If you take your time, be patient and just stay at it you will find that it really just a matter of sticking to the task. 

We remove old wallpaper on a daily basis and have gotten it down to a science.

Let The Wallpaper Guy do it for you!

Here are a few tips to help you remove old wallpaper.

You will need a small 48 oz  pump up garden sprayer, a razor knife, a small 4 to 6 inch flexible drywall broad knife and a good big sponge.   

* Shut off the power to any outlets and switches on the walls you are going to strip. It is a good idea to keep the all electrical plates on the wall while you work; just cut around them with the razor knife before you begin.  

Most wallpaper is comprised of a combination of two layers of material.  The face layer is a very thin vinyl that is laminated to a paper like backing.

The Face Layer: 

Different materials peel better from different angles so test it out. Start at the top and peel down, see how well it stays together. Then try it from the bottom or the sides. With a little bit of experimentation it will become obvious which way works better. When it starts to peel, place your hand behind the paper and gently but evenly work the face free from the backing. DON’T PULL!  Press evenly from behind the vinyl.  Experiment with placing the broad knife behind the vinyl instead of your hand to gently work a larger surface area more evenly. 

Spray the surface of the material:

Often,  you can spray the face of the material a few sheets ahead of where you are working. The consistent dampening will increase the elasticity and tensile strength of the face material and help it come off in larger pieces. Set the sprayer to the finest mist possible and lightly spray the wallpaper from top to bottom.  It helps to run your hand over the face while you spray to keep it from running down the wall.  Keep cycling ahead with the sprayer; the longer it stays wet the better. 

Perforating Tools

I generally do not suggest using perforating tools when you  remove old wallpaper. These tools tend to commit you to a long tedious scraping process by removing any tensile strength the face of the material may have had.  The paper will come off in tiny pieces and you run a much greater risk of damaging the drywall in the process. 

The Backing Layer: 

This layer is similar to the face in a lot of ways. Again, keep wetting the walls ahead of where you are working. The longer you keep the walls wet the more the old paste will begin to break down. Be patient, as you work you will get a feel for how long it takes to start to break free. You will generally start to develop a pattern of spraying and peeling that works for each particular job. First try peeling the wallpaper paper off the wall by hand.  This will ensure the least amount to damage to the walls. If that does not work, take the broad knife and gently start working the paper off sheet by sheet. Keep the knife at about a 45 degree angle to the wall to keep from gauging it.  If you do gauge the walls Gardz  can seal the area to be smoothed out later . There is no need to press down hard, it is just paper…stay at it.

Other ways to Help break the wallpaper Free

If water alone does not seem to be cutting it, there are several chemicals on the market that can be helpful at this point in the job.  The first thing that I like to try is just as simple as a capful of fabric softener in the sprayer.  You will be amazed what a difference this can make and it smells pretty good to. If that doesn’t do it, then the next step is to purchase one of several professionally formulated compounds that are designed to dissolve old wallpaper paste.  Dif is a great example of these products, I have used it on occasion and it does indeed work. As with any chemical, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions and warnings carefully before and while using. 

Remove wallpaper paste from the wall:

In the process of stripping the walls it is a good idea to sponge down the old paste residue while it is still wet and soft.  A large sponge is usually enough to get this done. Keep a five gallon bucket of water handy and rinse the sponge often.  Don’t be shy about changing your water out regularly. You want to clean the walls not re-paste them. There are instances when your broad knife will also come in handy at this point. 

Stripping wallpaper is a job, I have been doing it for decades and it is tedious at best.  Generally, it will take me longer to strip a room then it does to hang it, so I charge accordingly.  You have to weigh whether it is worth it to you to save a few bucks or just have it professionally done by The Wallpaper Guy .