Things are getting steamy in the foyer! As a refresher, we have five rooms full of wallpaper and we’re attempting to take five different removal methods for a spin, just to see what ends up working (and what bites the big one). For our first time at the wallpaper removing rodeo we used hot water and a spray bottle, which actually worked out pretty well. And in this week’s hard-hitting Wallpaper Exposé we’ll be tackling the foyer with this guy. His name? Steamer. His game? Steaming clothes. He’s actually John’s sister’s, but it was free to borrow and we thought we’d see how it worked out for wallpaper too.
But first, a moment of silence for the small blue flowers.
Ok, let’s get it going. This is the first area of the foyer we tackled, and our method for this area was for John to run the steamer all over that section of the wall and then I followed behind him, yanking all the way.
It worked pretty well (some areas left the backing when I peeled so they had to be resteamed and reyanked, but it wasn’t too bad. I’d score it as working a smidge better than the boiling water method simply because it was probably 10% faster/easier since around 10% more of the backing seemed to come off so it didn’t have to be removed in a second pass. But when you factor in the expense of buying or renting a steamer I’d say it was only marginally better than our first (free) method of hot water in a spray bottle. So it’s kind of a toss up. Do you want to pay $20-50 for something a little bit easier or would you need it to be a whole lot easier to spend that loot? Of course someone else might swear by a steamer and say it worked in two minutes, so the paper and how it’s applied are definitely a factor too.
Oh but it got a little hairy when we had to get the tops of the walls.
Since we were only dealing with a clothes steamer the hose wasn’t built to stretch very far, so it wasn’t quite long enough for the steamer to rest on the floor while we did the upper areas (which we never thought about until we got to that part). It wasn’t too much of a big deal, but John did get a nice workout holding up the equivalent of a gallon of milk as he worked his way around the top part of the foyer. So that’s just something to think about (definitely rent/buy a wallpaper steamer over a clothing steamer if you’re actually going to spend money on something).
Around halfway through we decided to try another method, which was pulling the paper right along with the steamer, so instead of John doing a big area and then me following behind him peeling, I literally peeled as he went like so:
This method was awesome. In almost every case it removed both the wallpaper and the backing behind it so the wall was bare and perfect underneath. Must have been because there was more heat on the part we were actively peeling instead of pulling the paper off after it started cooling down and John had moved on to another area.
Another reason this second steamer method was awesome was because one person can do it, so if you have a solo meeting planned with a wallpapered room, don’t fret. You can do it. And you can look this sexy doing it:
So I’d rank this second faster-peeling steamer method as around 30% quicker & easier than the hot water/spray bottle method. Although we were tackling a larger area than a small bathroom, so it was still a substantially longer process for us. Especially when we hit this Amazing Race-ish Road Block. Layered wallpaper.
For some reason, there had been two layers of wallpaper applied to the entire front door side of the wall. But it wasn’t an older paper underneath, it was exactly the same stuff.
You guys. It was like GROUNDHOG DAY. Basically we had to do that wall twice and I’m not gonna lie. There was whining. But we got ‘er done. Eventually.
The funny thing is that we have no idea why it was doubled along that entire wall. Our only guess was that something didn’t match up so they redid it with a second layer of wallpaper to correct whatever got crooked or mismatched.
Oh and we did have one “incident” where we think the paper was glued a lot more in one spot for some reason, so our drywall’s top layer got peeled off. Pretty, eh?
My plan is just to skim coat that with some spackle and then sand it down so it’s hopefully flush with the rest of the wall and just as smooth.
After we wrestled all of the paper down I went over the walls with a spray bottle full of half vinegar and half water (not hot, just room temperature) and used the rougher scrubby side of a sponge to make sure there wasn’t any glue residue anywhere. For the most part it had all come up with the backing so there wasn’t much to scrub, but a few tacky areas were a lot smoother after this step, so it’s definitely worth adding onto the end of your peeling project.
So that’s how we steamed things up, all in the name of deflowering the foyer.
