5 Steps for an Easy Wallpaper Removal Process
If you’re someone who currently has wallpaper installed on their walls and have decided to switch to paint, then you’ve come to the right place. If that wallpaper was there when you moved into the home or apartment, there is a good chance that it’s out of style today. However, suppose the wallpaper on the walls used a glue-and-paste method. In that case, the removal won’t be as simple as just picking a corner and tearing the wallpaper off. This type of wallpaper has a proper removal process. Failure to follow the proper steps could end up damaging your walls. Here are easy-to-follow steps that will help you remove your wallpaper without damaging your walls and put you on track to getting your paint job started!
The first thing you are going to need to do is to buy the proper materials. For every removal project, we recommend the following:
- Wallpaper Roller Remover
- Sponge
- Spray Bottle
- Scrub Brush
- Blue tape
- Paper floor covering
- Paint Remover
- Water Bucket
- Trash bags
Once these materials have been acquired, then the removal process can begin.
Prep
You’re going to start by prepping the area you will be working in. Start by removing everything from your walls. Knick knacks, pictures, nails, paintings, and everything else all have to go down. Then, make sure to prep your floors and walls. Use the blue tape to protect your baseboard and wall sockets. You can also use the blue tape to set your floor paper covering in place. Removing wallpaper that was installed with paste can get extremely messy, and having any of that broken down, runny glue seep onto your wooden floors and carpet can lead to expensive repairs.
Score
Once all of these preparation steps are completed, begin using the Wallpaper Roller Remover on our walls. This tool should help dig deep enough into your wallpaper that you can get under it, but not far enough to cause damage to your walls. Make sure to cover the whole wall evenly, as this will play an important part in the next step in the process.
Spray
Once you’re done with the wallpaper roller remover, begin to spray down the whole wall with a wallpaper removal solution. Make sure the liquid is warm (not boiling!), as this will help breakdown the glue underneath the wallpaper. Since you already ran the Wallpaper Roller Remover over the wall, the solution should easily get under the wallpaper evenly. Once the whole wall is sprayed down, resist peeling at the paper right away! Let the wall soak in the solution for about 10 minutes before yanking at a corner and peeling away. These ten minutes of patience can be the difference between 1 hour and 2 hours of work. Not letting the solution break down the glue during this time will only result in patches of the wallpaper coming off and leaving much of the glue (the more difficult part) stuck to the wall.
Peel
Peel away! Use more solution as needed and use a paint remover for some of the more difficult glue splotches. Make sure to place all of the removed wallpaper pieces into your trash bags right away, as the undersides of them will have wet and slimy glue. If you don’t, then they’ll end up drying up on the floor or carpet and cause more work and a headache.
Clean
When all of the wallpaper is off, you’ll still need to get rid of the remaining glue residue left on the walls. If you don’t believe that there is some left, just run your hand along the paperless wall. Does it feel a bit moist and grimy? If it does, then there’s still some loose glue to clean up. Painting over this can cause future trouble, so it’s in every homeowner’s best interest to get rid of this leftover glue. Luckily, this process is easy. With the scrub brush and some warm water, lightly wash the wall. This will break down any leftover glue, which should then be cleaned up with a clean rag and some water. Once all of these steps are completed, you can throw your trash bags out, along with the floor coverings and other prep materials you used for the removal.
With these simple to follow steps, the wallpaper removal process should be a smooth-flowing one. However, everything, even something as simple as wallpaper removal, takes time. If your painting project is something you would rather leave to the pros,