How to Take Off Wallpaper Glue
Wallpaper glue is meant to be strong and long lasting so it can hold wallpaper in place. This is good news for homeowners who are putting up new wallpaper, but bad news for homeowners who are taking old wallpaper down. You may find after you've removed the paper that some of the glue is still stuck to the walls. Until it is removed, you won't be able to put up new wallpaper or a coat of paint. Using a commercial wallpaper remover or a homemade remover mixture, you can take the glue off for smooth, nonsticky walls. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Pump sprayer
- Dishwashing detergent
- Commercial wallpaper remover
- Plastic
- Blue painter's tape
- Drop cloth
- Putty knife
Instructions
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1
Fill a small pump sprayer with warm to hot water and 1 to 2 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent. Alternatively, you can use a commercial wallpaper remover instead of the dishwashing detergent. Read the instructions to find out how much commercial remover to mix into the water.
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2
Turn off the power to the room to ensure you do not electrocute yourself if water makes its way into an electrical outlet or light switch. Cover outlets and lights switches with plastic using blue painter's tape to hold it in place. Put a drop cloth on the floor and move furniture out of the room. Apply blue painter's tape to baseboards for protection.
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3
Test the sprayer outside first and adjust the nozzle until it sprays out a wide, soft spray instead of a hard, focused spray.
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4
Take the sprayer back inside and wet the walls. After you have sprayed an area, allow the solution to soak in for two to three minutes and begin scraping off the wallpaper glue with a putty knife.
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Scrape as much glue off as possible and spray the walls down again. After letting the liquid soak in, continue scraping with a putty knife. Repeat until all the glue has been removed.
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