topic Re: Removing wallpaper in Home

Removing wallpaper

dex — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 01:27:36 GMT

Anyone have any tips to make that job easier.We are trying hot water ,vinegar,steam and nothing seems to budge that paper.It comes off small pieces at a time.An endless job.?.I say don’t do it no matter how fun the paper is unless you are planning to move.

Re: Removing wallpaper

Big Joanie — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 01:30:14 GMT

I have been in your shoes ... used all those methods ....was able to sand

most of it off .... but actually there were some spots i could not get off at

all ....sanded them down .... painted over .. and its a small space and only

I know its there .....it would just not come off ..

Sorry ...

Re: Removing wallpaper

ccassaday — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 01:32:24 GMT

When we removed the wall paper at our old house we had to skim coat it before paint. It is so hard to get off. We tried all the tricks you did/. In one part it came off easy. In the foyer it was a you know what. I agree I would never do wall paper again.

Re: Removing wallpaper

Group 5 minus 1 — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 01:38:50 GMT

Hardware store (loews or home depot) sells wallpaper remover. Sponge it on and it comes off easily. Just ask.

Re: Removing wallpaper

GCR18 — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 01:43:53 GMT

I'll never use wallpaper again. My father was big on wallpaper and my sister and I scraped it as kids. Get a wallpaper scorer. It kind of looks like a brush head, but has plastic teeth. You run it over the wallpaper and it breaks through the paper to let the water solution to get under the paper. There is also a remover liquid you could use instead of vinegar. Vinegar should work, but if you want to try something different. Can get both at the home store for about $15.

Re: Removing wallpaper

mousiegirl — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 01:46:09 GMT

@dexwrote:
Anyone have any tips to make that job easier.We are trying hot water ,vinegar,steam and nothing seems to budge that paper.It comes off small pieces at a time.An endless job.?.I say don’t do it no matter how fun the paper is unless you are planning to move.

@dex I rented a steamer and scored the paper before steaming, came off easily for the most part.

Re: Removing wallpaper

Carmie — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 03:15:54 GMT

I have removed acres of old wallpaper. Some walls had seven layers on top of one another. It IMO is easier to remove from real plaster walls. The modern gypsum board is more difficult to remove paper from, because the cardboard comes off with the paper.

if you haven’t already done so, rent a professional wall paper remover from the rent it center. It works far better than any generic steamer.

scrape with a wall paper remover that has a removable razor blade in it. You will need a damp rag to keep wiping it clean.

Score the paper with a wall paper gadget made for that purpose. It will tear holes in the paper so moisture can get under it and allow the paper to release.

i like to use a sponge and really wet the wall down in big sections a few times before I scrape. If your paper has a water proof coating on it, this won’t help unless the paper is scored.

Good luck and always be sure not to throw pieces of removed damp wallpaper on the floor or let it dry in places where you don’t want it to be. It will restick to anything it touches when it dries. I once threw the paper in a bathtub when I removed it from the walls because that was like a big trash can for temporary use.

it was a dumb idea.

Re: Removing wallpaper

dex — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 02:39:43 GMT

🙏 thanks so much everyone.I have not tried that scoring tool or the professional steamers...those are some good suggestions.I also never thought about the paper sticking to my floors as it was being removed..geesh wouldn’t that just stink.

Re: Removing wallpaper

webbgarner1 — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 02:44:49 GMT

Been there, done that. Some is easier to remove than others. Several years ago, I removed wallpaper in an older kitchen. It was a nightmare. When it damages the drywall underneath, that has to be repaired before painting the wall again. I would like to choke the life out of the dimwits who came up with the idea' Hey lets decorate by gluing this paper to the wall." No wallpaper ever again for me, but it has made a resurgence for some.

Re: Removing wallpaper

SXMGirl — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 02:53:01 GMT

@dex, I have used everything and it is not an easy job. The easiest that I took off wallpaper was when the Q sold this item that came in large pieces that you put on the wall, let it sit, and then peel off the wallpaper. That was almost 20 years ago, but it was great. I have seen something similar online but have not used one in years.

