What is the best way to remove old wallpaper?

By Paul Grimes

The wallpaper in your master bath may have made someone happy fifty years ago. But it is not for you. Learn how to get rid of old wallpaper without damaging walls before you begin to tear it down in strips.

Here are the tools you need to remove old wallpaper

  • Fabric softener
  • Garbage can be bagged or in cans
  • Hot water
  • Tape for Painters
  • Painter’s Tarp
  • A 5″-long, rigid Putty knife is the best.
  • Rags
  • Safety glasses
  • Screwdriver
  • Spray bottle
  • Utility knife
  • Vinegar
  • Wallpaper scoring tool

Prep to Protect Yourself and Your Room

Spraying water on walls is a common practice, so it’s important to protect yourself and your room.

  1. Place a painter’s tarp.
  2. Tape it to the ground to secure it.
  3. Tape the outlets and then trim the excess with a utility knife.
  4. These tips and tricks will make even the most stubborn wallpaper easy to remove.

Scrape!

The outer decorative layer is the adhesive layer. To pry the wallpaper up, locate a seam or tear and use a putty knife to gently push it under. If you are lucky, the wallpaper will come off in sheets. You can continue to the next step if it doesn’t.

Grab What’s Left

If the wallpaper doesn’t easily peel off in sheets, you will need to use hot water to completely remove it. You can perforate the outer layer with your scoring tool. This will allow the solution to penetrate. You don’t want the solution to be able to penetrate sheetrock and plaster.

Spray on the Solution

Hot water combined with either vinegar or fabric softener is the best way to get rid of old wallpaper. You may need to combine both vinegar and fabric softener to determine which one works best for your wallpaper. The most important ingredient is hot water.

The first is 1/3 household vinegar and 1/3 hot water. The second solution is 1/4 fabric softener with 3/4 hot water.

Use hot water from the tap or tea kettle to mix with the product in a spray can. Safety goggles are required. Grab a bag or garbage can to dispose of the wallpaper. This will help you save time later.

Use the Solution to Scrape Again

  1. Spray the solution onto a section of wall measuring four feet in width using your sprayer.
  2. Allow the solution to work for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Use your scraper to rip off a corner or edge.
  4. You can then take the wallpaper apart in sheets and place it in a bag or can.
  5. You should work the entire surface when it is wet.
  6. Spray the pieces you have left and then scrape them again.
  7. Turn off the power supply to the room.
  8. Take off the tape covering the outlets.
  9. Remove any wallpaper from the outlets.

Take out the adhesive

There may be adhesive left behind even after you have removed wallpaper. Here are some ways to get rid of it.

  1. To keep them dry, cover the switches and outlets with painter’s tape.
  2. Use the hot water solution to spray the walls in sections of four feet.
  3. You can scrape the adhesive off the paint just as you did with the paint.
  4. Wipe the walls with a damp, clean rag.
  5. Allow the walls to dry before you can patch, prime and paint them.