How to Remove Wallpaper From Bathroom Walls

Wallpaper in a bathroom can be moldy, complicating the removal process.

Removing wallpaper from bathroom walls is the same process as removing wallpaper from any other room. The main difference is that if the bathroom has a shower or tub, the moisture may have caused problems over the years and created mold. Thus, it's important to prepare the wallpaper to loosen it from the wall.

Things You'll Need

• Scoring tool
• Bucket
• Warm, soapy water
• Sponge
• Putty knife

Instructions

1. Score the walls with the scoring tool in large, round, spiral motions.

2. Wipe the wall with a saturated sponge of warm, soapy water, starting at the top. Let it soak in for two or three minutes. Get it wet and don’t worry about water dripping down and all over, since you are in a bathroom.

3. Pull a piece of wallpaper that is peeling up from the wall, either where you scored it or at an edge. Attempt to get the whole piece away from the wall without it tearing into smaller pieces. Use your putty knife to help scrape the wallpaper off by pushing it from underneath.

4. Soak the wall again, starting at the section that you are working on, and let it set for another two or three minutes. Preferably, you will move in the general direction of top to bottom so that the lower paper will have more time to soak.

5. Peel carefully and soak the walls with warm, soapy water until you have removed all the wallpaper. Wrap up in garbage bags or the painter’s plastic and remove from your home.

Tips & Warnings

• Check that is no mold growing under your wallpaper as you go. If you find some, put on a mold mask, ventilate the room and cover the bathroom in painter’s plastic to protect it from spores. Continue removing the wallpaper.

• If you don’t have a specialty wall scoring tool, use a utility knife and make straight cuts diagonally across the wall instead. Do not press too hard and score the wall as well.

• If you are worried about getting the bathroom too wet, use a spray bottle filled with warm soapy water instead.

• If mold covers more than 10 square feet, the EPA suggests you call a professional to remove it. Otherwise, remove it completely, and keep your bathroom dry by installing an exhaust fan and avoiding wallpaper in the future.

• Liquid paper remover is also available in place of warm, soapy water, but it is not a good idea to use it in small rooms like bathrooms without a proper mask.

References

• This Old House: How to Strip Wallpaper
• Creative Homemaking: How to Remove Black Mold Found Behind Bathroom Wallpaper
• Environmental Protection Agency: A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home