A good quality and attractive wallpaper adds beauty, charm and elegance to your walls making them appear attractive and adorable. In this way, even the most boring houses can be made to appear eye catching and stylish. However, when it comes to removing your wallpapers, the same attractive and beautiful thing might be even worse than a nightmare. Yes removing a wallpaper is a tough job, however, it can be made easier with the ideas and tips we list here. Read further to know more.
Removing wall paper by stripping
By following these steps you can easily get rid of your old wallpaper:
- Score the wallpaper with the assistance of a wallpaper scorer in order to facilitate the penetration of the stripping solution into the wallpaper. Instead of the scorer, you can even make use of 120 grit sandpaper.
- Prepare the stripping solution by mixing equal quantities of fabric softener and hot water and spray this solution onto the wallpaper in small sections by using a spray bottle. Allow the wallpaper to soak the spray for about 15 minutes.
- Starting from the bottom side begin to remove small pieces of wallpaper gently peeling upwards. A putty knife can be used to make the process fast.
- Clean the remaining traces of wallpaper with the help of hot water and detergent and finally clean them with water and dry the walls with a towel.
Removing wallpaper with the help of steam
A wallpaper steamer can also prove to be of great use in peeling off your dated wallpaper.
- Score the walls to allow steam to penetrate through the holes.
- Taking small sections at a time, hold the steamer against the wall and keep it pressed over the wallpaper. Once the wallpaper softens scrap it with the help of plastic putty knife or a razor scraper.
- Clean the remaining residue with warm water and then rinse it with clean water and damp the wall with the help of a clean cloth.
- Working with the steamer can be dangerous as it might cause very hot water to drip over your hands. Hence, you should wear gloves while working with the steamer.
Removing with the help of dry stripping
A dry strippable wallpaper is the easiest one to remove.
- Remove the strips at the back of the wallpaper and begin removing it at an angle of 150 degrees.
- Avoid pulling the wallpaper in a straight direction as might lead to damaging the wall surface.
- Remove the adhesive with the help of detergent and hot water followed by cleaning with water and drying with the help of towel.
Removing wallpaper with peelable top layer
- Peelable wallpaper usually consists of a vinyl top layer.
- Remove the top layer and this will leave behind a backing paper, which should be removed carefully.
- Soak the backing with warm water with the help of sponge or rug.
- Remove the sticker with the help of warm water.
- Clean the wall with water and dry it with the hep of a towel.
Pre-Removal precautions and tips
- Lay drop cloths in order to prevent damage of the floor due to dripping of solution on the floor.
- Remove the furniture from the room to be stripped.
- Put off all the circuit breakers that supply power to rooms specifically since the process requires lots of water and chances are that you might get a shock.
- Be careful while removing the wallpaper since it can cause damage to plaster and drywalls. Wallpaper from the dry walls should be taken off by using steam or liquid removal techniques.
Summary
Removing wallpaper need not be a terrible task that leaves scars on your walls. There are plenty of methods that make it easier and more useful to remove a wallpaper.
