You’re ready to ditch the old wallpaper you put up ages ago and ready to welcome new trends and update your home. The wallpaper had its place at one point but with all the other options for decorating and designing your home, including painting an accent wall, or giving your home a facelift it’s time to get rid of that old wallpaper reminiscent of your grandmother's home.
Removing wallpaper doesn’t have to be difficult, but you must collect a few items and follow some instructions. Keep reading below for our guide on how to remove wallpaper!
What You Will Need:
• Putty knife
• Wallpaper scoring tool
• Pressure Sprayer
• Hot water
• Vinegar; or
• Fabric Softener
• Screwdriver
• Safety glasses
• Drop cloth or tarp
• Painter’s tape
After you collect the supplies you need, it’s time to begin!
The Process:
1. The first step is to protect your floors and outlets since you will be spraying water on the walls. Lay down your tarp or drop cloth, put outlet covers on your outlets and use your painter’s tape to cover them and tape down your tarp or drop cloth if you feel the need to.
2. Start prying up your wallpaper. Most wallpapers will have an outer layer and an adhesive inner layer. Start removing wallpaper using your putty knife or paint scraper. Find an edge where the wallpaper was placed and start scraping it off the wall. Sometimes wallpaper comes off in sheets, but only if you’re lucky!
3. Score wallpaper. For most wallpaper removal processes, you will need to apply a hot water solution to the paper and adhesive backing in order to reactivate the adhesive and help it come off the wall. Some types are easier to remove than others, depending on the area of wallpaper you are removing, so be patient!
4. Mix a hot water solution made from fabric softener or vinegar. When creating a hot water solution to help you remove wallpaper with fabric softener you are going to use a ratio of ¼ of fabric softener to ¾ water. If you choose to make a vinegar solution, use a ratio of 1/3 of vinegar to 2/3 of hot water. Mix your choice of solution and put it into a household pressure sprayer and spray the areas you want to remove the wallpaper. Again, before you do this, be sure your floor, carpet, and electrical outlets are covered and put your safety glasses on. It is also a good idea to cut the electricity to the outlets in the room using your breaker box to protect yourself from accidental electrocution.
5. Apply your choice of the two solutions above and wait for 2 to 3 minutes for the solution to work its magic. Once you’ve waited, use your paint scraper to pry a corner of wet wallpaper off the wall and dispose of it properly. Cleaning as you go will make things a lot easier later! Repeat this process until you’ve removed the desired wallpaper.
6. Remove any remaining adhesive. Once the wallpaper is gone, there may be some adhesive left on the wall. You can remove it by going over the walls another one or two times with your hot water solution and paint scraper. Use a clean, damp rag to wipe the wall down as you go.
7. That’s it! Once you’ve removed the wallpaper, it’s time to start thinking about what you want your walls to look like. Use an oil-based primer to prepare your wall for a new coat of paint and spruce up your space!
We Can Help!
If you’re not feeling up to doing a DIY Wallpaper removal project, we can help! One of the many services we provide for our clients is wallpaper removal! Contact us to book a consultation and set up a wallpaper removal project, by clicking here!