It might be that you are transitioning from old wallpaper to a new design. It might be that you are simply replacing a stain or tear with a new roll of wallpaper of the same make as the old one. It might be that you wish to strip your wallpaper away altogether and replace it with paint. There are any number of reasons why you might be getting rid of your wallpaper, but whatever your own reason, one thing is for sure – you want to make sure you’re doing it correctly.
The last thing you want is torn wallpaper, residue, damage to your walls, and a total mess left behind.
Thankfully, this step-by-step guide makes removing wallpaper easy.
- Protect Outlets and Floors
First thing’s first – you need to make sure that your wall outlets and floors are not exposed to the process. You don’t want to accidentally wallpaper over outlets, and you don’t want them or your floors exposed to the glue necessary to hold the wallpaper in place.
A tarp is the most common solution to this problem. Simply tape it over the floor and outlets to make sure that they are protected throughout the process.
- Peel up the Wallpaper
Now it’s time to take care of the wallpaper itself. That said, you naturally don’t want to rip up your wallpaper haphazardly, so take it slow, making sure that you peel it evenly and straightly without ripping it or creating jagged corners.
To do this, it is important to start small. Take a putty or pocket knife or something similar and cut a small, even slit in the wallpaper. This will serve as the opening for the rest of your wallpaper stripping project.
- Loosen the Adhesive
Your wallpaper is stuck to the wall with a powerful adhesive. This is why you can’t just pry the wallpaper clean off the wall – doing so will cause the very jagged tearing you’re trying to avoid.
That’s why you first need to loosen the adhesive with a warm solution that can melt or otherwise help loosen it. This can be a premade scoring solution designed specifically to melt the adhesive, or you can just use some hot water and soap.
Apply whatever solution you have chosen to wallpaper, press down, and let it soak in for at least three to four minutes.
- Peel Off the Wallpaper
Now it’s finally time to start removing the wallpaper properly. Once the adhesive has had enough time to weaken, pull off the first strip of wallpaper in the slit you cut out in a smooth, clean motion. Do not force it, and do not pull diagonally or otherwise rip the wallpaper.
Continue until you have peeled off all the wallpaper.
Peel off the tarp covering your floor and outlets, and voila.
By following these basic steps, you can peel off the wallpaper on your walls and replace them with whatever wallpaper or new paint you wish, redecorating your home in no time.