Fashion changes, mood changes, and styles change over time. After a while, you will start getting bored with your lovely wallpaper and you need to replace it with a new one. Sometimes you move a house with existing wallpaper covers and you need to renew them according to your taste. Removing old wallpaper is a time-consuming and challenging job but if you know certain tips, you can make your task easier. Most people find it scary to remove all these wallpapers safely without any residue on the wall. Here I prepared a simple guide to removing your wallpapers easily.
Wallpaper typically consists of two layers. The front printed part can be made of vinyl, fabric, or paper. Beneath this layer, there is an adhesive part consisting of paper and glue. In order to install fresh wallpaper to the interior of your home, we must completely remove both of these layers.
First of all, you should decide on the structure of the wall base. Plastered and primed walls make it very easy to remove wallpapers while not coating walls will make your task harder. To understand your wall type, just scrap out a small piece from your wallpaper and try to peel it off. If it is easily peeling off it is a primed wall and if it is hard coming off it is no coated drywall.
You should gather some tools before starting:
You need a putty knife, masking tape, ladder, gloves, old clothing, sprayer bottle, fabric softener or vinegar, and hot water
Remove everything on the walls including all decorative items. Arrange your furniture and gather them in the center of the room.
It is advised to cover your furniture and floor with a plastic sheet before starting. This will protect them from dust and wallpaper pieces.
For your safety, cover your switches and plugs with masking tape because removing the solution may harm them.
- Prepare Some Hot Water
Hot water always works for removÅŸing any glue residues. Prepare hot water beforehand for your striping solution.
Removing Peel and Stick Wallpapers
Stripping wallpapers are easy to remove. You don't need extra tools, just start from the top and peel it off slowly. You can use a putty knife when you need it.
Removing Traditional Wallpapers
To remove traditional wallpapers, you may need some moisture. Fill your sprayer bottle with water. Start spraying it on your wallpaper. This moisture helps you to peel off easily. Water will soften the glue and you can start peeling it off again using a putty knife. Do not forget that hot water works better for softening the glue.
If it is not working we should go for another step. Put some fabric softener into your sprayer bottle and try it again. Fabric softener is more effective than water. If you don't have fabric softener in your house, you can try this method with a vinegar-water mixture as well.
If you want to go for a more expensive solution, there are wallpaper stripping chemicals on the market, you can try them for hard spots. If none of them works above, find a steamer machine and apply it to your walls. Hot steam will soften glues and makes it easier to remove wallpapers effortlessly.