Is it expensive to pull off the wallpaper?

Question

I'm buying a house and I don't like the wallpaper. How much it costs to take the wallpaper off? Do I need to hire someone? or can I do it myself? If I do it myself , what do I need? THank you very much.

Is it really damaging the wall if we remove the wallpaper?

Answer 1

it shouldn't be

Answer 2

I have always done it myself. First it's labor intensive but not expensive. You will need to purchase from a hardware store something called a Paper Tiger. It's basically a scoring tool that will put small holes in just the wallpaper so that when you spray on your solution of wallpaper stripper it will penetrate the paper fully. Allow it to soak on and several applications may be needed depending on how old the paper is. The wall paper should come off with some elbow grease. You may also need to have some kind of scraper tool just be careful not to mar the wall or you'll need spackel. hahahahah I have also found from doing this many times that if you use a squirt bottle and do 50% hot water and 50% vinegar ...let that sit for 10-15 mins sometimes that works too...If not then go with wall paper stripper from the hardware store and have a stripping party!! LOL well you know what I mean. =P

Answer 3

I just did this a couple of weeks ago. I tried a wallpaper scraper, paper tiger, fabric softner, dif, just about everything and nothing worked. Just kept coming off in tiny little pieces. Finally rented a steamer from home depot for $25. Came off sooooo much easier! I'm not sure why I had so much trouble getting it off at first, possibly because the wallpaper was put directly over the bare drywall I don't know. My advice, try to see how easily you can peel it off first, and if it doesn't seem like it is going to come off very easy, just go get a steamer and don't waste time and money onthe other stuff. Most paper comes off in two layers, the top and then the glue backing. Taking the top part off isn't too bad, but the bottom is a sticky mess, and you will find little pieces of it stuck to the floor for weeks. I was taking it off in a room that had tile, but if you have carpet where you are taking it off, you might want to cover it, since all the old glue would probably be a pain to get up. I've heard that they charge an arm and a leg to have it taken off by a proffesional.

Answer 4

Its not expensive at all!

There are several different recipes for removing wallpaper. You can mix one-third cup fabric softener with two-thirds cup hot water, or add a cup of white household vinegar to a bucket of hot water.
Pour either solution into a large plastic spray bottle and spritz the wallpaper, wetting thoroughly; allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until the wallpaper is loosened enough to be peeled off.

Another alternative is to combine equal amounts of laundry starch and hot water. This thicker solution will help keep the water on the wallpaper with less dripping and can be applied with a paint roller or sponge. Wet the wallpaper thoroughly, and let stand until it can be peeled away.

Vinyl wallpaper will need to be scored before applying the wetting solution, to allow it to permeate. When removing wallpaper, remember to start at the bottom, lifting and pulling toward the ceiling. If it resists, take a scraper and apply lots of elbow grease!

Answer 5

Not expensive at all! I just did this myself and the only thing I purchased was a small hand tool at Walmart(under $10). It was in the paint section and has a blade on the end. First I pulled the paper itself off the wall this left just the glue (it looks like the backing of the paper though), then using hot water and a wash cloth "washed" the wall in sections. When one area was good and wet I used the tool I bought and the glue just peeled off. I washed the walls again with hot water to ensure all the glue was gone and then since the paper had been applied to the dry wall I applied a primer coat and then painted.

Answer 6

Maintenance man here ...It is a headache! I have found pull off what you can, with hands and maybe a scraper. The seams always seem to roll up anyway. Then get a pump up sprayer (lawn type) mix dawn dish soap and hot water spray it, give it a few minutes and peel off the remainder. Hey it's gonna be hard. If you wish experiment, don't throw money at Sherwin-Williams and buy remover. Trust me it will be money wasted. If you buy a paper tiger, it digs small holes in the paper and wall. you will have to float the walls out before they are painted again.
Good luck

Answer 7

Warm water, sponges, scrapers or razors, and a wallpaper wheel(Kind of looks like a hockey puck, usually black and red), and patience....Not expensive

You could rent a steamer for about $20 a day and save some trouble.

Good Luck

Answer 8

Depends on what you call expensive and how big the wall is, best way is to douse big sponges in Downey fabric softener and hot water and gently soak the wall paper till it starts to pull away and use a squeegie to peel it off, cheaper is to wall paper over it.

Answer 9

It's not expensive. Go to a local "supercenter" or a local paint store, and ask the clerk. It's different for everything. I had a border and it took something to get the sticky off, but the attendent was very helpful.