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Easier Ways to Remove Old Wallpaper

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

by Sandi Pressley

Do you enjoy removing wallpaper? Of course not! It's a task that never reaches the top 10 "fun things to do" list for most people.

But if you're planning to sell your home in Albuquerque, then removing old wallpaper really is a must. So how do you remove it without removing your sanity as well?

Check to See If Your Walls Were Primed

Hopefully your walls were primed when the wallpaper was applied. This will certainly speed up removal.

This was a more common practice in the 1990s, as it kept the glue from forming too strong of a bond with the plaster.

It's easy enough to check if your walls are primed. Just loosen a corner or seam with a putty knife and pull. If it comes off in one sheet, success!

With well-primed walls, dry stripping should work for the entire job and you could finish a room in a couple of hours at most.

Water Works Miracles

Wallpaper glue is water-based, so you can still remove it if your walls are not primed.

It's a technique the pros use, it works so well.

Here’s what to do with water:

Score or perforate the paper and its backing in sections so water can soak through and loosen the glue. The pros recommend a scoring tool called the PaperTiger (under $20) because it doesn’t harm the wall.
Douse the perforated paper with hot water using a pump or compression sprayer. The big mistake most people make is using a regular old spray bottle or damp rag to wet the paper. This leads to hours of fruitless scraping because the paper and its backing don’t get sufficiently saturated. The sprayer, on the other hand, gives you the firepower to really soak the glue.
Let the paper soak for about 15 minutes and scrape it off with a putty knife.

This process will take about 6 hours for an average room, but it's better than how long it would take if you didn't know how to do this.

Avoid Chemical Strippers Because of the Fumes

Pros will use chemical strippers, as they work even faster than water. But the downside is the fumes, and it costs more than using water (of course).

Don't Try the Fabric Softener Trick

There's a rumor going around that fabric softeners, diluted with water, is a great way to remove wallpaper. Yet, no expert agrees with that method.

In fact, fabric softener makes removing wallpaper even more complicated and messier than just using water, as it ends up mixing the glue with the fabric softener. The fabric softener can also harm drywall.

So when it comes to removing wallpaper, the happiest journey (assuming your walls aren’t primed) involves water — and patience.

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Contact us today to help you buy or sell your next home in Albuquerque. Looking for the perfect home for sale in Albuquerque? Our easy-to-use home search tool can help you start the process. Join us twice a week on our blog for more real estate advice and great reasons to buy a home in Albuquerque and the surrounding area. Follow us on Facebook for the latest Albuquerque real estate updates.

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Removing Old Wallpaper Will Help Sell Your Home Faster

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

by Sandi Pressley

Let's admit it: wallpaper is not the current trend in home design. So if you decide to sell your home in Albuquerque and there's wallpaper on the walls, you will need to get rid of it. Most buyers will find your wallpaper to dated and undesirable. Leaving wallpaper on the walls will certainly hinder your chances of selling your home.

But the good news is that removing old wallpaper is not as hard as you may think. Here is how you can remove wallpaper and make your home ready to sell.

Clear and Prepare the Room

Begin by removing items from the walls and moving furniture to the center of the room, or out of the room if possible. Cover floors and remaining furniture with drop cloths to protect them from getting wet.

Cut the Power

Shut off the electricity to the room and cover any outlets or light switches with painter’s tape.

Determine Your Wall and Wallpaper Type

Before you start peeling off your wallpaper, you need to figure out if your walls are plater or drywall. If drywall gets too wet, it can be damaged, so you have to be careful not to soak it too much.

You also need to figure out what type of wallpaper you have. Loosen a corner with aputty knife and try to peel it off. If it easily comes off, you just lucked out and have strippable wallpaper. If it peels off but leaves a paper backing, it's peelable wallpaper. If the walpaper doesn't budge, it's traditional and needs to be removed with water and chemical stripper.

Here's how to remove each type.

How to Remove Strippable Wallpaper

1. Gather your Materials

Putty Knife
Soap
Water
Rags

2. Loosen the Corner and Pull

Use your putty knife to lift the corner of the paper. Use your hands to peel the paper from the wall, pulling as close to the wall as you can to avoid tearing the paper. If the paper does rip, loosen another corner and start again. Repeat the process around the entire room.

3. Clean the Walls

Once all the paper has been removed, clean the walls with soap and water to remove any residue. Allow the walls to dry completely before painting.

How to Remove Traditional Wallpaper

1. Gather your Materials

Water
Wallpaper stripper
Spray bottle, garden sprayer, or paint roller
Putty knife
Scoring tool (if necessary)
Ladder
Soap
Water
Rags
Rubber gloves

2. Mix the Solution

Combine hot water and wallpaper stripper according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pour the solution into a spray bottle or garden sprayer.

3. Apply Solution

Use a spray bottle, garden sprayer, or paint roller to apply the solution to a small section of the wall, about 3’x3’. Let the solution sit and absorb for several minutes.

4. Scrape the Wallpaper Off

Use your putty knife to peel off the wallpaper, working your way up the wall. Be careful not to gouge the drywall as you scrape. Once the paper has been removed from the section, move on to the next area.

5. Score if Necessary

If the solution doesn’t absorb and the wallpaper is difficult to scrape, you may need to score the wall before applying the solution. Roll a scoring tool over the paper, making overlapping circles.

6. Clean the Walls

Wipe down the walls with soap and water to remove any residue. If there’s stubborn adhesive left behind, follow our guide on how to remove wallpaper glue.

How to Remove Peelable Wallpaper

1. Gather your Materials

Water
Wallpaper stripper
Spray bottle, garden sprayer or paint roller
Putty knife
Scoring tool (if necessary)
Ladder
Soap
Water
Rags
Rubber gloves

2. Remove the Top Layer

Begin by peeling off the top layer of the wallpaper. Loosen the corner with a putty knife and pull the paper off the paper backing.

3. Remove the Backing

To remove the paper layer left behind, you’ll use the technique described above for removing traditional wallpaper.

How to Remove Wallpaper When Nothing Else Works: Grab a Steamer

If your wallpaper refuses to budge no matter how much you spray and scrape, you may need to use an electric steamer, which can be rented from a home improvement store.

1. Gather your Materials

Electric steamer
Putty knife
Safety goggles
Rubber gloves
Scoring tool (if necessary)
Soap
Water
Rags

2. Set Up the Steamer

Follow the manufacturer’s directions to prepare the steamer. You’ll add water to the steamer and let it heat up before beginning. Be sure to wear protective gloves and long sleeves so you don’t get burned by the steam or drips of hot water.

3. Steam the Wallpaper

Hold the steamer to the wallpaper to loosen the adhesive. If you have drywall, be careful not to oversteam. Scrape the wallpaper off with a putty knife. If the steam doesn’t penetrate the wallpaper, use a scoring tool to make small holes in the paper. Continue the process of steaming and scraping until all the wallpaper is removed.

4. Clean the Walls

Clean off any residue with soap and water. Allow the walls to dry completely.

Join us twice a week on our blog for more real estate advice and great reasons to buy a home in Albuquerque and the surrounding area. Follow us on Facebook for the latest Albuquerque real estate updates. Looking for the perfect home for sale in Albuquerque? Our easy-to-use home search tool can help you start the process. Contact us today to help you buy or sell your next home in Albuquerque.

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