How to Remove Wallpaper

Stripping wallpaper is messy but basically a no-brainer. It involves scoring or perforating the old stuff, then applying a chemical wallpaper remover or steaming the old paper until it's sodden and easy to strip. The main skill is containing the mess, so buy a large box of large plastic garbage bags and figure out where you're going to get rid of them. The last stage of the process is washing down the walls and scraping off any stubborn pieces of paper or adhesive.

You never quite know how a job will go until you start, so try a test-patch first so you'll have a sense of how long it will take. Loosen the paper at a corner with a single-edge razor blade, then pull slowly at a low angle. If all the paper pulls off easily which isn't likely simply use an industrial strength cleaner like TSP and wash away any adhesive residue. If the wallpaper won't give, use wallpaper remover or steam. If the walls are damaged after you've removed the wallpaper, budget extra time and money to patch them.

Step by Step

1. Protect the room's electrical outlets. Turn off the power to the room at the service panel to prevent getting any chemical strippers or water running down the wall near a live electrical outlet. Leave electrical switch and outlet covers in place, and tape over the openings and across the top edges to prevent water from getting inside.

2. Protect your floor. Tape plastic drop cloths to the top edge of baseboard molding so it drapes down the baseboard and extends a few feet out onto the floor. Plastic can be very slippery to walk on. Lay down lots of newspaper on top of the plastic. It will absorb all the water, catch all the mess and provide a less slippery surface. Change the newspaper often.

3. Score the wallpaper. Perforate the face of the wallpaper with a wallpaper scoring tool. This wheeled gadget is designed to create tiny holes in the paper so that wallpaper remover or steam can penetrate it and soften the adhesive. Roll the tool all over the surface to make hundreds of little cuts through the paper.

4. Apply remover or steam. From here, you have two choices: You can use either liquid wallpaper remover or a wallpaper steamer to loosen the adhesive. The steam method is best where you have plaster underneath the wallpaper, because the amount of solution needed to soak the wallpaper and soften the adhesive can damage the drywall's paper facing.

If you're using wallpaper remover, mix the concentrate with water as directed. Wear rubber gloves and goggles if the solution is at all caustic. Pour the solution into a paint roller tray. Then apply it to the wallpaper with a paint roller or sponge mop, working slowly from the top down. Clean up excessive dribbles as you go; otherwise, you'll be tracking goop everywhere.

Continue wetting the wall until the paper darkens, which indicates it has absorbed the remover. To start, apply remover to two 3-foot or 4-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling wall sections that include a wallpaper seam. As you work around the room, wet one additional section at a time and let it soak in while you scrape the previous section.

If you'd prefer to use steam, rent a wallpaper steamer, which has a perforated steam plate whose hose connects to a heated water tank. Begin at the top of a wall. Hold the steam plate on a section of wallpaper until the glue behind the paper softens. Continue working your way down and across the wall.

Safety
Wear a leather glove and a long-sleeved shirt to protect your hand from the hot steam, and keep a baking pan handy where you can rest the steam plate.

5. Scrape off the wallpaper. Pull off all the sections of paper you can, then gently slide the blade of a scraper under remaining sections. Use a wallpaper scraper on plaster walls, but to avoid damaging the paper facing on drywall, use a wide, stiff putty knife, which has duller edges. If the wallcovering or its paper backing does not come off easily, rewet the areas and come back after you finish scraping the next section. Keep at it.

6. Wash the wall. When you finish removing the paper, the wall will be covered with adhesive residue. While the adhesive is still soft, wash the wall with an industrial cleaner like TSP or with clean, warm water. Use a sponge or, where needed, an abrasive pad. Work quickly on drywall to avoid overwetting the surface.

Hire a Pro
If you hire a professional, be sure the bid includes patching and repairing to the wall; it will invariably get gouged, or old plaster will dislodge. You might also want to get a bid for the entire project, including the painting or application of new wallcovering.

Design Tip
Whether you do the work or hire a contractor, figure out how you'll finish the walls after the wallcovering is removed. Painting will require a near-perfect finish because it won't hide irregularities as well as some wallpaper can. But be flexible. If stripping the walls reveals plaster cracks or other problems, you may have to change your plan midstream. For example, you might choose to repaper it instead.