Wallpaper is an excellent wallcovering that adds a decorative touch to your walls. If you do not want to cover wallpaper up with new wallpaper, painting over it is a perfect option. However, if you would like a fresh start for your walls, you need to know how to remove painted wallpaper. Removing your old wallpaper is simple using DIY techniques.
Removing painted wallpaper is often thought to be a complicated process that requires several expensive ingredients. There are essential steps and resources you need to know in order to remove stubborn wallpaper while protecting your walls.
However, we provide efficient wallpaper removal methods for easy home improvement. If you live or move into an old house, it is vital to know how to remove painted wallpaper.
Removing Painted Wallpaper using Efficient Practices
Removing wall paper paste is easy using everyday household products like fabric softener and vinegar.
Combining these products with inexpensive tools like a putty knife and a spray bottle makes it the best way to remove wallpaper glue safely and the multiple layers of wallpaper on your walls.
Once you strip the wax from your walls, it becomes quite simple to peel off small wallpaper sections without leaving any residue on the wall. Removing wallpaper is very simple using creative and unique tools and ingredients.
How to Remove Painted Wallpaper with Fabric Softener
A great way to repurpose a common household item as a wallpaper remover involves fabric softener.
When mixed with hot water, the water softener soaks in the adhesive on the wallpaper, allowing it to act as a wallpaper stripper—creating a mixture is simple and requires only a couple of ingredients.
To implement this easy way to remove any wallpaper border or a wallpapered room, pour the fabric softener and hot water into a spray bottle and shake gently to form a well-blended liquid. Use the sprayer to cover the entire wall.
It is essential to cover up your baseboards first so the stripper does not ruin the material. Let the mixture sit on your wallcovering for 15 minutes before scraping it away with a scraper.
Removing Painted Wallpaper with Liquid Stripper
An excellent method that works to remove a vinyl decal from a wall is with liquid stripper. Learning how to remove wallpaper that has been painted over with a liquid wallpaper striper is very simple.
Compared to other processes, this one does require a few more materials. However, liquid stripper works well for cleaning dirty walls as well as removing nearly all of your wallpaper on the first attempt.
Mix your liquid wallpaper stripper with hot, clean water in a garden spray bottle. Apply a skim coat of the solution onto your walls and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
Remove the softened wallpaper off your walls with a putty knife or scoring tool. A scorer is specially designed for removing painted wallpaper. Sometimes stubborn pieces of wallpaper remain stuck to your walls.
To efficiently scrape away the last small pieces of painted wallpaper, fill a wallpaper steamer with warm water to loosen the affected areas.
After your wall has dries completely, use sandpaper to loosen the remaining glue. Sanding your wall allows it to be ready for a new coat of paint or a new layer of wallpaper.
Learning How to Remove Wallpaper that Has Been Painted Over with a Steamer
Wallpaper steamers heat water and turn it into steam to loosen up the painted wallpaper stuck on your walls. Removing painted wallpaper is simple and only requires a couple of materials.
We recommend putting a drop cloth on the ground while using wallpaper steam to collect all the pieces after they are removed. To remove wallpaper with a steamer, start steaming at the top of your wall and run the wallpaper steamer over the painted wallpaper.
The steamer loosens the wallpaper, which allows you to peel off small sections with your hands. For the wallpaper pieces stuck even after steaming, take a putty knife or a scoring tool to remove these stubborn fragments.
Learning how to remove painted wallpaper is easy by using a steamer and simple scraping tools.
Removing Painted Wallpaper with Vinegar
Vinegar is another DIY way to remove painted wallpaper. This technique is quite helpful if you cannot find or do not have access to other supplies and is ideal as a natural wallpaper remover spray.
Additionally, vinegar is inexpensive and does not use any harsh chemicals. Vinegar is acidic and easily dissolves dirt, grime, and other chemicals.
Pour the two ingredients into a spray bottle or in a pail. If you mix the ingredients in a pail, absorb the solution with a sponge and apply a single layer over your wall.
If you are using a spray bottle, cover the entire wall with the vinegar mixture and let the liquid sit for 15 minutes before scraping away the painted wallpaper with a scoring tool.
Preparing Walls for a New Coat of Paint
After you finish removing painted wallpaper off your walls, correctly preparing your wall for a new coat of paint or new wallpaper is vital. Exposed drywall may contain gouges or divots, which need to be filled before redecorating.
Sandpaper works great on plaster walls because it creates a smooth surface. With a sanding block and 120-grit sandpaper, sand your walls from top to bottom with a back and forth motion.
Apply an oil-based paint to seal the border, allowing the paint or wallpaper to go on smoothly. If there are deep holes or gouges, fill them in with putty before sanding the surface.
Removing painted wallpaper is usually a messy and challenging process. However, the correct tools make getting rid of all the wallpaper on the surface easier.
Additionally, taking safety precautions like wearing rubber gloves to protect your skin from chemicals makes removing wallpaper so much simpler.
If this article taught you how to remove painted wallpaper, share these tips about removing painted wallpaper with your family on Facebook and Pinterest.