How to Remove Old Wallpaper Paste

Old wallpaper paste still on the wall

My son and I have refurbished many old houses and apartments in the past, and this involved removing old wallpaper in many cases. More cases than I care to remember. Removing wallpaper, especially old wallpaper, is not easy or a pleasant job, as anyone who has ever done it knows well. However, there are ways to make it just a little easier.

Things You'll Need

• Scraper or spatula
• vinegar in a spray bottle
• rags
• open windows
• trash bags

Instructions

1. Once the wallpaper is removed, there remains an under paper still attached with the wallpaper paste, and you scrape inch by inch to try to remove it, and you begin to wonder how you got yourself in this in the first place.
   Through trial and error, I discovered (and I am probably not the first) that spraying vinegar in small sections, letting it set for about a minute, and scraping with my favorite tool. My favorite tool being and old metal kitchen spatula. It began to come off in larger and larger pieces.

2. 

   The wallpaper paste they used to use, could have glued the house together, it was so strong. After the majority of the paper and paste were removed, there was still a little sticky residue.
   Sprayed again with the vinegar, and wiped with a rag, and it finally came off.

3. 

   Newer wallpaper, the pre-pasted kind, is so much easier to remove. Usually the top layer peels off in the whole sheet, leaving the backing paper, which can be spray with water, and then it too peels off in large chunks.