The wallpaper in our dining room is gone. Phew! Hooray!
Ahh, fresh ready-to-paint walls, you make my heart sing. (And seemingly endless blue trim, you make my eyes twitch).
You might remember that each time I tackle wallpaper removal I’ve tried out a different method so I can report back to you guys on who’s the fairest of them all what’s the most effective of them all. Yes, I’m the Anderson Cooper of wallpaper. Except less handsome and more pregnant. Up until this point, I had tried boiling water sprayed on with a spray bottle for method #1, a steamer for method #2 (the one that’s in the lead so far for the easiest), and warm water mixed with Dr. Bronner’s soap along with a wet rag to get the underlayer as method #3.
This time’s method was recommended by a former professional painter named Sarah (who did her fair share of wallpaper removal before many a paint job) and her suggestion was “the dry stripping approach” which was followed by a round of “wet stripping.” Sounds saucy, eh? Don’t worry, it’s rated G. Essentially she said she just peeled the paper by hand without spraying it or scoring it with anything, and then used a large damp sponge to saturate the underlayer and peel that off as a second round. So I gave that the old college try…
A lot of it actually came off in big sheets like the swatch above. Although you can see from this pile that there were a fair amount of thinner strips and leftover corners that I went back in for. It was by no means fast, but not super slow either. Surprisingly, I’d rank this dry stripping method as taking the same amount of time as spraying it all down, waiting for it to soak in, and then peeling it. Maybe even slightly faster because there’s not that spraying and waiting step. Obviously this won’t work for all situations, but if you have drywall that seems to have been properly prepped for wallpaper (as ours was) then you’ll hopefully have the same luck (especially if it’s old – this stuff was 30 years old and at some of the seams it was already loose and ready to be yanked).
This “dry” approach only took off the top layer of wallpaper for the most part (some other methods, like steaming especially, took care of both of them in one fell swoop if I was lucky) so I just ignored the white papered/glued underlayer and just pulled off the glossy top patterned part of the wallpaper, slowly making my way around the room over the course of a few days.
This is that underlayer I was talking about. As for how I loosened that up and peeled it off…
… I just dunked a large sponge in warm water…
… and wiped down the walls with it. That seemed to deposit enough water to soak through that underlayer so it started to loosen (see how it’s bubbling away from the wall on either side of the sponge in this picture?).
Then I could just peel it off. This was the slow-going part. You can see from the pile below that it came off in tiny slivers for the most part, so each wall took about an hour and a half just to free it from this clingy glue-riddled film.
One challenging area that this room had were the seams next to those corner built-ins, which appeared to be installed after the wallpaper was in place (meaning the wallpaper was pinned down behind the sides of each one). My solution was to use an exacto knife to slice the edge of it. I scored it a few times to be sure I got all the way through, running the blade right against the trim so I could get the closest cut possible.
Then I used a tweezers to grab each of those strips, and slowly I could work my way down each side of each built-in to get a nice clean look.
And now for my nemesis. The wallpaper inside of those two built-in bookcases. It was wasn’t properly prepped like it was on our primed walls – instead it was glued with some sort of permanent adhesive to the unprimed and unsealed plywood backing of those built-ins, which pretty much made it a permanent application. Which I discovered after spending about two hours on just one of those cubbies (with seven more to go) and getting a lumpy and rough looking result in the one that I was able to sloooowwwly strip. So at that point, I called John in and we made the executive decision to OBI (officially bag it).
We figure we can either paint, re-wallpaper, or even add some starched fabric right over those stubborn wallpapered areas since getting them down to the bare wood is next to impossible (and they’re actually a lot smoother and better as a foundation for any of those options with the existing wallpaper in place since that one cubby got a lot rougher and bumpier when I tried to remove the paper).
So that’s sort of a bummer, since there’s technically still a little bit of wallpaper in there mocking me from inside those built-ins, but I’m so relieved to finally have the actual walls of the room completely free of paper, and ready for some paint – along with that blue trim!
