How to Remove Wallpaper, Easier

Taking down wallpaper can be frustrating.
There are a few things to know before attempting your wallpaper removal project. I will then explain an easier way to remove wallpaper.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 6" broad knife (drywaller's mudding knife found at any hardware store)
• Wallpaper knife with breakaway blade (found in wallpaper dept. at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. $.99 cents)
• Flat/Phillips head screw driver's
• Allen wrench (if removing towel bars in bathrooms)
• Bucket and Rag
• 1 gal. Garden Sprayer
• DIF wallpaper Remover

1. Remove all nails, screw, outlet and switch plates. In bathrooms remove towel bars, toilet paper roll holders and mirror if applicable. Lay plastic or drop cloth at base of wall where paper will be removed.

2. Fill a 1 gal. garden sprayer with "hot" water and mix with DIF wallpaper
   remover according to directions. Fill clean water bucket with "hot" water for washing walls after paper and backing is removed.

3. Find an area of wallpaper that is already starting to peel and/or a seam that may be peeling or curling and try to pull off as much of the paper, "dry" first. Many times paper will be loose at the top and/or bottom of wall. If the paper is still solidly secured to the wall, use your wall paper cutting knife to pry open seams, top edges and around outlets. The sharp tip of the knife works nicely for prying the seams and/or edges.
   As paper is removed always place in garbage bag, so as to keep the mess to a minimum.

4. Using the garden sprayer with the tip setting on a fine mist, spray all paper areas starting at the top of the wall continuing to the bottom. Repeat this at least 3 times to saturate the entire room of wallpaper.
   The DIF will take about 10 minutes to really start working. Note: if the wall paper is a vinyl or metallic where the water does not penetrate after being sprayed, start at the top edge and spray only the seams at first.

5. Now that the wallpaper has been saturated with DIF, start at the top edge of the wall using both, your wallpaper knife to pick at the edge and/or seam, and your drywall broad knife for scraping the paper off the wall.
   Always start in one corner and methodically work your way around the room either left to right or visa versa. There is a reason for this. Before starting to remove the paper, spray the walls one more time. Then as you are working an area, starting at the top and working all the way down to the bottom, you will consistently keep spraying the area right next to where you are working. The idea is to keep the wallpaper area to be removed next, saturated . The DIF keeps working and therefore making it easier to remove the paper. Always dispose of the wet paper in a garbage bag to avoid mess and the paper sticking to your feet.

6. AS you start to remove the paper and backing, the wall will now be exposed and usually covered with either a heavy or light amount of paste. Immediately after exposing the wall surface of an area where you have just removed the wallpaper, use the broad knife to scrape excess paste, if it is heavy, and use your hot water and rag to wash the paste off in that area.
   You can tell when all the paste is off the wall by running your hand over the recently cleaned area and it should NOT feel like soapy slimy dishes. It should "feel" squeaky clean. Rinse your rag often, it will turn the bucket of water milky white. Also, change your water as often as it turns milky white. Note: if the paste is too difficult to clean off the wall easily, it needs to be sprayed again. The DIF is what breaks down the paste for easy removal. If you are working hard to remove the paper and clean the wall, you have not let the DIF do its job.

7. Once you have an entire top to bottom area completed and clean, move on the to the area next to you and repeat this process until entire room is complete. Always, keep using the sprayer to keep the paper wet. Do not remove paper and let wall dry with paste on it. This adds alot of extra time since you will have to start all over again spraying the walls to soften the paste for removal. Always keep the walls wet.

8. If you are removing paper where the woodwork, counter tops, mirrors, light fixtures were installed after the paper, cut along all these edges with the wallpaper knife prior to removal.

9. Time and patience is the key to successful and un-stressful wallpaper removal. There are a few circumstances that are tougher to deal with;
   1. removing clay based paste and 2. metallic wallpaper.
   Clay based paste is usually used for commercial paper hanging, but has been found in residential homes. Clay based paste is a "clay" color and is more difficult to remove from the walls. Spraying the walls with the DIF repeatedly will break this down. Also, use your 6" broad knife to remove as much excess paste as you can prior to washing the wall. Clay based paste is "very" thick and takes more time to soften and remove.
   Metallic wallpaper is especially challenging since water does not penetrate the paper and it has a habit of tearing off in tiny little strips. For that matter so do some vinyl wallpapers. Metallic and vinyl are both a force to reckon with. Patience is the name of the game here.
   But with persistence and keeping the wall saturated these two papers will come down. The key again is to always start at the top and let the water keep running down to the next level of work. Also, use your 6" broad knife scrape the paper in a downward motion to the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Working in a methodical manner is to your advantage.
• Never work hard at removing wallpaper. When the DIF has done its job, it should be very "easy" to use your broad knife to scrape the paper off the wall.
• If is it not easy, then you need to re-spray the area and let the DIF do its job.
• A garden sprayer is not an expensive item to purchase if you don't have one. All you do is pump it up and spray without climbing ladders and getting a cramp in your hand from using a spray bottle. You can cover large areas faster. It's definite worth its weight in gold. (It can still be used for bug/lawn use.)
• Use the liquid DIF wallpaper remover. Can be found at any hardware, Lowes, Home Depot, Menards and is inexpensive alternative to hiring a professional.
• Please contact me if you have any further questions by posting to this ehow.
• The DIF wallpaper remover will not damage woodwork. But, if you are removing paper that goes from ceiling to floor, it will leave your ceilings discolored if they are painted flat.