Removing wallpaper may seem like a daunting task, but with the right steps and tools, it's easier than you might think to reveal fresh, paintable walls!

The "Knock" Test
Walls are usually made of either drywall or plaster. Drywall is a lot more vulnerable to water damage and gouges more easily than plaster, so it requires more care when removing wallpaper. To determine which type of wall you have, you can conduct a test by simply knocking on the wall. If the wall sounds hollow than it is drywall - if it doesn’t, it is plaster.

Removal Techniques
Stripping: Some wallpaper is “Peelable” and can literally be peeled off the wall. Begin by loosening each strip at the corners with a putty knife and slowly peel it back.  If this technique seems to work well, the wallpaper is peelable and you can go directly to the “Removing the Adhesive” step.  For non-peelable wallpaper, continue reading for the correct technique to use!

Score/Soak/Scrape: For wallpaper that isn’t peelable, begin by scoring the paper with a wallpaper scoring tool like the Paper Tiger made by Zinsser. Make a lot of holes so that the remover can get behind the paper to loosen it quicker.  Then, soak the surface with a wallpaper remover like Mr. Stripper, by Dynamic, using a paint roller or spray bottle. Next, scrape the sodden paper off with a wide Dynamic taping knife or a wallpaper scraper.  Be sure to hold your scraping tool at a relatively flat angle to the surface so that you don’t gouge the wall beneath.   If you have drywall, don’t wet a larger area than you can scrape off within about 15 minutes, because allowing water to soak into drywall may cause unnecessary damage, especially if the wall was never painted in the first place.

Steam: This technique works well for tougher jobs, such as removal of more than one layer of wallpaper.  To remove wallpaper with steam, you need to either rent a wallpaper steamer or buy one.  Fill the steamer with water and let it heat up. Keep a baking pan available to put the hotplate in when you’re not using it. To prevent burns, stand on a stepstool when working above chest height, use rubber gloves and wear a long-sleeved shirt.  Beginning at the top of the wall, hold the hotplate against the wall in one area until the wallpaper begins to soften.  Move the hotplate to the next area as you scrape the softened wallpaper with a wallpaper scraper or wide Dynamic taping knife. When you’re through scraping one area, the steamer should have softened the next area, depending on the thickness of the paper.

Removing the Adhesive
Once you have finished removing the wallpaper, you need to remove the adhesive that remains on the wall. Apply Mr. Stripper wallpaper remover to the wall using either a Dynamic household sponge or a spray bottle. This will soften the adhesive so that it can be easily removed. Again, don’t get too far ahead of yourself by wetting the whole wall, just dampen a workable section at a time.   Once the adhesive has been wetted, simply scrape it away with a wide Dynamic taping knife or wallpaper scraper.  If this doesn’t seem to work, then try using a heavy-duty detergent such as Dynamic TSP (trisodium phosphate) and a scraper to remove the excess adhesive from the walls or let the wallpaper remover sit a little longer before attempting to scrape the wall.  After all the adhesive has been removed, rinse the walls using a clean sponge and allow to dry overnight. Remember not to wallpaper or repaint over the walls until they are completely dry.

Now, you’re ready to get creative and redecorate with a fresh coat of paint, new wallpaper or a great decorative painting technique to give your room a fantastic new look for the upcoming holiday season!