Oh and to prep the walls before paint after removing wallpaper, I’ve had luck in all of the other rooms just by spraying them down with a vinegar and warm water mixture and scrubbing them with the nubby side of a sponge to make sure any residual glue is gone before painting. I’ve heard that there are some primers that are great after removing wallpaper to block leftover glue, but so far we haven’t had any issues with glue surviving after my vinegar rub-down, and it’s nice to save that priming step (and that money on specialized primer) and just use the vinegar that we have in the pantry.
Aaaand, just because I like to cross things off, here’s how my before-the-baby-comes goal of no more old carpeting/no more blue trim/no more old wallpaper is coming along:
- de-blue-trim-ify the dining room
de-wallpaper the dining roomfinish Project No More Graph Paper in the kitchen- strip the bold blue master bathroom wallpaper
rip up the old carpet runner on the stairs- paint the blue trim in the office
Slowly but surely! Can you believe we still have another whole room full of wallpaper laughing at us from upstairs? What do you think our final method should be? Maybe fabric softener? We keep hearing good things about that…
So far the steamer has been the fastest and easiest, although every other approach that we’ve tried has been 100% free using stuff we have around (we borrowed the steamer from John’s sister so that was free too – but it does involve renting or borrowing or buying something if you don’t have access to one in your house). Have you ever tried to remove wallpaper that was seemingly super glued to plywood? It’s enough to make you shake your fist at nobody and mutter “this is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life” while rolling your eyes so far back into your head that they make actual sound affects as you roll them. Not that I’d know…
Psst- John’s over on Young House Life chatting about the half marathon he ran this weekend for the folks who requested a post about that.
Gabi says
Oh my GOODNESS that’s a lot of work!! I’m officially a wallpaper hater lol! Sure hope that I never have to do this ever in my life! But if it becomes necessary when we move to some place else, then I know where to come look for methods!
God job posting such things and trying different methods so we know what to expect if we ever run in to such a challenge. :)
JG says
I like the idea of child labor someone posted up there! Maybe you should try that one next! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
There’s a funny picture of a dog who ate the wallpaper right off of the wall on Pinterest that always cracks me up! Let’s put Burger to work!
xo
s
Rachael says
All of your wallpaper removal posts are totally inspiring me. I have some wallpaper in the dining room that has been taunting me since we moved in two years ago. I’m worried that it’s going to be even more horrible than normal because the previous owners painted over it. Do you think that will make it harder? Do you have any suggestions on what might need to be done differently because of the layer of paint on top of the wallpaper?
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, we hear that can be really tough! Someone asked early on in the comments and others have commented under her question with tips, so maybe scrolling back to read those tips will help? Good luck Rachael!
xo
s
Shey says
I once had a house full of wallpaper. The method I preferred was similar to this latest one of yours. I Dry Stripped. Then I started with the Dif gel spray bottle, but I was too lazy to go back to the store when I ran out. So I just filled up the empty bottle with warm water. That seemed to work nearly the same as the Dif gel. I also used a wall scraper–a razor blade with a handle–I used the dull side instead of the razor side to pull up the wet underlayer.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny that water seemed to do the same thing!
xo
s
Wendy says
I would recommend you search the internet for a product called EZ Gel. It’s the only wallpaper removal product that works. I used it to remove 1950s wallpaper that had been improperly prepped. It was a breeze–turned the wall paper to a soggy Kleenex consistency. A messy, but easy project.
I do recall it required ventilation and probably is not appropriate to use when pregnant. But you can’t beat it for fast wallpaper removal.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Wendy!
xo
s
Kathleen says
So funny, I have that same dolphin/globe combo that’s on your buffet! An acquaintance purchased it at a silent auction 15 or so years ago and gave it to me. LOL, I’ve never been sure where to keep it except in the home office. It’s a very unique item!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! I found that at a thrift shop! Love that guy!
xo
s
Jen W. says
You have the patience of a saint. Just looking at that pile of strips on your floor made me itchy and want to leave the room!
