How to Remove Wallpaper

REMOVING WALLPAPER

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Removing wallpaper can be so easy it takes only fifteen minutes to grab loose corners and pull. It can also be almost impossible. It depends entirely on how the surface beneath the paper was prepared prior to installation, how long the paper has been on the wall and what type of paper it is. Therefore, before attempting to remove it yourself it is helpful to perform a few tests and consider your options.

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EXPERIMENT

Before you do anything you want to determine, as best you, can how easy the paper will come off. If you applied the paper initially, did you "size" the walls? "Sizing is a primer product made to prepare walls for wallpaper and can be found wherever wall paper products are sold. If so, your paper should come off without much difficulty. If paper is applied directly to the sheetrock it's almost impossible to remove it without damaging the sheetrock. Builders often do this when they build a house to save time and money, so if the wallpaper has been there since the house was built this may be true in your case.

Look for a loose corner on your paper and pull it slowly. Is the paper thin or thick? Does the piece break off quickly or does it pull more paper with it? If the paper pulls fairly easy and the paper is thick your job will probably be easier than if it is very thin and stuck firmly to the wall.

CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS

If the paper looks like it doesn't want to budge and the seams, corners and edges are all firmly in place you might want to consider leaving the paper in place and installing new paper over top. If you are planning to paint, the seams can be light spackled and a primer coat applied prior to painting. This can be done by a homeowner but your results may be better if you hire a professional.

TOOLS NEEDED FOR REMOVING PAPER

If you decide to remove the paper, go to Hope Depot, Lowe's or True Value and buy a garden type pump sprayer, a bottle of DIF and a 5 inch spackling tool. You will find all of these things in the wallpaper section of the store.

Mix the DIF with warm water according to the instructions in the pump sprayer. Spray a section of the wall starting at the top and including a seam. The DIF will work into these areas loosening the paper. Let the DIF sit for ten minutes. Working with your spackling tool, if necessary, begin at a corner or a seam and loosening the paper begin to remove the paper by scraping and/or pulling being very careful not to work so fast or dig so deep as to damage the sheetrock. Sometimes if the paper is tightly attached and the walls have not been sealed the paper surface of the sheetrock will pull off with the paper. This requires spackling repair prior to re-papering or painting, and while not impossible to fix, adds work to your project.

Let the DIF do the work for you. Spray ahead of where you are working so it can be loosening a section while you are working on the one that has already been sprayed. If it is not coming of fairly easily, spray a second time and let it sit another 10 to 15 minutes.
As you work, you will begin to get a feel for what works best in your particular situation. You may find once the paper is soaked thoroughly it comes of in sheets.

Once the paper has been removed, the walls will need to be prepped prior to installing new walls or painting. There is a wide variety of circumstances one can encounter at this stage. Wallpaper manufacturers use different types and quantities of glue on their papers. Some is thin and watery and not much of a problem and some are very thick, leaving behind a heavy layer of residue. If you are wallpapering, it is less of a problem than if you are painting. Still, if a substantial amount of glue remains on the wall you will want to scrape it off and wash the walls down with water or a mix of water and DIF just enough to remove the bulk of it.

When painting after removing wallpaper, wall preparation is more important. The walls will need to be thoroughly and completely cleaned of any glue residue. If glue remains on the wall when the paint is applied it will dry and crack and leaving spidery cracks in the newly painted area. After washing down the walls, they will need to be completely sanded and any damaged areas repaired. Finally, a primer coat, such as KILZ, should be applied prior to painting for best results.

Remember, prior to wallpapering always paint your walls with "sizing" first. This will ensure an easier installation and easier removal in the future.

How to Remove Wallpaper

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