Removing wallpaper question

Elle
by Elle
Whoever adhered the wallpaper in our bathroom did a GREAT job-stuck on like it is the wall! What is the easiest and best way to remove?

  11 answers
  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on May 21, 2018

    Hi Elle, they make "wallpaper steamers" which is literally just hot steam that "melts" the glue behind the paper and makes it possible to take it down.

  • Shirley H Cooper Shirley H Cooper on May 21, 2018

    Someone let me borrow a steam blower for wall paper, It worked so good, I think she had bought it at one of the big outlets but I think a hair blower set on high will work just as good , Hold it close to the wall , wave it back and forth, then try to pull it off , mine came off easily ! Good Luck !

  • Suzann Suzann on May 21, 2018

    What have you tried already?

  • Dfm Dfm on May 21, 2018

    Is it wall board or wall paper. Wall board has a design on it similare to wall paper, but is laminated on. You can prime and paint over it.

  • V Smith V Smith on May 21, 2018

    To say "easy" would be untrue. Wallpaper removal is a pain in the arse, unless someone does it for you. Score it, soak it, steam it, scrape it, scrub it, repeat. If you plan to paint, make sure you remove all of the residual glue from the walls. Wallpaper paste stays water soluable forever and can bubble up years later to ruin your painted finish. For the "soak it" step there are products specifically meant to help dissolve the glue and some say that fabric softener will work too.

  • Janet Panos Janet Panos on May 21, 2018

    Hello Elle! Another method would be to take a box cutter and score the wallpaper, being careful not to score to cheaply so that the wall is not damaged. In other words, just score lightly. Then take hot water to which fabric softener has been added. Spray the wallpaper with this mixture and allow it to soak into the wallpaper to loosen the glue. You should be able to peel off sections of wallpaper. Apply a second time if necessary, but this should allow you to scrape a large portion of the wallpaper off. Good luck!

  • Fiddledd224 Fiddledd224 on May 21, 2018

    Check out my site for specifics - I had a terrible time removing wallpaper. Here's a GUARANTEED way to help: Mix warm water with a generous amount of liquid fabric softener. Apply generously to the wallpaper and wait 10 minutes (scoring the paper will help, but is not required). The paper should peel right off.

  • Elle Elle on May 21, 2018

    WOW! Thank you for all the suggestions! Once I get the nerve/courage to actually do it I’ll let u know results!!! Thank you all again! 😊e

  • 33452688 33452688 on May 21, 2018

    maybe that the surface of the wallpaper is more or less waterproff, so you have to scratch the surface to let water under it so it is able to get to loosen the hold of the adhesive what was used to stick the paper to the wall... so scrath the surface, water it, wait a while and try to remove it

  • Elle Elle on May 21, 2018

    Thanks to all of you responding to my inquiry!