Bailey N. says
Fabric softener is toxic and is an endocrine disruptor. It’s not a good idea for anyone to use it and in the case of being pregnant, seems like a not so great choice for Sherri and the baby. I would rather see you pick a different method for the last installation of the wall paper removal, even if you have heard great things about fabric softener. Just trying to look out for you!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the warnings on this guys! We’ve posted about how we only use eco cleaning products (we have a cleaning section on our Projects page) so I’d use something plant based like unscented Seventh Generation! I used Dr Bronner’s soap for Method #3 (which is also plant based) and it seemed to work, so I thought eco softener might be a fun variation to try!
xo
s
Callie says
I’ve been stripping wallpaper off the walls of the half bathroom at my work. I also used a steamer (a little portable one called “My Little Steamer”) that was super handy. It definitely worked to remove the paper and the backing.
My biggest issue was getting the glue off! I tried the vinegar/water spray on the walls and wiped it down, but it really just pushed the wet glue around. I couldn’t get the glue OFF the walls. So when I did some test spots of paint … it dried very rough and craggy looking. I was so bummed after spending all that time scrubbing the walls. Must have had a different type of glue on them?
Anyway, what eventually worked was using a putty scraper to remove any residual glue. HOWEVER, it’s hard to see that glue, so even after scrubbing and then scraping, I still ended up with glue left behing. So then I decided to prime the walls and hope for the best. I used a KILZ brand that was a primer and sealer. And wouldn’t you know it, the primer acted like vinegar and got the glue all goopy again too! But, the benefit was that I could now see the gluey spots because they appeared darker with the tinted primer on them. So I basically primed a small section, checked for glue, scraped the section off if it had any, and then primed it again.
All I can say is thank goodness I’m getting paid by the hour for this job. Hopefully no one has had as much trouble as all that in their own wallpaper removal adventures, but if they do, maybe this will help. Remember, the putty scraper is your friend!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that sounds like a nightmare Callie! So glad in the end you figured out a method that worked with that stubborn glue you were dealing with!
xo
s
Cindy @Made2Style says
I figure you’ve got enough comments about wallpaper, now how about we talk about Anchorman 2!!! Haha
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! LOUD NOISES.
xo
s
Bob says
It looks much better without the wallpaper, just got to keep on going at it!
Krissy Day says
I was an interior house painter for 10 yrs before becoming a sahm. Whenever I had to remove wall paper I used the same method above…except when removing under layer I used hot water and fabric softener(like downey-90% water to 10% softener) in a spray bottle…spray on, let sit for 5-10 mins and then use a putty knife and it slides right off! Walls need a light wipe down with fresh water and a sponge after but for me the extra step worth it. Heard somewhere years ago the fabric softener helps deactivate glue of wallpaper. Depending on how “gluey” the glue is you can adjust ratio :)
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Krissy! Thanks!
xo
s
Krissy Day says
or try the eco softener :)
Amy says
Sherry–I don’t know if this is too late or if someone has already mentioned this in the comments (I’m short on time), but when my hubby and I tried fabric softener on wallpapered walls years ago, it was a big mess. I think it did help to soften up the wallpaper for removal. However, the walls were so slimy from the softener that we had to scrub them a couple of times before painting. We ended up switching to plain water and found the extra elbow grease to pull the paper off was worth not having to double-scrub the wall. Maybe we used the wrong process, put on way too much softener or didn’t dilute it enough? Anyway, I just wanted to offer my experience, in case it’s of any help to you.
Happy de-wallpapering!
Amy
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! We have heard such mixed reviews about it! So intriguing!
xo
s
Jessica Reyes says
Thank for posting this. I only have one medium size bathroom with wallpaper trim and am already not looking forward to it. But I am looking forward to he difference it will make in taking that yucky stuff off! Will definitely try this method. I give you props for tackling wall after wall of it!,
Owen says
I not long ago built our steam shower unit, best thing we
have purchased for some time, children and family love it, simply cannot see us heading back to conventional showers anymore
Sherri says
Just thought I would drop a note to let you know that when you first published the wallpaper series I read them all even though I didn’t have any wallpaper to remove, now a few months later, my daughter is living in a house where someone started removing it but gave up! Very tacky! It is just a rental but what an ugly sight to look at every day. I had remembered your posts and searched them out to find some helpful hints. Thanks for the help…we are on our way to wallpaper free walls!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad, Sherri! Good luck!
xo
s