How do you remove wallpaper?

Lela Leveefleur
by Lela Leveefleur

How do you remove wallpaper? I've read articles and watched several videos. Wondered if you had advice.

  5 answers
  • Nan W. Nan W. on Jan 08, 2019

    Lela: I hate to tell you this, but there is no magic way to do this. It's hard work --- but SO worth the reward! Prepare to get dirty and sticky... and have a bottle of wine chilling in frig.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvBdijrPSGA

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Jan 08, 2019

    If it is regular wallpaper, I like using a clothes steamer to warm and loosen the glue and paper. If it has a vinyl coating, you need to heavily score the vinyl coat or pull it off and then use the steamer or I have heard of people using a combination of water with conditioner or softener sprayed on it. By scoring the vinyl it will allow the moisture to get to the paper. I had a wall in the entryway and stairway to the basement of a house we purchased back in the eighties that was covered with contact paper. I hated it and I ended up taking off the vinyl then using a steamer to get the underlying paper and glue off.

  • Vimarhonor Vimarhonor on Jan 08, 2019

    Hello Lela,

    We have never used a steamer for wallpaper removal. We’ve had great success with the paper tiger wall paper perforator tool and spray on wallpaper remover products similar to these


  • Anne Murphy Anne Murphy on Jan 09, 2019

    Try fabric softner, it works wonders

  • Bonnie Wall Bonnie Wall on Jan 09, 2019

    Agree with Anne Murphy. We bought a cabin full of vinyl wallpaper. Scored the paper with the wall paper tool mentioned above and sprayed with a solution of half hot water and half fabric softener. The vinyl layer pulled off in long strips and left the paper backing on the wall. We then sprayed the hot water/softener solution on the paper and let it almost dry, starting at the top of the wall we peeled the strips off from top to bottom in one piece (each strip of wallpaper). Worked like a dang miracle. Good luck to you!