Easy Tips for Removing Wallpaper
Are you tired of looking at the wallpaper left behind by whoever owned your house before you? Or maybe the last time you updated your kitchen or bedroom was in the 80’s to and you finally decided it is time to close the chapter on that decade and take down the wallpaper.
No matter what your reasoning, taking down old wallpaper can be a great way to update your home. It can also be a big pain since wallpaper doesn’t always cooperate when you try to remove it. There are some simple steps that you can take that will help make taking down wallpaper an easier job and that will help prevent damage to the wall underneath.
There are quite a few ways to remove wallpaper. One of the methods that have been around for a long time is to use a steamer to take down the wallpaper. This method has actually been becoming less and less popular because it can take a long time and you can accidentally burn your hand with the steamer.
Instead more and more people are choosing to use wallpaper removing solution to dissolve the adhesive that was used to hang the wallpaper and help make taking it down easier. You can either buy wallpaper removing solution at your local home improvement store or you can make your own at home.
To start removing the wallpaper you will need a ladder, a wallpaper scoring tool, a drop cloth, a spray bottle or garden sprayer, and a solution to dissolve the wallpaper adhesive. If you decide to make your own wallpaper removing solution you can make it out of fabric softener and water. Just mix the fabric softener with hot water in a bucket. You may prefer instead to buy a premade wallpaper removing solution which can often work better than the homemade variety.
First you will need to move any furniture away from the walls in the room, remove any electrical outlet covers from the wall, and place a drop cloth on the floor or carpeting to help protect it from overspray. Once the area is protected begin scoring the wallpaper using the wallpaper scoring tool. Move the scoring tool gently over the surface of the wallpaper using a circular motion. Be careful not to push too hard or you will damage the wall beneath. You are not trying to cut through the wallpaper, you are only trying to create small holes in the surface where the solution can soak in and dissolve the adhesive.
After you have finished scoring a section of wallpaper use your sprayer to spray it with your premixed solution. Allow the solution to sit and soak into the wallpaper. You may have to spray the wallpaper several times before the adhesive is fully dissolved.
You can test if the wallpaper is ready by gently pulling on one corner to see if it pulls easily off the wall. You may be surprised to find more than one layer of wallpaper that needs removing so keep going until you hit the wall.
Once all the wallpaper has been removed spray the wall with your solution one more time and gently scrape any remaining residue off of the wall. Allow the wall to dry completely and then you are ready to apply your new wall covering treatment.
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