Remove Old Vinyl Wallpaper

A steamer uses boiling water to soften the glue between the wallpaper and the wall.

Remove old vinyl wallpaper.

Don rubber gloves then soak wallpaper removing fabric in the bucket of stripper solution. Washable vinyl wallpaper is a durable and easy to clean wall covering found in many homes. Pour two gallons of warm water into a bucket and add about 2 ounces of wallpaper stripper solution. Only when all of the vinyl is removed can you begin to tackle the rest of the wallpaper layers.

Hgtv expert steve watson shows how to remove vinyl wallpaper. Some types of wallpaper are more soluble than others. For the majority of wallpaper removal projects you ll need to apply a hot water solution to the paper and adhesive backing in order to reactivate the adhesive and allow the paper to come off of the wall. Typically this vinyl layer will come off in strips rather than as an entire sheet.

Wallpaper of this vintage is probably vinyl on a paper backing the vinyl prevents the spray you bought from penetrating the wallpaper to the glue. Next spray liquid wallpaper remover onto the remaining paper then use a trowel to spread the liquid over the paper so it soaks in thoroughly. If you are removing vinyl coated wallpaper with a steamer you still have to use a scoring tool to punch holes in the paper so the steam can reach the glue. Older wallpaper that has been up for a decade or more will be hardest to remove but scoring it with a putty knife can help you lift off a new section.

Once the paper is soaked you can scrape it away from the wall. It may come away in small strips or the vinyl may become soft making it harder to strip off of the wall. Vinyl papers like the ones used in bathrooms and kitchens may even repel water. Removing it to paint or repaper however is not so easy.

Run a scoring tool in overlapping circles over the entire wallpapered surface. Start by peeling off the vinyl from the paper backing. We assume the little holes in the wall are. Pull off the facing.

Rent a steamer instead of purchasing one since this is not a job you will do very often. Do this step without using any water to begin the old wallpaper removal process. Removing washable vinyl wallpaper. The point is to remove the top layer of paper and leave the backing on the wall.

That way the backing will easily soak up water making the rest of the wallpaper removal faster and easier. It s not hard but be prepared for a mess.