WALLPAPER REMOVAL

If you mention “wallpaper removal” to most people, they usually make a face like they have smelled a bad odor. They would rather make a trip to the dentist than face a roomful of old wallpaper that needs to come down. I can’t say that we have the solution to make wallpaper removal enjoyable, but over the years we have learned some tricks that help make the job go faster, so at least the unpleasantness doesn’t last for quite so long. Just a note: This is not meant to be the final word on wallpaper removal. Others may have different methods. But this method works for us, and so we share it with all of you.

The materials you will need is as follows: a scoring tool, sometimes known as a Paper Tiger, for perforating the surface of the wallpaper, a pump-up sprayer, the kind used for spraying weeds in the garden, lots of towels or cloth drop-cloths to soak up excess water, 2 buckets, a putty knife 3” or 6” wide, Ivory dishwashing soap, fabric softener, green Scotchbrite pads, a good-sized sponge, 2” masking tape, large plastic trash bags, and a step ladder.

Begin by testing a small piece of wallpaper. Use a putty knife to lift a seam and pull the paper away from the wall. If you get a large piece to come loose, leaving the backing still stuck to the wall, it is probably “strippable” wallpaper. Be grateful, because your day just got a whole lot easier. Strippable wallpaper is made so that the vinyl on the top will pull away in large sheets, leaving the backing to be relatively easy to wet down and remove. If your test only gets you a small piece, grab the Paper Tiger and get busy scoring the paper. Score it a lot. If you could pick one or two square inches at random and find it scored, that’s about enough.

Put down drop-cloths or towels next to the wall you want to start on. As an option, I sometimes will put 2” masking tape about 1” above the baseboards and make a “drip edge” so that water doesn’t run behind the baseboards and warp them. Fill the sprayer with hot water and add one cap of fabric softener per gallon of water. (You can also use a chemical wallpaper remover such as DIF.) Wet down 3 strips of wallpaper. A fine spray of water is better than having the water running down the wall. You want the water to stay on the wall as long as possible and soak into the perforations made by the Paper Tiger.

If you are a type-A personality, this part will be difficult, but now you wait for 5 minutes. Now would be a good time to fill the two buckets with warm water. In one bucket, squirt a good bit of Ivory dishwashing soap. Get a green Scotchbrite pad and put in that bucket. Get your sponge and dip into the second bucket and wring it out so it’s damp. Wet down the 3 strips of wallpaper again. Wait another 5 minutes. You may have to wet the wall more often if it starts to dry out too quickly, but keep it damp for at least 10 minutes before you attempt to take down any paper. Starting at the top of the first sheet, take the putty knife and pry up a corner and pull. Most likely the backing will still be dry, so wet it down and wait another 5 minutes. Now go to work on the first sheet. It may come off in a full sheet or in pieces, but keep at it. Use more water as needed to keep the paper from drying out. Don’t forget to keep the other 2 strips of wallpaper wet as well. And go ahead and wet down the next 2 strips beyond them as well.

After you get the paper and the backing off the wall, you need to remove the glue from the wall. If there is a lot of glue, scrape as much as possible off with a putty knife. (You can scrape the excess glue into a large margarine container or wipe it on the just-removed sheet of wallpaper.) Now grab your bucket with the Scotchbrite and start at the top scrubbing down the wall. Grab the damp sponge and wipe back and forth down the wall. You will probably want to rinse it out halfway down the wall. Remember, you want to remove the excess glue not smear it around. (Removing the glue is important because wallpaper glue left on the wall will over time eat through latex paint and discolor the finish.) Also, you will probably want to change water in your rinse bucket about every 4 of 5 strips, depending on how much glue is on the wall. Put the paper in a trash bag and grab the sprayer. Wet down the 4 strips again and start removing the next one in line. As you work around the room, keep wetting strips ahead so that they soak for about 15 minutes before you start removing them.

Wallpaper manufacturers use various formulas for their glue. If it appears that fabric softener isn’t working well, you can try using Ivory dishwashing soap instead. Don’t, however, use both of them at once in your sprayer. They just don’t have the right chemistry to be compatible together. If neither one of these work, you may have to try DIF or another chemical made specifically for wallpaper removal.

Well, there you have it. It still is hard work to get that darned stuff off the wall, but I’ve always been told that such things build character and help develop patience. Now you aren’t planning on putting wallpaper back up on those walls are you? 

Take a look through our site and find out with what you can replace that old wallpaper.  Our CLASSES page will show you some designs you can learn to do yourself.