Remove Old Vinyl Wallpaper

Removing it to paint or repaper however is not so easy.

Remove old vinyl wallpaper.

It s not hard but be prepared for a mess. Removing vinyl wallpaper can be a very difficult job if you don t take it off in the correct way. Once the paper is soaked you can scrape it away from the wall. Removing washable vinyl wallpaper.

Start by peeling off the vinyl from the paper backing. Pull off the facing. Typically this vinyl layer will come off in strips rather than as an entire sheet. For the majority of wallpaper removal projects you ll need to apply a hot water solution to the paper and adhesive backing in order to reactivate the adhesive and allow the paper to come off of the wall.

Rent a steamer instead of purchasing one since this is not a job you will do very often. Do this step without using any water to begin the old wallpaper removal process. Pour two gallons of warm water into a bucket and add about 2 ounces of wallpaper stripper solution. Hgtv expert steve watson shows how to remove vinyl wallpaper.

Washable vinyl wallpaper is a durable and easy to clean wall covering found in many homes. It may come away in small strips or the vinyl may become soft making it harder to strip off of the wall. The point is to remove the top layer of paper and leave the backing on the wall. Vinyl wallpaper will often create a big mess when you try and remove it from the wall using conventional methods.

We assume the little holes in the wall are. A steamer uses boiling water to soften the glue between the wallpaper and the wall. That way the backing will easily soak up water making the rest of the wallpaper removal faster and easier. Don rubber gloves then soak wallpaper removing fabric in the bucket of stripper solution.

Remove old wallpaper in 9 steps. Older wallpaper that has been up for a decade or more will be hardest to remove but scoring it with a putty knife can help you lift off a new section. Wallpaper of this vintage is probably vinyl on a paper backing the vinyl prevents the spray you bought from penetrating the wallpaper to the glue. Next spray liquid wallpaper remover onto the remaining paper then use a trowel to spread the liquid over the paper so it soaks in thoroughly.

Run a scoring tool in overlapping circles over the entire wallpapered surface. Only when all of the vinyl is removed can you begin to tackle the rest of the wallpaper layers.