How to Strip Wallpaper

There is no way to sugarcoat the job of stripping wallpaper. It is plain, unadulterated drudgery. As I stated in the previous post, the only fun part of stripping wallpaper comes when you are finished, and you are not staring at someone else’s idea of beautiful. (Or maybe you are not staring at your own expensive decorating mistake. **sigh**)

Materials Needed:

• PAPERTIGER (absolutely MUST have tool…good product demo at site)
• spray bottle with warm water
• old towels
• big sponge
• scraper (3-4 in. putty knife)

optional:

• DIF (chemical stripper; also a Zinsser product)
• Cheap liquid fabric softener (see caveat)

First, test a small area. Find a seam or a loose corner and pull. If it pulls off easily, in one big strip, stop immediately and go buy a lottery ticket. The chances are, however, that the outside layer (the “pretty” part) will barely come off the wall. If it comes off in a big piece, don’t get excited. Look closely and you will probably see another layer of white or yellowish paper and glue still lurking there, reluctant to give up its claim. If this causes any anxiety, run now to the telephone and call a paper hanger or a painter. Ask what they charge to strip paper (probably hourly), take a deep breath, and decide. If you don’t mind parting with the money, get them on your calendar and start planning your new space. If it’s not in the budget, continue reading.

I think it is easier to peel off as much of the “fancy” paper (outer layer) as possible before involving any water. Clean up is easier; plus, having the outer layer gone makes it easier for the water to penetrate. If the outer layer is stubborn, don’t despair (ha). Just go on to the PAPERTIGER step.

Pretend for a moment that the person who hung the papaer primed and sealed the wallboard first. Spray a little warm water on the backing and let it soak for a few seconds. Scrape with your putty knife, carefully refraining from plunging the corner into the drywall. If you do this, you will have to spackle and smooth before you paint. If your knife leaves a clean, smooth surface, proceed to the PAPERTIGER step.

If the paper does not budge, allow yourself a moment. Maybe some soothing tea would be appropriate. Come to terms with the idea that you will probably need to call a professional to skim-coat the wall when you are finished. (Don’t make the call yet. There are still miracles!) You will need to either use DIF or fabric softener to loosen the bond.

Using the PAPERTIGER, roll it around in circles, all around the walls, using gently pressure. You want to perforate the wallpaper, not the drywall.

After you have made your wallpaper all holey, saturate it with warm water and begin scraping. If you are unlucky, you will have to use DIF or the fabric softener for this step. If using DIF, wear rubber gloves and read the label carefully!

***Here’s my caveat on the cheap liquid fabric softener:  It might break down more than the glue, requiring skim-coating when finished. I have no proof that it does this. I have used it on many walls. Some were fine; some were not. It might depend more upon the initial wall preparation. The benefits of softener are:  It is cheap, and the room smells really good while you are working.

Eventually, the paper will all be gone! Using the sponge, wipe the wall with warm water to clean away any residual glue or chemical. Let dry completely before painting or [shriek] re-papering. (I have a room that has been “drying” for two years now…That’s a story for another day.)

Enjoy your nice, clean walls, and please think long and hard before you do anything else.