How To Remove Wallpaper
This film will show you how to remove wallpaper. Learn how to strip, soak and steam your wallpaper in three easy steps. Your house will be looking great thanks to VideoJug's helpful guide on removing wallpaper.
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You Will Need
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Step 1:
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Strip
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If you're lucky enough to be removing strippable wallpaper, simply use your utility knife or a fingernail to lift up one corner and pull the paper down the wall, keeping as close to the wall as possible to minimize the possibility of tearing.
If it appears you are not working with the strippable variety, you're probably dealing with a paper that you will have to soak, steam, cut, kick and maybe swear at to get off the wall. Let's see what else we can try.
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Step 2:
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Soak It
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If you're finding the wallpaper removal a little tough, you might try a soaking process that will help dissolve the glue's grasp with the wall surface. With this technique, you make horizontal slits in the surface of the wallpaper with a utility knife, or razor blade,
Next, apply a liquid paper remover or warm, soapy water.
To scrape, use a 3 1/2-inch-wide wall scraper or putty knife with a flexible blade to begin stripping. Slide the blade under the top edge of one of the horizontal slits and, holding it at about a 30-degree angle, push up on the wet paper. A scraper-width section should rip along the sides of the blade and wrinkle up above it as you push.
Keep pushing as long as the paper comes off. If the strip of scraped paper breaks, apply more liquid to resoak that area and start scraping at another slit.
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Step 3:
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Give Me Steam
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Many tool rental locations, wallpaper outlets and hardware stores rent electric steamers to do-it-yourselfers. These appliances typically consist of an electrically heated water tank connected by a long hose to a steamer plate. For the hardest of removal jobs, this might be the best option.
Add water to the steamer once you have it home. Follow the directions to turn it on and once the plate is steaming, hold the plate against the wall until you see the wall covering darken with moisture around the edges of the plate. This should loosen the adhesive. Start on a single strip and work from the top down.
After about half of the strip has been steamed, lift a top corner with a fingernail or a utility knife and attempt to peel the paper downward. If that doesn't work, resort to a wall scraper. You may have to steam the same areas two or three times to loosen older adhesive behind the paper.