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Project Difficulty:
Moderate
Estimated
Project Time: 1/2 day
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Wallpaper-removing solution or gel remover
Spray bottle
Hot water
Scarifier or coarse floor-sanding paper
Scraper or broad knife
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Whether you want to repaper your walls or paint a plain palette to highlight your furnishings, you first must determine if the existing wallpaper has a smooth surface and is firmly adhered to the wall.
If it is, you can paint or paper over it, but if it's not, you'll need to strip it all off. This may be easy or not-so-easy, depending on the type of paper it is, what it was glued with, and the condition of the walls underneath.
But take heart: here's all you need to know to permanently remove offensive or decrepit paper from your room.
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1.
Basic Removal Tips
Before wielding a scraper or renting a wallpaper steamer, see if you can avoid the mess by simply peeling the paper off the wall.
Using a scraper or putty knife, lift a small corner of the existing paper (Fig. 1). Avoid pulling it straight out from the wall because that may tear the wall surface; rather, pull the paper away at a shallow angle. If the wallpaper comes off without causing excessive damage to the wall surface, continue peeling. Some professionals find a kitchen rolling pin to be the perfect tool to remove dry-strippable wallpaper. (Fig. 2)
If the wallpaper does not completely dry-strip, use a spray bottle filled with hot water and wallpaper-removing solution to saturate a test area (about 4 square feet). Alternatively, try a gel remover, which minimizes mess as well as potential water damage to woodwork and floors.
Allow the solution to soak in for about 15 minutes, but no longer than 20 (don't oversoak existing paper since remover solution can penetrate the drywall and cause significant damage).
If the wallpaper is porous, the solution will immediately be absorbed and dissolve the old adhesive. But if the surface isn't porous, the solution will not soak in, so you'll need to score the surface before applying the wallpaper remover (Fig. 3). You can use a specially designed scarifying (scoring) tool, coarse floor-sanding paper, or the toothed edge of a handsaw. Hopefully at that point, using a scraper or broad knife, you can remove the wallpaper.
Note that the decorative surface of some wallpaper is designed to separate from the paper backing during removal. If you have this type of paper, simply dry-strip the decorative surface, and then use the wallpaper-removing solution and a broad knife to strip the backing from the wall.
Of course, no matter how carefully you work, if the wall surface was not prepared properly, it may be impossible to remove the wallpaper without causing excessive damage to the wall surface. If this is the case, it's generally better to install new wallpaper right over the current paper.
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2.
Tips on Removing Specific Wallcoverings
Commercial Vinyl
Most commercial wallcoverings easily dry-strip from sound walls. The job is even easier if you pull the wallcovering off at about a 10-degree angle, and in narrow (4- to 6-inch) wide pieces.
Cork Veneer, Felt, and Suede
Cork veneer is shaved from cork planks and then laminated to a substrate paper. Felt and suede wallcoverings have a leather-like napped finish resembling goatskin leather. Generally, you remove these kinds of wallcoverings by first stripping the decorative surface from the backing. If necessary, score the remaining substrate paper with coarse floor-sanding paper, and then soak it with full-strength wallpaper-removing solution. Once the solution soaks in, use a broad knife to scrape off the backing. If the substrate is completely secured to the wall surface, you can install new wallpaper over it, but preferably remove both layers.
Flocked
These wallcoverings are made from very fine cotton, silk, or nylon fibers. If the substrate is paper, use a wallpaper-removing solution or a steamer. If the paper won't budge and you have to score the surface, first moisten the flock fibers to keep them together. Then saturate the scored surface with remover for about 15 minutes and remove the paper with a broad knife. If the flocked paper has a fabric backing, it should peel away like a commercial wallcovering.
Foil
Foils have a thin sheet of aluminum laminated onto a substrate of paper or scrim. Sometimes, a polyester sheet is sandwiched between them to prevent water in the adhesive from contacting the foil. Score foil paper with rough sandpaper and wet it with a wallpaper-removing solution.
Grasscloth, Hemp, Jute Weave, Paper Weave, Reedcloth, Stringcloth, and Rushcloth
These handcrafted wallcoverings are made from various natural plant materials. Remove the decorative surface by saturating it with wallpaper-removing solution and scraping; then repeat the procedure to remove the paper backing. If the backing won't come off the wall, let it dry; then sand it and use it as a liner paper.
Expanded Vinyl
Its raised appearance has been heat-embossed using a thermoplastic material such as vinyl. The surface layer normally can be peeled away, but the paper backing will remain on the wall. You can use this backing as a liner paper for the new wallcovering or scrape it off after soaking it with a mixture of warm water and removing solution.
Liner Paper
This plain paper often is used as a smooth backing for wallpaper. You can install most wallpapers over liner paper that's securely bonded to the wall. If you need to remove a liner paper, try dry-stripping it first; then soak and scrape it.
Moiré
Most moiré wallcovering has a paper backing and resembles solid sheet vinyl. The decorative surface will peel away from the backing, but the backing requires soak-and-scrape treatment.
Photo Mural
You can usually delaminate the decorative surface from the backing. If that doesn't work, score, spray, and scrape it.
Mylar
The foil-like surface of this paper generally dry-strips from the backing, which responds to soaking and scraping.
Solid Sheet Vinyl, Silkscreen Prints, and Wet Look
The vinyl decorative surface of these wallcoverings can be removed by pulling the surface layer from the paper backing. The backing is then removed by soaking with removing solution and scraping.
Standard Paper
This pulp paper with a thin vinyl coating can be scuffed with coarse sandpaper, sprayed with warm water mixed with removing solution, left to soak for about 15 minutes, then scraped off the wall.
Vinyl-Coated
Most vinyl-coated papers (many are prepasted) can be dry-stripped off a wall. If necessary, score the surface with sandpaper or a scarifying tool, and then soak with removing solution and scrape.
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