Obligatory before shot from our walk-through. You know, for closure.
Oh but you’ll notice that the closet and the bathroom doors are off in the second to last shot, since we’re actively working on taking those from blue to white. We’re also about 20% into the blue trim out there, so we can’t wait to get that done and share the photos, hopefully sometime next week (four coats = Barfville).
Has anyone else taken a steamer for a spin? Did you do the follow-right-away peeling approach, or the steam-a-section-and-then-peel method? So far we’ve loved that we’ve never had to score anything and haven’t even needed a spackle knife (hand-yanking has done the trick). So I’d definitely put that in the pro column, right along with the zero dolla (holla!) cost so far.
renee says
liquid fabric softener works. spray it on. only thing is, it makes it a wet mess
Tricia S says
I have had success with a paper tiger followed by a spray mix of really hot tap water and cheap liquid fabric softener. I put about 2T of fabric softener in a quart spray bottle and fill with hot water. Shake and spray.
Carrie Z. says
Good call on the steamer! I’ve stripped off wallpaper in nearly every room of our 2,000 sq ft house. Not a fun task but worth the effort! The steamer was the only way to remove all of the “gunk.” I considered the $25 investment one of the best purchases I made.
On a positive note, you do get quite the facial! It wasn’t so fun during the summer months but I appreciated it during our cold Michigan winters. :)
Keep up the hard work! Looks better already!
Skeeter says
I feel your 4 coat pain on the trim! I’ve been painting some neon green trim in our basement….why oh why is it neon green?! I cry a little inside after the third coat hasn’t quite done the trick…le sigh!
Allen says
I’m jonesing for a time lapse video with some of these bigger projects! I had the thought wondering how on earth you guys can both be doing something and one of you still manages to take pictures! Maybe *that’s* really what I’d like to see, a picture of you trying to take a picture! ;-)
Keep up the good work, so exciting! Thanks for sharing this journey with us <3
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! We’ll have to try to do a video. One of the issues we have now is that the same camera we use for photos is what we use for videos, so if we set it up on a tripod for a video we don’t really get to take photos (which are sometimes more helpful for folks who might not be able to watch a video).
xo
s
Michelle says
Maybe you could use a smartphone for video? They work pretty well.
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone know how long they record for before they fill up? We have iphones, but to make a time lapse video we’d about 6-7 hours of video recording (at least for wallpaper removal).
xo
s
Laura Y says
My husband loves making time lapse videos so I got him a time lapse water resistant camera for Christmas last year from photojojo. He LOVES it. It comes with software that automatically stitches everything together for you. You just put in the setting of how often you want it to take a picture and then press 1 button. A little on the pricier side (I think $125) but was worth it for him since he makes them all the time.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
xo
s
Matt says
Hey, that’s the exact steamer that I used to dewallpaper MY house! Works great. I also followed it up with a spray bottle of 50:1 diluted DIF to clear off any glue residue. You guys lucked out – I had SIX layers of wallpaper in my guest room.
Becky says
WOW! I can’t believe the progress you guys have made in such a short time! I always love checking back here to see what’s been done next. This one totally was a game changer for your foyer. Probably so much nicer now walking into rather than the bouquet of blue :)
Bethindc says
Apologies if this has been asked (a hundred times since your move) but do you have a Sue the Napkin inspiration for color in this house?
YoungHouseLove says
Nothing yet, but we’ll keep you posted!
xo
s
Stephen says
I was curious if you are going to tackle fixing the areas on the door trim where the door hinges were attached going into the kitchen? If so, will that be covered in the trim painting post? Thanks so much
YoungHouseLove says
I’ll cover that when we get to it for sure! It might be a ways down the line (we have a bunch of those to do in a few rooms so I might tackle them all together later), but I’ll definitely take photos for ya.
xo
s
A says
Wow. The foyer looks so much better already, I can’t wait to see the result when all of that blue trim is gone.
