How to Remove Wallpaper Glue From Drywall

Removing wallpaper from drywall can be a difficult if it has bonded well.

Wallpaper provides a decorative covering to walls without the need for paint. Various colors, styles and patterns are available to accentuate your home. An owner who tires of wallpaper or a new owner who has different tastes, may wish to remove it. Removing wallpaper reveals the material holding it in place: glue. To prepare the wall for paint, the glue residue must be removed from the drywall. This can be a painstaking process depending on how well the glue has bonded to the wall.

Things You'll Need

• Roller with a low-to-medium nap
• Extension pole
• Large paint tray
• Vinegar
• Hot water
• Trisodium phosphate
• Baking soda or fabric softener
• Hand sprayer
• Paint scraper or wide drywall knife
• Drop cloths or sheets
• 100-grit sandpaper
• Pole sander

Instructions

1. Place drop cloths or sheets below the wall

2. Mix 1 cup of vinegar and 1 gallon of hot water in a large paint tray.

3. Apply the vinegar-water mixture to the wall with a roller and an extension pole. The roller should be slightly damp. Use an up-and-down motion with the roller.

4. Allow the mixture to sit on the wall for a few minutes and repeat Step 3. The wallpaper should become darker.

5. Gently scrape off the wet wallpaper with a drywall knife. Try to start at a steam in the wall.

6. Wet the wall again and scrape it as needed until it is all removed.

7. Apply a solution of warm water and trisodium phosphate (TSP) to the wall. You may also mix hot water and 1 large tablespoon of baking soda or 4 tablespoons of fabric softener. Apply with a hand sprayer.

8. Allow the solution to sit on the wall for a few minutes.

9. Remove the glue residue with a paint scraper and a sponge or cloth.

10. Allow the wall to completely dry.

11. Sand remaining dried areas of glue with a pole sander and 100-grit sandpaper.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use products like DIF, which are specifically made for wallpaper removal.

References

• Painting Techniques and Decorating Ideas: Removing Wallpaper, Glue and Paste Residue