What is the best way to take off wallpaper?
Wallpaper, while it is meant to stick to plaster walls, can be very difficult to remove at times. Depending on the length of time it has been attached, the kind of paste and how much of it was used are factors in how easily it will come loose from the wall.
Since most people who want to remove it are usually not the same people who have applied the paper, a few things have to be established; are there multiple layers? If so, this can be either a plus or a minus. The good part is that often a large sheet of double layers can stick together and stay attached to each other, allowing for long, even full strips to be removed at a time. My experience has been to remove as many of these large strips as possible without tearing the paper covering from the plasterboard or sheet rock. Once the entire room has been peeled of the “easy’ pieces, the job looks less daunting. Even though it may be less material though, there is still a lot of time-intensive work ahead.
The next consideration is how easily the small strips can be removed. The best tool for this part of the job is a flat blade, such as a putty knife. The end of the blade does not have to be sharp, just thin enough to place under a pointed strip of wallpaper. Loosen the strip and pull gently, keeping as much intact as possible.
Once all the dry, loose wallpaper has been removed, wet the remaining paper with a damp sponge filled with clear water (no soap needed). Once all the fragments have been dampened well, repeat the process and let the water soak in until dry. This will loosen the paper and release much of the paste applied in the original papering. If this does not take care of the entire job you can wet small sections at a time and remove the paper with your putty knife.
Be careful not to peel the paper from the sheet rock if removing the paper damp as this will require patching with spackle or plaster. Also, some putty knives have sharp sides and caution should be taken not to run hands or fingers against these sides of the blade. A layer of electrical tape can be applied to each side of the blade to prevent scrapes and cuts.
Try to peel the top surface off….and after that, take a sponge saturated with water, and get the backing paper wet. Once it’s absorbed the water, it will be easy to scrape off the wall without damaging the drywall. You’re almost best to use a plastic scraper or putty knife for this – you will be less inclined to gouge the wall with one. Good Luck!