And I’m almost tempted to try removing some of the wallpaper where I live, even if it’s just a rental. Nice, clean, wallpaper-free walls, what a luxury :)
xx,
A
Bethany @ Dwellings By DeVore says
I loved your old home but I’m so glad you bought another fixer upper so we can follow along. Before and afters are my favorite, I just can’t get enough!
Shannon Burke says
Wish you guys had done these tutorials when I bought my place…or more so my Mom probably does. One of her best housewarming gifts to me was to take down the wallpaper and wallpaper border down in my kitchen. Now considering the kitchen is a 10×10 square with a good amount of cabinets, you wouldn’t think this would take forever. But it did and I’m forever grateful to her.
Kaija says
Just one question… would a wallpaper steamer work as a clothes steamer??? ;)
Great work! I actually had to resort to some wallpapering in my bathroom. The walls were so poorly spackled all over that I would not have been able to fix it, and had no money to hire a professional to do it. I found some paintable wallpaper with a nice texture, slapped it on the walls together with beadboard, painted both and called it a day. Worked fine!
jeannette says
that blue trim reminds me more and more of that 90s brown lipliner over pale lippie look.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, those were the days.
xo
s
Betsy says
Since you are going to paint all that blue trim anyway, would it save you work taping it all off if you painted the trim before you took off the wallpaper?
YoungHouseLove says
Getting paint on the wallpaper would have made the removal a lot harder (painted over wallpaper – even just the edges – is basically glued to the wall so much that it needs a lot more force to remove it) so we didn’t want to risk getting any paint at all on the wallpaper.
xo
s
Rebecca says
Reminds me of steaming my curtains. They are hung high and the clothes steamer didn’t quite reach! Nice arm work out.
Did you have any trouble going low? I know when I steamed curtains and got to the bottom by the floor the tank would bubble and gurgle since the cord and steamer head were below the tank.
YoungHouseLove says
Good question! All the wallpaper in the foyer was above the chair rail so we didn’t do anything extra low.
xo
s
Leah C says
I feel like you guys are getting off really easy with your wallpaper removal. We had a nightmare situation where the previous owners put wallpaper up improperly. They didn’t prime the wall before hanging the wallpaper. It pulled the paper off the drywall and some of the drywall itself when we tried to remove it. Once we realized what was happening, we called in a pro and even he couldn’t get it to come off easily. He ended up having to resurface almost the entire room.
I feel like you guys should address this. People might get a false sense of security when removing their own wallpaper and get frustrated when it doesn’t happen as smoothly as yours did.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’ve heard a range of experiences in the comment section, from “I peeled my entire kitchen in 15 minutes without any tools!” to “mine had a ton of layers and took forever!” We still have three rooms to go, so who knows what complications those might throw at us. We don’t think any DIY project that we tackle will ever mirror everyone else’s experience, or represent how badly (or easily) it can go. We just share how it went for us (otherwise every post would have a “this might be easier or harder for you” disclaimer). We do love that folks can check out the comments for more info (to see other people’s complications, etc) since any home improvement project can vary a ton depending on the house, the situation, the materials, etc. :)
xo,
s
Linda says
I think it’s also a good lesson on doing good prep work first. I’m guessing, but I would bet that wallpaper was put up by pro’s who correctly sized the walls, etc (or a really diligent homeowner). I think a lot of us run into issues where a home improvement was put up taking short cuts along the way, which can create a mess down the road. I know a lot of this house’s current decorating looks dated to modern eyes, but I think back in the day those owners really did things right, which is helping out right now!
theresa says
Hahahaha… “deflowering the foyer”.
Jamie S. says
Our house had grasscloth or wallpaper in EVERY. SINGLE. ROOM. I loved the grasscloth and kept it everywhere except the back of the built-ins. I used a steamer with a large square surface (borrowed from a friend) and it peeled off pretty easily with the exception of a few places that required a little scraping. I used the same method in the kitchen and there were THREE layers of paper. Not fun. Every other room’s wallpaper had already been painted over before, though, so we didn’t even try to remove it. We took the easy way out and just spackled and sanded the joints, repaired the corners, and slapped another coat of paint on. Lazy, I know.
