How do I get old wallpaper/border down?

Answer 1

Mix 1 part vinegar with 1 part water and spray the paper. You may have to peel off the printed top coat first.

If you purchase a scoring tool it will make your job go alot faster. The tool is round with little teeth that punch holes into the paper to allow the vinegar water solution to get into the glue.

Answer 2

I was going to explain my method of using a wet sponge to easily remove your border and decided to do a search on it. I found the following self-help article on a web site that explains a few ways to remove the paper perfectly. Hope it helps

The best way to remove the wallpaper border depends on what type of wallpaper was used, what type of surface it was glued on and what type of adhesive was used. One of the easiest things you can try is to use a hair dryer to heat the wallpaper border which may loosen the adhesive enough to let you peel it off.

Usually if the border has been glued to wallpaper, it will come off fairly easy. Slightly mist it down and use a plastic scraper to remove it from the wall. If the wallpaper border has a vinyl covering that won’t let the water or any commercial wallpaper remover soak through, use a perforation tool over the entire surface of the border to allow it to soak in.

If the wallpaper border has been glued directly onto a painted wall, use warm water and some commercially available wallpaper remover and give it plenty of time to soak in before you try to scrap it off. I have never had to use a commercial remover. A wet sponge is usually all it took.

Steaming also works well for removing wallpaper borders. Steam the entire surface of the wallpaper border. Start from the bottom to the topmost part in sections. If the adhesive is very strong, steam the boarder twice or more until the wallpaper boarder starts to loosen from the wall. Use a plastic or soft metal scraper to avoid damaging the wall. Scrape the border off the wall working from the bottom up. Use warm water and a clean sponge to remove any remaining adhesive from the wall.



Instead of using a commercially available wallpaper stripper, you can also use a mixture of fabric softener and water. Mix 1 capful of fabric softener with 1 quart of water. Pour it in a spray bottle and spray it right on the wallpaper border. For very strong adhesives, you can also use a sponge and soak the boarder with pure fabric softener.



Another “homemade” option is vinegar. Mix water and vinegar and pray it on, or use an old paint roller and roll it right on the wallpaper boarder. The stronger the wallpaper adhesive seems to be, the more vinegar you should use. Use the vinegar option as a last resort, since it will smell pretty strongly for a few days.

Wipe the walls down with a damp rag after you removed the wallpaper boarder to get as much of the vinegar as possible off your wall.

Answer 3

That little round scoring tool is called a Paper Tiger. Just get some wallpaper paste remover, mix it up in a bucket, take an old rag and saturate the paper. Wait about 15 minutes, then use the paper tiger to score it, using circular motions. Then wipe down with solution again. Wait a little while and start peeling! Oh, and a paint scraper and that little razor blade tool are very helpful.

Answer 4

I am constantly changing my wallpaper, and the best way to remove it is to get a wallpapersteamer, very inexpensive, under $50. and use a scoring tool (looks like a mini pizza cutter with spikes) score the paper first and then steam it off, I've removed ALL types of paper doing this, its great. and can do it in just a couple hours if the room is big. let the area set overnight befor rewallpapering or painting. also by using a steamer, you can keep reusing it
when you tire of this paper. good investment.

Answer 5

Home Depot sells some great products for this. I think they're made by Bulls-Eye.

Answer 6

Use a steam machine, I have done before, and it worked great!!
It's not expensive either!

Answer 7

I rented a steamer and it worked great!

Answer 8

fabric softener and water, something like Downy

Answer 9

with a steam machine.

Answer 10

Hope this helps!