How do I remove the wallpaper from this wall?

Sarah Riffle
by Sarah Riffle

I am trying to remove paint/wallpaper and it started peeling off what looks like cardboard...What type of wall is this??? How do I get the paint/wallpaper off, or do I leave it??? I want to either paint or put a new wallpaper down how to I prep the wall???

  10 answers
  • Unexpected Elegance Unexpected Elegance on Dec 11, 2019

    It looks to me like you are pulling off the drywall paper under the wallpaper? Or it might possibly be a decorative board...I'm not sure. Your best bet might be to leave the wallpaper alone and just prime/paint over it. You'll probably need to sand and patch some of the spots first.

    Good luck!!

  • K. Rupp K. Rupp on Dec 11, 2019

    Hi Sarah, so it looks like it is drywall but because they put paper up they didn't spackle the seam of the drywall. That is my guess. Also looks like 2 layers of wallpaper that they put over each other? Can't really tell from the picture if the green is another wallpaper layer. In either case, this has happened to me where the wallpaper was not put on correctly from the get-go and when you try to remove it, it starts peeling the drywall surface off and pieces tear off as well as the surface of the drywall! That is the brown that you are seeing....peeling layers of the drywall. And this is why I hate wallpaper!!!! You will want to remove most of everything you can! Use a steamer if you have one...like one of those shark steamers will work or you can rent one from abc. If you can't get your hands on a steamer, Use a scoring tool that you can use in circular motions. This will score the wallpaper and cut it into tiny little holes all over. Then you get a wallpaper dissolvant liquid that gets smeared on top of all the holes so that it soaks in. All of this is at Home Depot in the wallpaper section. Run the hot shower for a bit in a bathroom(if it is a bathroom)....would work well to loosen everything up. Then peel off the paper as best you can and use a spackle knife to get up those hard to remove pieces . When you are done and nothing else will come off, you will need to spackle those areas that tore off the drywall (the brown areas) and sand them down to make them smooth with the wall. You may also have to spackle some of the remaining little pieces of wallpaper that you couldn't remove. UGH...I feel your pain on this one. I had to remove wallpaper in every room of our house when we bought it! It's awful. Can I suggest just painting after removal:). I know wallpaper is back...but what a pain in the neck. ha. Good Luck!!!

  • Chloe Crabtree Chloe Crabtree on Dec 11, 2019

    You will have to continue to remove the paper before you paint or re-wallpaper. I suggest steaming. That always worked best for me. You can rent a steamer from a local paint and wallpaper store.

  • Em Em on Dec 11, 2019

    I just did a room with nothing but water my fingers and a microfiber towel. The key is to pick a piece loose and get the underlayment wet. I kept wetting the towel. Wallpaper is in two layers. The underside with the glue is like construction paper and sucks up water. The top layer is the color. Get the underlayment wet as possible thus the wet towel. Do small areas at a time the wetter the better. Rub the towel on the top and edges to soak up the water. Don't use a scraper to try to get dry paper off you will just gouge the wall. If you let the water sit for a few minutes it will peel off nicely, sometimes in large pieces. Make sure you wash off all of the glue on the wall when you are thru so the paint is even and adheres well.

    • Pattie Pattie on Dec 13, 2019

      This is how I removed old wallpaper from my walls. I let the wet paper sit while I moved on to another wall to wet. By time that wall was soaked I was able to go back to the previous wall and just peel away. Like Em said, make sure to thoroughly wash down the walls afterwards. May take a few buckets of clean water to get all the residue off. Allow walls to dry for a day or two before painting or repapering

  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Dec 11, 2019

    The green appears to to be the final surface of the drywall. It's important that you NOT peel that off!


    My go-to for wallpaper removal is DIF concentrate remover. Score the wallpaper with the removal tool (avail at Home Depot, etc.) and then mix the DIF in a hand pump sprayer with HOT water. Spray liberally over the wallpaper and allow to dissolve the glue. It's "ready" when you use your scraper and it comes off in large sheets - dump into a lined garbage can. Continue to spray and remove - you can reheat the DIF if necessary as the hot water makes a huge difference. Clean remnants of the glue off with a final spray of DIF and wiping with clean water.


    You will need to sand the edges where you've ripped the wallboard. Paint all with a good primer before doing anything else so this won't happen in the future.

    • Pattie Pattie on Dec 13, 2019

      Fabric softener (even the cheaper stuff) mixed with water works just as well as DIF and cheaper

  • Dee Dee on Dec 11, 2019

    Use a paper tiger to score the paper then wet down with Downy fabric softener. Let it sit a few minutes then take a plastic scraper to remove the paper.

    Get some premade dry wall mud and use a roller and roll it on the walls after you take the paper off. When completely dry, you can sand it down or not, and prime and paint.

    If you do not want to go through all of that, buy some board and batten and cover the wall.

  • I hate this part! prepping tut tut...But the end result works wonders. Agree with above ..I use hot water in a spray bottle.. Spraying the wall i'll leave 5mins an it scrapes of easy. The backing paper i call it(back bit off wallpaper) dose look brown..be sure you wet that enough to. Remove with your scraper making sure not to be heavy handed like me an hack your walls out...if you keep the paper damp is should remove quite fast. Good luck

  • Robin Davis Robin Davis on Dec 13, 2019

    Rent steam machine. Scrape with putty knife. Usually comes off in one time. If there have been many layers...you may have to repeat process. Easiest way I have discovered. Mi



  • Michelle Leslie Michelle Leslie on Jun 01, 2020

    Hi Sarah, you can buy a really inexpensive tool at the home improvement stores called a wallpaper shark. Its a handheld disk that has rolling cutters in it. Scrape the wall paper with the shark and spray on cheap window cleaner. The stuff you buy for cars. Wait a few minutes. It should easily peel off once it is soaked into the paper.


  • John John on Mar 01, 2022

    Yeah. Moreover, wallpaper printing techniques include surface printing, gravure printing, silk screen printing, rotary printing, and digital printing. Wallpaper is made in long rolls which are hung vertically on a wall.