Mel says
I ain’t gonna lie, my house and your house are stairway twins, even down to the weird waveish pattern below the treads on the wall. Even the same color! Our house was built in the late 70s in Midlothian and it was love at first sight, even though we have the same issues (except all of our trim is quickly-painted-now-flaking-previous-owner-cream-gloss-over-mustard-gloss-trim)(actually, I should say it was love at first sight for *ME*, not so much my husband). We also have the same kitchen, with the same white knobs. I can’t wait to see what you do with it!
Tonya says
Totally jealous at how easy your wallpaper is coming off. I used everything I oould think of to try on my dining room walls. I think they used as much glue as they could find. With the steamer (which worked the best) it took about 2 months to get it all off due to my fingers cramping up :(
Can’t wait to see how the other methods go!
Heather @ Barefoot Crafts says
Now I’m seriously considering renting a steamer for the little bit of wallpaper we have to take down; this looks much easier than the hot bottle method!
nick says
What’s the deal with the wood-flavored shoe-molding? Weird choice next to the bluish tile/baseboards; wonder why the OO’s never painted it to match the baseboards.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re painting that fo sho! In our last house it was wood toned but the floor was wood so it blended ok. I wonder if it’s a VA thing. Haha!
xo
s
nick says
Hah, could be…I think it looked fine in your last house; here, next to the tile with no wood floor in sight, that molding looks a little sad/lost. It’ll look proper when you get it painted to match the base!
Jen says
It’s incredible how much better the foyer is looking without the wallpaper, and even with the blue trim. The trim definitely needs to go, but it seemed even more 1980s with the wallpaper.
I definitely echo the comment on your writing style (both of you). Funny, informative, and always with some excellent jokes. Thanks!
alg says
I’m always willing to spend $$ on the right tool for the job. That said… I take about a year reading online reviews/seeking personal-experience tales before I deem something “the right tool!” Lol!
Thanks for the wallpaper removal tests — research SCORE!!
BTW — How do you guys cope with the inevitable new-house conundrum of, “Whew! The walls finally don’t make me want to go all Sean Penn! But now the old carpet (or whatever) is driving me absolutely crazy…”
Do you have some sort of all-in-good-time mantra or something?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes! Our mantra is one day at a time! And the middle doesn’t make sense. I think after we realized that our first house took us 4.5 years it was a freeing discovery. No more expectations of finishing anything the month we move in. Haha!
xo
s
nicole chiles says
Does it smell better? With the old paper off and a vinegar scrub….can you tell a difference in smell at all? Just curious, we are looking at an older house that has tons of wallpaper and some odor to go along with it. I wondered if the removal has any impact on odor.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a good question! We didn’t notice much of a difference, but if the paper was old and musty I’m sure it would help to remove it (plus vinegar can help neutralize smells).
xo
s
Kristin @ bliss-athome.com says
I will be forever amazed at how you guys get all this work done, run a successful blog, and have time for family! xo Kristin
YoungHouseLove says
You’re so sweet Kristin.
xo
s
Anne says
I know that some readers were complaining about your new slower format the other day, but personally, I am thoroughly enjoying it! Maybe it’s because we just bought our first house last year, and it’s wonderful to see you start from scratch and go at a slow pace like we are doing. Plus the dramatic before and afters (e.g. the floors and the wallpaper) are making me all hot and bothered. :D
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Anne!
xo
s
Jessica says
People who complain about a slower format must not do a lot of work on their own houses.
It took me a half an hour yesterday just to organize and clean out our tupperware cabinet (that thing was a nightmare zone).
This past weekend we spent three days working on landscaping outside (clearing weeds, shoveling dirt, hauling rocks).
After both of these projects, all I wanted to do was just sit there and do nothing for a few hours/days. I don’t know how John and Sherry do major projects day in and day out. The progress in these last few weeks in their new home blows me away.
