MamaBearTeacher Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 I am removing wallpaper from one large room and I want to remove it during the next day and a half. There is only one layer of wallpaper except in places where there is a border over the wallpaper. It is about 20 years old, made from paper and not embossed or thick. It has been put on perfectly and might even be put under the baseboards at the bottom., I tried pulling it off and only got off a triangle smaller than the size of my face before it started to rip and would not come off anymore. In some places I could get nothing at all off or a piece smaller than a stamp. What did come off came off fully. The glue did not stay on. The paint under had a matte finish. What is the easiest way to take this off? 1) Using a scoring tool with hot water and a sponge 2) Buying a steamer. The Wagner Power Steamer at Home Depot has good reviews 3) Renting a steamer. How long might it take? The room is about 9x12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Score, and spray a mixture of fabric softener and hot water, let soak, then scrape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 I've been procrastinating on doing this in our dining room. I'm all ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 I forgot to say that i react badly to chemicals so I don't want to use any chemicals. Vinegar is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 I forgot to say that i react badly to chemicals so I don't want to use any chemicals. Vinegar is fine.Hmmm, that probably means fabric softener is out, hey? Sorry.... Do fabric/dress steamers work? Could you borrow one? What about scoring and spraying plain hot water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 We always use steamers. We've done it so often that we just bought one. I almost didn't buy my current house because of the wallpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 The steamer at Home Depot has really good reviews. I still don't know how long it would take. I'm googling now and some people apparently use a steam mop. I don't have one and could use one later. Maybe I should do that. Would it work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Rent a professional wallpaper steamer. You won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) When I had entire rooms to do, I rented a steamer. Otherwise I used a scoring tool, spray bottle, and scraped away. You will be happier if you rent a steamer. Edited July 27, 2017 by JFSinIL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 Thanks! How long do you think it will take me to do a 9x12 room with a steamer, given my lack of experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 A steamer. Some wallpaper comes off very quickly with a steamer. It could possibly fall off the wall. And other wallpaper may take some more work to get it to come down -- taking off the top layer first and then having to scrape. It will all depend on the type of wallpaper, the type of the glue, and the finish of the wall. The age of the wallpaper can affect things also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted July 31, 2017 Author Share Posted July 31, 2017 A steamer. Some wallpaper comes off very quickly with a steamer. It could possibly fall off the wall. And other wallpaper may take some more work to get it to come down -- taking off the top layer first and then having to scrape. It will all depend on the type of wallpaper, the type of the glue, and the finish of the wall. The age of the wallpaper can affect things also. This is so true. There were 3 patterns of wallpaper in the room. I thought that they would all be the same because they seemed to be from the same series and made from the same material. The border and top part came of really easily, all in one piece. The bottom part came off in tiny strips and then there were another two layers of paper backing that I got off after with water and a scraper. I'm glad it's done but the room smells like paste now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Well, you're probably already done with it, so I'm late to the party; but, I once did an entire house that had NINE layers of wallpaper on everything including the ceilings!! Also, the house was in the middle of a cornfield and had no electricity. Yeah, that was fun. I've also done wallpaper in lots of old houses, so here's my two cents. Different papers come off in different ways. Whatever it is they are stuck to makes a big difference as well. My go-to is warm water with vinegar. Use a paint pan and a paint roller to roll it on and just keep saturating it until it loosens. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Move. Seriously. Just move! It is not worth it! That stuff is evil!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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