Stripping wallpaper is not an easy, clean task. Most people dread it–especially if someone else hung the paper and did not prepare the wall with primer and/or sizing first. In the happy land where I like to live, previous homeowners make it easy by first sealing drywall with a good quality primer/sealer before the paper gets hung. Wallpaper comes down, when asked, in large pieces, leaving behind a pristine, smooth wall.
Unfortunately, in the real world, that rarely happens. (Do I sound bitter?)
I have stripped a few walls and have learned a few things to share:
- Expect the worst. This is hard for those of us who have our cups half-full all of the time, but it is essential if you want to circumvent a complete and utter emotional breakdown. (See #7.)
- Allow plenty of time. Do not plan to strip your kitchen paper and have a dinner party that evening. This is a very bad plan, destined for failure.
- Be prepared to clean everything after you finish. The gooey paste will end up everywhere, turning a tile floor into a deadly weapon. You might want to invest in a shampoo guaranteed to cut through cement-like adhesive because you most definitely will be wearing whatever held your paper to the wall.
- Always kill the electricity when you approach switches or outlets. Remover is wet and there is this wacky law of gravity that causes it to run south. Fast. Don’t end up a Darwin Award winner.
- Decide in advance where you will meet your hubby for supper. This will save guilt later. Even if you finish (and that’s a big if), you will be exhausted.
- Have some sort of plan for what will go back on your empty walls. New paper (after prepping the wall, of course), paint, fabric…Bare walls are anathema to people like you and me. You will hate every minute of seeing nothing there. You know it’s true.
- Have the name and number of a good painter tattooed on your leg. Sometimes, when walls are not prepared properly (Do you see a theme here?), paper removal techniques can totally ruin wallboard. In this case, you will need to have the drywall skim-coated by someone who knows how. I know my limitations. This CAN be done by a DIYer, but you might want to practice first. Maybe on the face of the person who hung the wallpaper without first sealing the drywall?
The bottom line is that the best part of stripping wallpaper comes when you are finished. When you don’t ever again have to look at what some other person thought was beautiful. You eventually get to look at your own beautiful. And it will be!
Coming next: A simple how-to on stripping wallpaper.
