How to Remove Old Wallpaper

No one has ever said “Wow, I’m really looking forward to spending this weekend removing old wallpaper!” And for good reason – it’s a tough job that can be really frustrating and tedious, especially if you’re removing wallpaper that’s been hanging for a long time. But we’ve got some tips to help you out that will make wallpaper removal just a little bit easier, if not exactly fun. And your end result will be walls that are smooth and ready to paint or wallpaper again.

It’s going to take some time and patience to remove the wallpaper and prepare the walls for whatever treatment is going up next, be that paint or new wallpaper.  So, you will need to put aside a whole day for this project.

You’ll want to do the majority of the work on the first day, so be prepared to start early. Then count on a second day to be spent preparing the walls for their new covering.

There’s going to be a lot of sticky, wet stuff going on, so it’s important that you take time before you start to protect the rest of the room. Remove any furniture that you can; anything you can’t take out should be covered in plastic and moved to the middle of the room.

Cover the rest of the floor with plastic, taping around the edges so that water can’t go under the plastic. Use towels as you work to absorb water runoff.

Remove moldings, chair rails, vents, outlet covers and switch plates, and cover any openings with plastic and tape. Turn off electricity to the room and use hanging work lamps with extension cords for lighting.

Look for a loose corner of wallpaper; you can usually find it near the ceiling or under a switch plate. Use a putty knife to lift up the facing until you can grab it; then steadily tear the facing off the wall. It’s likely not going to come off in one big piece so don’t expect it to.  It all depends on how long the wallpaper has been up.

Water isn’t necessary at this point. The backing absorbs water faster, so it will be easier to do that after.

Removing older wallpaper can be much more difficult. If it won’t come off at all, you’ll need to use a scoring tool. This works by punching tiny holes through the facing that allow water to get through to the backing. Be careful not to poke holes right into the drywall however.

Once you have peeled or scored the facing, it’s time to apply hot water to soften the paste. You can use a large sponge or a foam floor mop, that will give you more control over how much water you apply. You can even fill an empty spray bottle with water and spray directly onto the walls.

Work in small sections, soaking and peeling. Apply the water with your sponge and let it soak until you can use a putty knife to pull the backing away from the wall.

Begin scraping off the backing using a putty knife or flexible metal spatula. Don’t scrape too vigorously – if the drywall is soft, you could gouge into it. A flexible blade is important to minimize any damage to the wall.

You may at this point be wondering why we haven’t recommended a steamer and the reason is that they are more trouble than they are worth.  Trust us, spraying water and/or using wet sponges is the easier way to do this kind of job.

Be careful to remove all the paste on the walls otherwise, you will have trouble applying your paint.  Your surface won’t look smooth and over time, your paint will begin to crack.

One of the best ways to get the last bits of paste is to sand your walls.  You don’t need to run out and buy and electric sander to do this.  Simply purchase a non-electric hand sander that comes with a broom length pole and go over all the walls to remove any remaining residue but do this only after the walls are dry otherwise you might damage the drywall.

Next, fill in any holes or scratches with Poly Filla or drywall compound using your scraper, allow to dry and then sand again.

If you’re planning on painting your now naked walls, apply a coat of primer first on all the walls to ensure your paint will adhere properly, even if you’re planning on using a paint that already has primer in it.  This is especially important if you’ve used Poly Filla anywhere.  Then you can apply your finish coat and enjoy the results of your efforts.

No doubt that removing wallpaper is a big and messy job and you might be better off farming out this task to a professional painting company in the Kitchener area.  Call 519-635-0253 right now to arrange for a free consultation and quote.