Can you wallpaper or plaster straight over woodchip? We live in a really old house and I am frightened to take off the woodchip as I think it is holding up most of the plaster underneath!

Emma, March 2009

You can absolutely do this and it works. Here's how:
1.Sand over woodchip using an electric sander fine/ medium paper.
2. Wipe clean with dry microfibre cloth so you have a clean surface
3. Paper over with thick lining paper or even better some anaglypta. Before you start wretching, and having flash backs to your childhood, check out their rather cool designs. Hive and Deco are particularly lovely with a matt F and B paint on top.
4. Use heavy duty wall paper paste and be generous with it. I did the wall and the paper.
5. The most important step. Ta dar! Look at your beautiful wall, feel smug and happy about all the time and back ache you saved yourself from not stripping ( the woodchip)!
You're welcome.

Renovating Queen, September 2022

the best way with woodchip on an old house if you dont want to get it all replastered is to sand down the woodchip paper with a fine paper and a belt sander basically leaving youy with a lining paper.
still holds the walls together and can paper over without any issues.
replastering of old house was too expensive and this method saved me a fortune

Stephen, February 2013

Apparently there is a wallpaper that Graham & Brown make available in B & Q that covers woodchip. Only one design I believe, I think you put it on with a specialist glue, like a thick PVA. I havent tried it yet but tempted.

Sandy - Brixham, January 2013

Vic, what kind of bonding pva glue is it and do you mix this with water first or just use it straight on?

Var, October 2010

remove the wood chip, gets boreing but well worth it, other than that you will never be happy with the finished job. and may have to remove it all anyway, good luck.

rob harrison, February 2010

yes as long as it is sound use a bonding p v a first let it dry then use ready paste in a tub for heavy duty paper fresco is ideal

vic, January 2010

IS PLASTERING OVER THE WAY FORWARD REGARDS WOODCHIP

ROB, May 2009

how should i know

rick, March 2009

I have recently woodchipped over a wall with top half woodchip and bottom half new plaster (due to damp repairs, bottom half of wall plaster was removed). Removed any loose paper and applied filler along torn edges. hung woodchip. End result was great. Had to run bit of caulk on a couple of seams where it was a bit lumpy, but once painted looked fine.

Handyman, March 2009

I've seen wallpapers in B&Q that purport to be precisely for using over woodchip - they're quite heavily embossed, though, and I'm not convinced that any of them look better than the dreaded woodchip though.

Am contemplating the same thing as I have woodchip holding some of my walls together, but most of the advice I've found on the internet says don't do it. Will be interested in what other people say here.

The Accidental Property Developer, March 2009

if you leave the woodchip on it will only hide problems better to take it off and skim the wall if you skim over the paper it may lift

bob, March 2009