor, Wickes, Zinsser UK and the reviews in this folder, not a square-metre test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Face it suits | What the reviews say | Knife | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER KX3300T-GB | Painted woodchip, after a score | Needs a score and a second pass | Not included | 8.2 | about £39.99 | View offer |
 Wagner Wagner SteamForce | Scored woodchip on open walls | Faster than a soak, own knife | Not in the title | 8.9 | about £33 | View offer | |
| Preis-Tipp |  Swiflee and Co Swiflee Bartoline kit, 500 ml | A small unpainted patch | Thick paper can stay put | 6 inch, flexes | 7.9 | about £13.99 | View offer |
On this page
Why painted woodchip fights both methods
The chips are not the barrier. The paint is. Emulsion, silk and vinyl paints seal the face, so a steamer and a diluted bottle both sit on the coating until you perforate it. Wickes says two things that do not combine into one rule. One block says porous papers, including painted woodchip, steam well. Another says vinyl or painted faces need scoring because steam will not cross them. Treat the second as the one that matches a sealed wall, and do not skip the score. A patch that darkens at once is the porous case DIY Doctor describes.
Putting stripper in the tank does not solve a painted face. Zinsser UK argue you can skip a steamer if you score and use their liquid. That is a maker’s case, not a trial against the steamers in this folder.
Score, then a short steam
Use a roller scorer and perforate the paint without trenching the plaster. DIY Doctor’s sequence is score, then hold about 10 seconds, then a flat scrape, with another 10–15 seconds if it is still stuck. Wickes caps the hold at about 30 seconds. Those are two sources. Do not blend them into one official window.
Keep the plate moving. BLACK+DECKER says steam loosens weak plaster, so test a patch and stop if you hear a pop or the scraper lifts skim. Fill rules and the two-minute cap wait are on the how to use a wallpaper steamer page. A long dwell on a ceiling is worse than on a wall, because the steam drips.
What the listings in this folder show
This is not a ranking. BLACK+DECKER reviewers say some woodchip came off faster than a sponge, while painted woodchip needed a score and a second pass. VLOXO’s English comments include woodchip that lifted once steam was up, beside early stoppages. Wagner reviews cite woodchip faster than a soak, with a separate knife. A review that did woodchip may have been unpainted.
The £13.99 kit is a weak default for a house of painted chips. A small unpainted patch can still be a bottle. A landing of painted chips is a steamer plus a scorer, if the plaster is sound. Which machine, if you do not own one, is the best wallpaper steamer page. Extra watts do not replace the score.
When to stop
Stop when the plaster is blowing, when a knock sounds hollow, or when the scraper brings the skim with the paper. More steam enlarges a patch that has already let go. Wickes says excessive steam softens plasterboard, so a stud wall is a shorter hold. If you cannot isolate the circuit, or water has reached a fitting, that is an electrician.
Skimming over the chips is only as sound as the paste underneath, which is DIY Doctor’s warning. If you will not risk steam on tired plaster, a scored soak on a small area is the lower-heat option, and painted chips may still refuse it. Wash the paste off afterwards, then fill the score marks.
Common questions
Do I have to score painted woodchip?
Yes, if the face is painted, vinyl-coated or otherwise sealed. Steam and dilute stripper sit on that film until you perforate it. Wickes also has a line that porous papers, including some painted woodchip, steam well. Do not use that line to skip a score on a wall that is obviously emulsioned. Unpainted porous chips are the exception, and you can see the paper darken.
How long do I hold the plate on woodchip?
DIY Doctor’s woodchip guide uses about 10 seconds after scoring, then a flat scrape, with another 10–15 seconds if it is still stuck. Wickes says no longer than about 30 seconds before you move. Pick one source and stop if the plaster pops. A parked plate is how reviewers blew plaster, including on the BLACK+DECKER sample.
Will the steamer blow the plaster?
It can, if you dwell, or if the plaster was already weak. BLACK+DECKER says to test a patch. A Telegraph decorator describes a dinner-plate of plaster from prolonged steam. Plasterboard softens if you overdo it, which is Wickes’ warning. Short contact after a score is the control you actually have. The brand name does not remove that risk.
Is a chemical better than steam on woodchip?
On a small scored patch, a bottle avoids a hot plate, and that can be the better risk if the plaster is tired. On a whole painted landing, the soak repeats and thick paper still fails in kit reviews. Neither beats an unscored painted face. Do not put the chemical in the tank. DIY Doctor’s mix, if you use one, stays in the sponge.
Which steamer in this folder do reviews mention on woodchip?
BLACK+DECKER reviews mention woodchip that came off, and painted woodchip that needed a score and a second pass. VLOXO English reviews mention woodchip that lifted once steam was up. Wagner reviews mention woodchip faster than a soak, with a separate knife. That is not a winner. It is three files in which the word appears, each with a condition.
When do I stop and get a plasterer?
When the plaster pops, the scraper lifts skim, or a hollow patch fails a knock. Stop steaming that area. A plasterer repairs blown plaster. You cannot steam it back on. If water is in a socket, or you cannot isolate the circuit, call an electrician before anyone patches the wall.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources on plugs, fuses, steam, dilution and plasterboard. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in the eight listings, snapshot 16 October 2026. Prices move.
- Electrical Safety First, wallpaper strippers (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First, plugs and fuses (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE, electrically powered equipment (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Wagner SteamForce manual (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Bartoline wallpaper stripper technical data sheet (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- B&Q, how to remove wallpaper (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Wickes, how to use a wallpaper steamer (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Draper Storm Force 08090 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BLACK+DECKER KX3300T-GB (retrieved 16 October 2026)