How can I remove wallpaper?

Question

We have the ugliest wallpaper in our house and it is a double layer wall paper. What is the easiest, cheapest, less mess way to get it off our walls with out damaging hte wall surface underneath?

Answer 1

Lots of warm water and a cup of fabric softener per gallon of water.Make sure wall paper is well soaked before you hit it with the putty knife. You may have to put a lot of elbow grease in to it but remember to use the fabric softener and warm water.If this doesn't work go to the rental shop and rent a wall paper steamer, cost around 20/day.

Answer 2

The Wagner Power Steamer is crap. Don't waste your money or your time with that thing.

Go to your local hardware store and get a wallpaper scorer. It looks like a hockey puck with a set of gears underneath. The gears have tiny knives on the teeth. LIGHTLY run this over the wallpaper. If you push too hard, you'll put dimples in the wall.

Next, people will tell you to try DIF and other wallpaper removers, but I've found the best thing is cheap and easy. DIF works well, but it's more expensive.

Go out and get a cheap pump sprayer (Link below - I've seen some for less than $10)... Fill it up halfway with white vinegar and then fill the rest with hot water (as hot as you can get it). Pump it up and saturate the walls. Wait about 5-10 minutes and spray the walls down again. The wallpaper should come right off in a whole sheet. If it doesn't, spray again.

As a side note, you could even add a little DIF (or other wall paper glue solvent) to the vinegar and water mix. It's not necessary, but it can't hurt.

Once the wallpaper is off, spray the wall with the vinegar mixture, get a Scotch-Brite pad, and some dish soap. Wash the wall to get all the glue off of it and let it dry.

The next day, go over the wall and fill any cracks, divots, dimples, and gouges with spackle (I much prefer Joint Compound - the builders version of spackle). Once that dries, lightly sand it and you're ready for primer. Once it's been primed, you can paint it or hang new wallpaper.

Answer 3

Go to the paint store or home improvement store. You want to purchase a putty knife scraping tool (metal flex blade), plenty of DIF (the kind you have to dillute, dont buy the premixed kind, you will see why), a spray bottle, a "Papertiger" or "Wolverine" depending on where you go ( a small tool used to score the surface of the wallpaper) and some drop clothes cause it is gonna get messy.

First start by taking the putty knife you bought and use a grinder to round the corners to a nice round curve, this will prevent you from gouging the drywall behind the paper later.

Then lay down drop clothes and maybe even tape them to the base boards if you dont want water on the floor. Use a good water proof kind of tape though I am afraid blue tape wont do it this time and you may need to repaint the base boards later.

Use the "Papertiger" or "Wolverine" to simply in round strokes over the top of the wall score the paper. This tool will not damage the drywall but will make it possible for the stripper to get under the paper to the surface where the adhesive is. Make sure you use the tool over the entire surface to be stripped.

Then, you want to mix the DIF as directed with the hottest water you can get. Make sure it is very hot this is key. This is why you dont want to buy the premixed stuff cause you cant really add hot water to it. Just make sure you mix it really hot either directly in the spray bottle or ina seperate recepticle then pour in in a spray bottle. Once mixed properly then you spray it over the entire surface and be generous (this is why the drop clothes). Let it sit for around 15 minutes or so and instead of starting to scrape like the bottle will tell you spray some more on and repeat maybe three applications before you start to remove the paper.

You may be able to get it started somewhere at this point just by using your hands and peeling it back. In some areas you will have to scrape with your scraper you have grinded (remeber the round corners will help keep you from destroying the drywall by gouging it).

Once the paper is removed you want to make sure all of the adhesive is gone by a combination of using the stripper and scraper and perhaps even sanding in some areas.

After all the adhesive is gone prime the wall with the proper primer, if you are gonn paint use a high hold out or PVA primer and do a couple coats. If you are gonna rewallpaper you can get prewallpaper primer. Then either paint or wallpaper whatever you choose.

If you happen to gouge the drywall anyways you can just patch as neccessary with some non-shrink spackle, or if you really mess it up just go to your local home improvement store and buy a small scrap of drywall. You would then want to cut out a small sqaure from the drywall containing the damaged area and just replace with a new piece and patch around.

Good luck!

Answer 4

get a presurized bug spray dispenser you pump up fillit with hot water and a little laundry soap low sudsing stuff get a wall paper scuffer it will be a palm size device withe pointy spurs on several wheels roll this over the paper and with the hot water the hoter the better spray the paper down wait 15 minutes and repeat wait 15 minutes and repeat the paper should begin to come of the wall now on its own at this point help it out with a 10" or 12" wall board knife or blade spatula whatever you feel comfortable calling it . hold it at a 45 degree angle and scrape the paper lose any thing that does not come of easlily spray again and wait then spray some more .you will pick it up pretty quick once you begin to see how the paper just slides of the wall .HAVE fun and do not be afraid to soak the paper good .you can spread a cloth painters thing on the ground .you know one of those covers to keep paint from getting on furniture .apainters thing made of cloth .plastic is slippery so do not use that painters tarp maybe well you can get them at the home depot or use some old bed sheets .the ones you were going to give the salvatin army with only one hole in them .lol

Answer 5

Spray it with any window cleaner, or if you're in a pinch, just spray or sponge soapy water or watered-down fabric softener on the wallpaper. Let it soak then peal it off. If you do it right it will be like when it was first put on (it'll slide around easily).

Now, if you want you could just use primer, paint over the wallpaper, then paint your new color on top of that. It depends on what you think you'll find underneath the wallpaper (might be lots of nail holes or other blemishes someone was using the wallpaper to cover up...

Good Luck.

Answer 6

you buy this little tool at the hardware store, called a wallpaper scorer. (it looks like a little ball with spiked wheels)
Now don't buy wallpaper remover, it's too expensive. Mix 1 cup of liquid fabric softener, with one gallon of water. Score all the wall paper with the tool, then apply the watered down fabric softener with a sponge, all over the wall paper. Make it wet, but not super wet. then wait about 15 minutes, and it should just peel right off!

Answer 7

My husband and I just did this in a huge room and bathroom. You can use a mixture of ammonia and water. Spray on the paper and wait about 10-15 minutes. Then use a puddy knife to gently scrape the paper off. If there is still some left on there then you can spray and repeat again/ Good luck!

Answer 8

i went to Lowes and bought this wall paper remover that smells like oranges and mixed with water in a spray bottle waited 15 minutes and the paper came right off , even the backing .in fact I'll be picking up some to redo my Mom's new house .

Answer 9

The easiest and fastest way to get rid of it is by sparying some windex on it. Spray all over the wall paper until it's wet. Let it soak in for a few min and it will come off by itself. all you will need to do is pull it off.....gd lk

Answer 10

There is some stuff called DIF wallpaper remover, but really, if it has been there for a really long time, it is going to be hard to get off. Good scraping!! You will definitely have to paint.