Plastic covers or tarps Painter’s tape Scoring tool Chemical wallpaper stripper Wallpaper removing fabric sheets Compression sprayer or spray bottle Sponge Bucket Hot water Ladder or chair Scraper
Pictures Furniture Sconces and lights Televisions Mounts Switch plates Vents Hardware like screws and nails
If you cannot remove certain objects, move them to the center of the room to protect them and to give yourself more room to work.
If there’s any furniture left in the center of the room, cover it with plastic as well.
If you have strippable wallpaper, you’ll be able to remove all the wallpaper without chemical strippers. Continue stripping and dry scraping the paper to remove the majority of it. Loosen the corners with a putty knife or scraper, and then peel off the paper at a 15-degree angle. Use a damp sponge to moisten any leftover paper, and use a scraper to remove the rest of it. If you have peelable wallpaper, you’ll be able to remove the top layer of paper easily, and the backing will stay behind on the wall. You’ll remove this backing later with water and chemical stripper.
It’s important to score the wallpaper or the backing because this will give the chemical stripper access to the paste underneath. Once the paste is soaked with the stripper, the wallpaper will come off easily. Use course sandpaper to rough up the surface of the wallpaper or backing if you don’t have a scoring tool. [5] X Research source
If you’re using a powdered chemical stripper that gets mixed with water, you can also soak the sheets in the chemical stripping solution instead of plain water. Wallpaper strippers can come as a premixed liquid, a liquid concentrate, or a powder. If you have a powder or liquid concentrate, place the stripping chemical in a bucket and mix it with water according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When working with harsh chemicals, consider wearing gloves and protective eyewear. Always work in a well-ventilated room.
It’s important to use the wallpaper removing sheets when using chemical strippers to remove wallpaper from drywall, because the sheets will protect the drywall from excess moisture and water damage. [6] X Research source You’ll probably only have enough sheets to cover a portion of the wall, so you’ll have to work in sections until all the wallpaper has been removed.
Leave the sheets to soak on the walls for about 30 minutes. While you normally wouldn’t want to let drywall soak for more than 15, the sheets will stop it from getting too wet. [7] X Research source As the wallpaper soaks, the chemical solution will soak in through the holes you poked in the paper or backing and dissolve the glue underneath.
Repeat the peeling steps until all the sheets have been removed. When you remove a sheet from the wall, separate the sheet from the wallpaper and discard the wallpaper. Place the sheet back into the solution to soak again so that you can reuse it on a new section of wallpaper. If you still have more wallpaper to remove, remove the sheets from the solution and repeat the removal steps.
As you work, remove as much glue with the scraper as possible as well. Be careful with the sharp corners of the scraper, as they can poke holes in the damp drywall.
As you work, rinse and wring out your sponge frequently, changing the water as necessary. Continue wiping down sections of the wall until all the glue has been removed. [8] X Research source
Place a small amount of spackle on a putty knife, and use the knife to press the spackle into the hole. Smooth out the spackle with the putty knife and leave it to dry. For larger holes, use joint compound instead, and apply it with a trowel.
Spackle generally takes a few hours to dry, while joint compound takes about 24. Check the manufacturer’s instructions about drying time before you sand the walls. Consider wearing protective eyewear and a mask to prevent dust from getting in your eyes, nose, mouth, and lungs.
Once you’ve sanded and wiped the walls, you can remove all the protective plastic from the room. You can also leave it in place if you plan to paint.
