Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - Removing Wallpaper

I am trying to remove this ugly wallpaper from our bedroom. Its peeling already and i can pull some of it off. Is there any house remedy I could use instead of buying the actual chemicals?? The peeling started when some water from the ac went on the wall. If this cant be done by household remedy, what is a chemical that does not have a strong smell?

Once you make the final decision to peel the paper see if you need any chemicals at all. I have had instances in my house where the paper peeled of in complete sheets without any chemicals or tools. :D I have also had instances where it peeled off in itty-bitty pieces and took the drywall paper with it. Depends on how well the wall was prepped before the paper was applied. :wall:

If you want to avoid harsh chemicals you might try a steamer. This has worked for me in the past as well, but read up in this forum first because there can be some problems with drywall if you use a steamer.

The peeling started when some water from the ac went on the wall. If this cant be done by household remedy, what is a chemical that does not have a strong smell?

try the chemical H2O - water! the only thing i've ever used was the hottest tap water spritzed from a spray bottle. you can add a touch of dishsoap to it to make it stay wet longer. then spray, spray, spray, mist, mist, mist, peel, peel, peel!

I have used hot water mixed 20% with vinegar, and also water mixed with laundry softener. It depends on what type of adhesive is behind the wallpaper. I vote with Annette - try the hot water first, then try the others in small areas to make sure that it works....
Good Luck -

Debbie Long

Using warm water with a little dish soap has worked very well for me for the past 20 yrs I have been a painting contractor.

Steamer---- not for me.
I used a steamer once 20 yrs ago, and vowed to never use again. It's slow, messy, hot, (your hands can get burned by steam) in confined areas, it raise the temperature and humidity to such a high level, that you are sweating more than if you did a 40K run.

Vinyl paper are the easiest: peel the top vinyl layer. Then you are left with the backing stuck on the wall. Soak it with soapy hot water.

Paper paper, which is harder to remove, has usually a glossy (or low gloss) finish on. It acts as a vapor barier and It prevents the water to penetrate the paper. So you have to score the surface of the paper to allow water in behind to the glue.

Score the surface with 40 or 60 grit sandpaper, or use a "tiger paw". It's a little device handheld, with 2 or 3 wheels that have spikes on. The spike will puncture the surfaces of the WP, and allow the water behind. Mind you, you have to roll that tiger paw pretty tightly all over, because every miniscules holes allow water penetration to only a few 10th of an inch around every hole. Furthermore, if the walls are drywall, and have very few layers of paint on them, you could, if you press too hard on the tiger paw, damage the drywall and also alow water behind the painted surfaces, and also remove the paint along with the wallpaper. This will create more prep work for you later. This is why I prefer very coarse sand paper, and a pole sander.

Soap or walpaper removing agent:
The soap allow the water to uniformly stay on the surface. With no soap, the water has the tendency to "bead" and separate like it does on a freshly waxed car, therefore not wetting the surface entirely.

You have to wet the surface at least 3 times. Sometimes you will be lucky after 1 water application. But keep on wetting, if it does not come easy.



2 Methods

#1- You can use a paint roller out of a 5 gallon bucket, but the trick is to roll the walls from bottom to top (read again) because if you roll with a downward motion, most of the water will squeeze out of the roller and spill directly onto the floor. Use a brush to do the corners.

#2 - Use a chemical sprayer. A plastic Container with a handle that you can pump air into to pressurize and spray water out of. About $35 at a local Home Depot or hardware store. Well worth the time saving of using a roller and brush. Still use hot soapy water.


Technique- tip

Scrape the Paper from Top to bottom. Reason: this way the paper does curl back directly towards the floor, and you can also scrape the glue off the walls at the same time, and it falls on the paper that immediately precedes it. Your putty knife remains clean. If you scrape upward, your hands get messy with glue and paper, the paper falls on your hands, and gets in your way.

So go at it!

Remember... if it does not come off easy, wet it again! Minimum 3 soakings!

P.S. rarely you may encounter some wallpaper glue that will not react with water very well. That is because the Paper hanger, may have used his own glue mixture, rendering the glue not re-enactable with water, once they have dried. I just experienced this 2 weeks ago in 3 bathrooms.

So enjoy and have fun!

Michel Vezina

Excellent advice right there ^^^.