How To Remove Wallpaper

Stripping Wallpaper

Let’s be honest, stripping wallpaper may well be the least enjoyable part of decorating. Depending on the type of wallpaper you have on your walls, the amount of time and effort can vary quite a lot. If your paper is strippable, you can pry up one corner and pull the entire sheet off in one go, least amount of time, least amount of mess. If it isn’t strippable, then we suggest arranging a stripping party with some willing volunteers. Hopefully, food and drink may be enough incentive.

Before you start the process we highly recommend you make space by moving your furniture to the center of the room, or better yet into another room. It is also advisable to cover the furniture and flooring with some canvas drop cloths or dust sheets securely taped to the floor, to prevent anything getting underneath.

Removing Wallpaper Without A Steamer

The first task is to score the wallpaper and the most efficient way of doing that is with a wallpaper scoring tool. Score lines down the paper taking care not to press too hard. You don’t want to score into the plaster, only the paper.

Fill a bucket or spray bottle with hot water and use a sponge to work the water into the wall. Leave it to soak-in for at least 30 minutes. Adding some washing up liquid to the water will help to break down the wallpaper adhesive.

Soak again and leave for a further 30 minutes. You should now be able to scrape off the paper using a scraper. Keep soaking the wall if required and make sure to keep using hot water, as it will help break down the wallpaper adhesive.

Handy Tip: For very stubborn wallpaper, there is a little known secret remedy – fabric softener. Mix equal parts of softener and hot water in a spray bottle, spray a section of wallpaper so that it is fully saturated and allow 15 minutes for the potion to work it’s magic.