It doesn't matter if it's out of style, damaged, stained, totally not your style or featuring your kids' amazing arts, nothing proves that beauty is in the eye of the beholder more than wallpaper. You love your house, no doubt about that but every time you walk pass the living room and you just cringe because just what were you thinking when you chose that wallpaper??
Calm down, wallpaper isn't forever. You can always remove it and replace it with some fresh new wall arts like vinyl stickers! Some people choose to live with wallpaper they dislike because removing it is a big job and you might be thinking that wallpaper removal is a chore and is gonna take up lots of your time but it isn't really! All you have to do is follow these few simple steps that I'm about to tell you. You ready? Here we go:
Things You Will Need
- Dropcloths
- Wallpaper scraper
- Wallpaper glue remover
- Spray bottle
- Sponge roller
- Paper towels
- Rags
- Trash bag
- Rubber gloves
1.
Start off by protecting your flooring by laying down a dropcloth. You can get an all purpose one from Amazon for only 20 dollars! Remove your switch plates and utility covers if they are removable. If not, then you can opt to cover them up with newspaper or some plastic bags that you have lying around.
2.
Slide the edge of your wallpaper scraper under all four corners of a section of paper to loosen them. Grip a top corner firmly and pull it downward. Go slow and steady, and try to tear the entire section off in one pull. If the paper tears, grab another corner and try again. Repeat until you've removed as much of the paper as possible by peeling.
3.
Apply an adhesive remover following the manufacturer's directions. I personally recommend wp chomp's wallpaper adhesive remover as it really helps to remove all the glue off your walls. The product may require a spray bottle or sponge roller but a normal sponge will do! If you want to avoid any chemical substances, then you can always make your won DIY adhesive remover by adding a 50x50 mixture of water and vinegar and shake well. You should always include a waiting period of 10 minutes after applying the adhesive remover.
4.
Scrape the adhesive layer off with your wallpaper scraper. Be careful when using the scraper! The sharp edges can cause injury to yourself and also gouges and nicks in the wall. Use paper towels to remove the glue from your scraper as you work and keep a large trash bag nearby so that your used paper towels and other wastes go directly into the trash bag as you work.
5.
Lastly, don on your gloves and remove any remaining backing with a cloth or any unwanted rag soaked in adhesive remover. And voila! Your wall is clean and free from the old wallpaper. Now hurry up to the decor store and get yourself a brand new wallpaper! or what about wall vinyls for a change!