Tape off and cover outlets, switches, vents, baseboards and trim with painter’s tape or plastic covers. [1] X Research source Cover floors with plastic or canvas tarps near all walls where you will be working. A disposable drop cloth is the best, as it will catch any loose scraps, and once you are done, you can just wrap it up and put to the garbage. [2] X Expert Source Mike KatonaDIY Home Improvement Specialist Expert Interview. 25 August 2021. Remove or cover furniture with plastic tarps. If your room is large, move furniture to the center of the room while you work. [3] X Research source Turn off the electricity to the room to avoid any electrical mishaps. [4] X Research source
A bucket filled with wallpaper paste removal solution. [6] X Expert Source Katherine TlapaInterior Designer Expert Interview. 22 May 2019. A sponge for soaking the paste. A spray bottle filled with water. A dry rag for wiping the wall clean (you’ll probably need more than one of these to do the whole job). A garbage can.
Hot water and a few squirts of dish soap. This works perfectly well on most wallpaper paste. Fill up a gallon-sized bucket with the solution. Hot water and vinegar. This is great for tougher jobs. Mix a gallon of hot water and a gallon of white distilled vinegar. Try adding 1 to 2 tablespoons (14. 8 to 29. 6 ml) of baking soda into the bucket. The baking soda helps to dissolve the wallpaper paste. [8] X Research source Trisodium phosphate, or TSP. TSP is an industrial-grade cleaner that was once widely used as a cleaner. Is it extremely strong, but not great for the environment, so try using when other, gentler methods have been exhausted. [9] X Research source For the heaviest jobs, you might want to buy wallpaper paste remover from the store. The commercial removers use chemicals to quickly dissolve the paste. Follow the directions to mix commercial wallpaper paste remover. It is available from most paint or hardware stores, and contains ingredients created specifically to dissolve wallpaper paste.
If you don’t want to use a sponge, you can use a spray bottle. Pour the solution into the bottle and spray a 5 x 5 foot area with the wallpaper paste remover. Wait 5 minutes for the paste to soften. Adjust the spray nozzle so it does not squirt directly on the wall, but it sprays a fine mist. Gradual saturation is necessary when spraying the wall.
Scrape the wallpaper paste with a putty knife[12] X Research source if you have trouble getting it off with a sponge. Scrape using even motions that do not cause your putty knife to damage the drywall. If the paste doesn’t seem to be budging, soak it thoroughly and try again.