Erin C says
Kinda off topic but kinda liking the door off the front closet. Have you thought about leaving it off and making it into a little nook with a bench and shoe storage, etc? I think House of Smiths did it and it looks so cute!
YoungHouseLove says
We thought about that for a second but since we come in and out through the garage (into the kitchen) it wouldn’t be as useful to have a bench up there we don’t think.
xo
s
Trey says
It’s time for a New House Tour Video!! I know it’s probably messy, but we don’t care! We want to see it!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun!
xo
s
Julie W says
Well, I’ve never steamed anything but clothes, drapes and once a bedskirt after I put it on the bed. I’m happy to let you be the beta-testers and tell me the best way to do it if we ever buy a house full of fugly wallpaper!
“So that’s how we steamed things up, all in the name of deflowering the foyer.”
LMAO – all hot and steamy for deflowering! I’m such a 12-year old boy! LOL (probably comes from having 3 boys myself!)
Beth Ann says
“So that’s how we steamed things up, all in the name of deflowering the foyer.” Love it!
jbhat says
McSteamy made your foyer look McDreamy. (Has anyone else said that? Too many comments to scroll through.)
jbhat
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
kate says
You guys inspire me to do more stuff around my house (although usually it just means leave the computer to go clean) but at almost done being pregnant (40 days left woot!) it’s quite an accomplishment to convince me to move.
I can not WAIT to see how awesome the foyer looks once the blue trim is gone – I think it will be magnificent. Secondly, I have some steamer experience too. I tried to use the clothes steamer once to get a stain from the carpet that just wasn’t being lifted up real well with my typical resolve + hoover steamer vac method – big giant fail, it made it worse. So don’t try that.
Teresa says
I do believe I put up that same wallpaper in my (previous) dining room several decades ago…at the time I loved the look, complete with the obligatory chair rail running horizontally underneath. My color scheme was more muted, but I wonder if the current owners of the house are as horrified with my decorating choices as you are with your new house! Boy, do styles change!
Theresa says
haha you two are hilarious! “So that’s how we steamed things up, all in the name of deflowering the foyer.” Best line ever!
Looks great, I can’t believe how quickly you two get stuff done, power couple!
Laurie says
I’m lucky, the only wallpaper I’ve had to remove wasn’t difficult. Interestingly, it was also little flowers but from the early 80s so I even got a little metallic in there! Bam!
I’ve never tried anything other than the score and (room temp) water methods. It worked really well so I didn’t have to explore a steamer. I did have everything come off in strips instead of sheets but I’ll bet that was due to the scoring. Hm. Never even thought of that.
I’d like to see your repair of that spot on the drywall. I have some spots exactly like that on my kitchen wall after removing some baseboard that had been glued up as a backsplash (don’t ask). I thought it was probably a really simple fix I could do myself but the general contractor is trying to steer me away from doing that. I don’t know if it is because it is more complicated than I think or if he would prefer I not muck about where he is working (probably a valid fear).
Danielle says
Great work wallpaper warriors!! I have to wonder about that chair rail though – its kind of chunky and awkward with all those corners and doors (especially where its meeting the stairs there)… I know it adds to the charm/character and painting it not-blue will help, but I would be seriously tempted to just remove it (from that little hallway at least). Thats just my 2cents though – carry on with your awesome work! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We’re going to see how it looks once it’s painted and go from there :)
xo
s
Danielle Ferretti in Miami says
Hi guys ! GREAT job with removing the wallpaper, it looks amazing already !
My husband uses a hand held/travel/compact steamer for his dress shirts (because “ain’t nobody got time” for pressing his shirts as I work full time) – looks something like the below :
http://www.target.com/p/steamfast-compact-fabric-steamer-sf-435w/-/A-10159245?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C10159245&CPNG=Appliances&kpid=10159245&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10159245&gclid=CN_7_YvZp7gCFYdQ7Aod2TEAjQ
The down fall is it only holds a very small amount of water, and steams up to about 15 mins. Also – the cord is the same size as a regular clothes iron, but nothing that an extension cord couldn’t fix.
