How do you remove wallpaper?

Question

Wallpaper has been on the wall for 17 years, it's time to refresh with paint.  How do you take the paper down?

Marion Nesbitt · Answer

Forget the variety of wallpaper remover products. Buy or borrow a wallpaper steamer. Best thing I ever bought. Make cross-hatch cuts on the paper. Then sponge on hot water to saturate. Keep area wet. Apply the steamer on a section Lift off the paper with a drywall scraper. Finish by wiping down with warm water and vinegar to remove residual traces of glue.

Sul2896164 · Answer

I bought a small clothes steamer...worked awesome!!!! Cheap and easy to handle!

Mpritchard · Answer

spray bottle mixture of fabric softener and water I... 1/4 softener to water. If your paper is vinyl strip this off first. Bonus your room will smell nice.

Janet Pizaro · Answer

White vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle should do the trick.

Dianna · Answer

If it's been up for a long time it will probably come down easy. The easiest cheapest way for us has been rubbing alcohol. Soak the wall paper with it and the good thing is it dries fast and sanitizes the walls at the same time

Susieq.ksm · Answer

Cheapest way I know is with a spray bottle of hot water. First get ahold of the outer layer of the paper pull it off usually it comes off eassley then spray the paper backing take a wide spatula after a few minutes and it will scrape away eassly. It is slow going wash down the clean wall with vinaiger water to remove all the glue left on the wall then soap and water. Let it dry and your ready to paint. I have removed a whole house of wall paper this way.

Sbsb1005 · Answer

Depends how it was hung. There is an inexpensive tool in the paint department that you rub over the paper - it makes pin holes in the paper without damaging the walls. This allows whatever solution you use to get the paper off to soak through. If the paper has a vinyl coating you definitely need to do this. If it is a more paper consistency it may come off with warm water. Get it wet a section at a time and then use a scraper. If the backing stays on thats ok, just wet it and it will come off easily. After you remove all the paper repeat this over and over - Never again - never again! ; )

Jan Loehr · Answer

In my experience, the easiest way is to hire a professional to remove this paper....it is a backbreaking, messy, exhausting job....and then the wall will probably have to be 're-mudded' to fill in the gouges and uneven scrapes you will undoubtedly leave from trying to remove old paper....I would get some quotes to start....I had my dining room paper removed (which I put up myself) and it was so worth the little bit of money to have a pro take it down, then the room was ready for me to paint.

Mer2955898 · Answer

I have removed plenty of wallpaper in my many years , I dilute any type of fabric softener with warm water that boarders on hot. About half a cup of softener to two or three cups of water. Mix in pail or spray bottle wet an area of paper let sit a few minutes, scrape off with  scraper. Works like a charm. Good luck.

Tanner Clark · Answer

I swear by using GAIN laundry detergent mixed with water. Turn your heat up and soak the walls I have gotten luky last few jobs and not even had to do more than a minimul scorring with a wallpaper scorer

Mary · Answer

Spray the wall with warm water (add soap, vinegar, whatever works for you), and get out your hair dryer! Works great on the nastiest oldest wallpaper.

Cheryl Gyles · Answer

You can also use a hand steamer, the kind used for getting out wrinkles in clothing. Score the paper with a scoring tool found in any big box hardware store, steam the wallpaper, small sections at a time, then scrape off with a scraper or putty knife.

Jackie Bethea · Answer

we just finished taking down the paper in the living room. it is hard work, but we were quoted a price of $800 so we did it ourselves. if there is any sort of vinyl as a component of the paper, it really helps to perforate this to allow the remover to get under. we went to home depot and bought a perforator, a scraper with extra blades and a large economy size bottle of wall paper remover (we already had a spray bottle to apply). they were helpful at the store and i think you will get good advice at any hardware store. just as when you clean, give the remover time to work and your job will be much easier. i did run into trouble removing the vinyl in a bathroom where it had been applied directly to the walls without a coat of paint or primer first. this was a bit more of a problem and i hope this will not be your experience.

Ron · Answer

Rip the outer layer off then use a spray bottle filled with water and spray and scrap the rest off

Beth H. Makemeprettyagain.blogspot · Answer

make sure you score the paper first so the liquid can get behind it and soften the glue. The wallpaper scorer is at the big box stores. They sort of look like a pastry roller thing you make ravioli with.

Dixie Mains-Zobal · Answer

I used a spray bottle with hot water mixed with Downey or fabric softener of your choice. (I just happened to have Downey on hand) I sprayed two sections at a time, then waited about ten minutes. Using a putty knife or scraper, I started at the bottom and it lifted right up.

Throwdowne · Answer

Buy a steamer at Lowes for $50. It worth it. I just took down wallpaper that's been up for 42 years.

Pat Croley · Answer

Not much hope now that you have started removing the paper but if you hadn't you could have just painted over it. Our interior designer did just that in our bathroom and no one is able to tell that we painted over paper. Perfect. There was even a spot that had been messed up and he fixed it with spackle and painted. We love it.

How do you remove wallpaper?

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How do you remove wallpaper?

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