Re: Removing wallpaper

southernmiss — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 03:00:06 GMT

Try a soluion of liquid fabric softner and.warm water. Apply over wallpaper with soaked sponge , wallpaper will scrape right off. Good luck !!

Re: Removing wallpaper

ID2 — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 09:18:06 GMT

That's why you have to "size" the walls first before wallpapering! Then its a breeeze to remove!

Re: Removing wallpaper

Still babybecky — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 10:11:39 GMT

We tried removing wallpaper that had been put on over 20 years ago.

too difficult. I painted over it

looks fine

Re: Removing wallpaper

riley1 — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 11:43:20 GMT

We used a tool to score it all over then sprayed with a solution and maybe used a steamer? It all came off. But yes, it is work to remove it. I'm not a fan of wallpaper and could not wait to take it down.

Re: Removing wallpaper

faeriemoon — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 12:02:49 GMT

In the past (previous homes) I have found that the worse spots to remove are the ones where someone used additional adhesive -- the kind made for adhering particularly stubborn paper that won't won't stick, or that curls up. Standard wallpaper remover does not work on that kind of glue, so you end up scraping, and you inevitably end up with a divot/crater to repair.

Re: Removing wallpaper

Dusty1 — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 13:51:45 GMT

@dex I've tried everything, too.

I used to do a lot of wallpapering. And removing.

I hope to never do it, again!

The best thing that I found was blue "Windex".

Spray the paper. Somtimes that face comes off & you have to go back & spray the backing.

Sometimes it just peels off.

Better than any other method I ever found.

Good luck.

Re: Removing wallpaper

Lipstickdiva — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 14:30:32 GMT

Sizing the walls doesn't necessarily make paper come off easier. Cheap wallpaper isn't going to be easy to remove no matter what you've done.

Luckily, when my mom wallpapered in the house (which DH and I now live in), she bought really good, high quality wallpaper and it was a breeze to remove. It was thick, substantial paper with a nice backing to it. All we had to do was loosen a corner and pull. It literally came home in one big sheet.

Then we used hot soapy water to remove the remaining glue.

Re: Removing wallpaper

Fressa — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 15:20:54 GMT

I'm in the middle of a big wallpaper removal project and hit into situation. All of the usual methods didn't work when I came to walls 3 & 4. I watch quite a few of the DIY shows and there's a method that I haven't tried, yet. You mix fabric softener and water together. Spray on the wall and let it sit overnight. Scrape off in the am. I have allergies and a ton of problems with scents so this is safer for me to try than something over the counter. I'll have my fingers crossed for the both of us.

Re: Removing wallpaper

CANDLEQUEEN — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 15:45:39 GMT

When we moved into our current house, the previous owners had wallpapered everything, both Bathrooms were wallapapered from floor to ceiling as well as the kitchen. It took me and my husband, my daughter and her friends to get that wallpaper off of the kitchen walls.....

For some reason the bathroom paper was easier to remove, but we tried everything and it was very tedious......For that reason, no matter how pretty the paper, I don't think I would ever wallpaper anything. The nightmares of removing all of that paper.

Good Luck to you!!!!!

Re: Removing wallpaper

Carmie — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 15:51:19 GMT

@Fressawrote:
I'm in the middle of a big wallpaper removal project and hit into situation. All of the usual methods didn't work when I came to walls 3 & 4. I watch quite a few of the DIY shows and there's a method that I haven't tried, yet. You mix fabric softener and water together. Spray on the wall and let it sit overnight. Scrape off in the am. I have allergies and a ton of problems with scents so this is safer for me to try than something over the counter. I'll have my fingers crossed for the both of us.

This method does work, but if you have wallpaper that is coated to be water proof, the solution won’t penetrate the paper. You will need to score the paper first.