Just an idea for the top and hard to reach places… <3
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for this wallpaper series!! We just moved in to a brick colonial over Memorial Day weekend from a small brick ranch (kinda feel like we’re living parallel lives to you guys :P) and we have some cray cray wallpaper in a couple of bathrooms and the front hallway. I had been using DIF in the kitchen but we have a clothing steamer so I’m looking forward to trying this method! Thanks for sharing your homes and your lives with us all on the Interwebs :)
heyruthie says
I once removed all the wallpaper from a bathroom using a regular clothes iron and a wet rag. I slapped the wet rag on the wall, and then ironed it. it worked like a steamer. it was a little cumbersome, but it worked, if you don’t have a steamer! occasionally, i’m crazy like that. but i was pregnant, and didn’t want any chemicals, and didn’t have any money to rent anything!
Annette Kuusinen says
As an extremely experienced wallpaper remover, I’d like to suggest that you prime the wallboard before you spackle it. It keeps the moisture in the spackle out of the wallboard. Steamer looks like it was awesome. I like a product called Wallwik – especially for really tough wallpaper that was put on unpainted walls. I feel you pain about the blue trim. I have green to repaint in one bathroom.
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tip!
xo
s
Molly says
Thanks so much for these wallpaper posts!! We need to take down some wallpaper, and luckily I already own a clothing steamer (srsly, you should get one. SO MUCH easier than ironing clothing!).
Marcy says
Clothes steamers are also awesome for cleaning or removing wrinkles from curtains – you can leave them hanging.
We bought ours specifically for my wedding dress (no way would I put an iron near that) and it’s been so handy ever since.
Amanda says
New favorite phrase “deflowering the foyer.” Made my day!
Mrs. A says
On big projects like yours, a steamer is the only way to fly. :D I rented one and was so happy to see that paper fall down in my first home.
Gabby @ Cookie Cutter Unique says
Your house looks almost identical to my aunts house in Midlothian (the interior decor), I remember helping her out with some of the wall paper and it was fun for about the first 20-30 minutes and then it got old really quick. If only YHL existed in 2003 we would have known to use a steamer, ha!
Mel says
That looks amazing! Good job :)
I Pink i Love You
Jess says
How much time (like in hours) did the project take? We are closing on our very (first!) very wallpapered house on Monday and trying to get some time estimates for the projects we want to tackle. We are also planning on going the steamer route!
YoungHouseLove says
I’d guess we spent about 6-7 hours total on it (broken out over different “installments”).
xo,
s
Janet says
I love the slate floor. There is a slate company in Richmond which may have been the supplier for your slate. The slate probably came from a Virginia quarry. Your house appears to have been very well built. Don’t get rid of great things until you are very sure you really don’t want them. I have the scalloped detail on my stair risers. When painted white, I think you will find the scallops look great. I traced the pattern for mine(a bit more ornamental) from a house that was being built and also copied their idea of bull-nose bricks for my steps. Lastly is the rug in in the hall an authentic oriental? (see if it is hand knotted)
YoungHouseLove says
That rug’s the previous owner’s (that shot was from our walk through) so I have no idea :)
xo,
s
Colleen says
“You guys. It was like GROUNDHOG DAY.” Thanking my lucky stars I’ve never had to remove wallpaper. Sherry, I love hearing your voice in my head when I read stuff like this. Literal laugh out loud moment. And dang, your hair is getting loooong, girl!
Marcy says
Hopefully this comment helps someone – we found the clothes steamer to be a lot more effective than the wallpaper steamer we purchased (luckily cheaply from the Rebuilding Center). The larger coverage of the wallpaper steamer meant you had to hold it in place for 30-60 seconds then move it and scrape the paper off, versus continuously moving and peeling/scraping with the clothes steamer.
We did have to put it on a chair so that’s the only downside.
The other problem we had with our wallpaper steamer is it didn’t come with any smaller attachments so we couldn’t use it in narrow areas.