Wallpaper
can be a great way of decorating your home, but
after many years it may start to fade or even
peel off. The good news is that wallpaper removal
is relatively easy if you have a few hours and
follow some simple steps.
Before you start be aware that wallpaper removal
can be labor intensive and could cause severe
damage to the walls. Most removal damage is due
to the lack of a wallpaper primer before the walls
were wallpapered, resulting in the glue being
absorbed into the wallboard. The top layers of
wallboard (paper) will try to come off with the
wallpaper backing. If this occurs in large areas,
call a professional.
There are many different types of wallpaper on
the market today. Some are dry stripable, solid
vinyl and fabric backed papers can usually be
removed by simply pulling them from the wall without
wetting.
Most residential wallpapers are of the "vinyl
coated" type. Vinyl coated papers
are by far the most common in residential homes.
The vinyl face of these papers is usually "dry
stripable" meaning that the face will separate
and leave only the paper backing on the wall.
Start by removing as much as the vinyl face as
possible. Find a loose corner, you may need a
putty knife or scraper to get started.
After all the vinyl face is removed the paper
backing should also be removed. The paper backing
will require a wet removal. Fill a five gallon
bucket to about half full with warm water, add
about a cap full of fabric softener. Turn off
the electrical power to the room. Apply this solution
to the wall with a paint roller or garden sprayer,
a sponge can be used in corners. Wet a four or
five foot section of the wall and make sure the
wall section remains saturated with the solution
for about ten minutes. Remove the wet backing
with a four or six inch putty knife or scraper.
After all the backing is removed finish cleaning
the walls with a hand sponge and fresh solution
of fabric softener and warm water. Allow the walls
to dry and apply a wallpaper primer if you plan
to re- wallpaper the walls. If you plan to paint
apply an acrylic primer/sealer to the walls before
painting.
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Things you’ll need fo wallpaper removal
• Drop cloths
• Plastic
• Scrapers, and putty knives
• Rags, and sponges
• Ladders
• Warm water, soap, vinegar
• Garbage bags
• Garden sprayer
• Wallpaper steamer
• Clean empty 5 gallon buckets
1. Start by prepping your room. This will require
you to empty the furniture from the room and remove
all switch plates and outlet covers. You may also
want to lay plastic sheeting or a protective cloth
on the floor for protection.
2. Collect the tools you will need including:
wallpaper scoring tool, warm water, vinegar, spray
bottle, putty knife, sponge and bucket. You may
choose to use wallpaper removal solution instead
of water and vinegar. This can be found at your
local home and garden store.
3. Run the wallpaper scoring tool over the wallpaper.
This will create thousands of holes in the surface
of the wallpaper.
4. Fill the bucket half full with warm water and
the remaining half with vinegar.
5. Use a sponge to rub the vinegar solution over
a small section of the wall. This solution will
seep through the holes and soften the glue, which
was used to attach the wallpaper to the wall.
6. Wait for 20 to 30 minutes and then use a spray
bottle to lightly spray the surface with water.
This will keep the surface moist.
7. Begin to peel the wallpaper back from the wall’s
surface using a putty knife or a specialized wallpaper
removal knife. Spray difficult areas with more
water if necessary.
8. Repeat this process again until you have removed
all of the wallpaper and the glue from the wall’s
surface.
To Learn How to Paint Over Wallpaper Click Here
(Painting Over Wallpaper Link)
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