How To Remove Wallpaper Borders

So you bought a new house. You love everything about it except for the ugly wallpaper borders in almost every room. Time to get them off the wall. Removing wallpaper borders is not an easy task, but with a few good tips and some elbow grease, you can get the job done.

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The best way to remove the wallpaper border depends on what type of wallpaper was used, what type of surface it was glued on and what type of adhesive was used. One of the easiest things you can try is to use a hair dryer to heat the wallpaper border which may loosen the adhesive enough to let you peel it off.

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Usually if the border has been glued to wallpaper, it will come off fairly easy. Slightly mist it down and use a plastic scraper to remove it from the wall. If the wallpaper border has a vinyl covering that won’t let the water or any commercial wallpaper remover soak through, use a perforation tool over the entire surface of the border to allow it to soak in.

If the wallpaper border has been glued directly onto a painted wall, use warm water and some commercially available wallpaper remover and give it plenty of time to soak in before you try to scrap it off.

Steaming also works well for removing wallpaper borders. Steam the entire surface of the wallpaper border. Start from the bottom to the topmost part in sections. If the adhesive is very strong, steam the boarder twice or more until the wallpaper boarder starts to loosen from the wall. Use a plastic or soft metal scraper to avoid damaging the wall. Scrape the border off the wall working from the bottom up. Use warm water and a clean sponge to remove any remaining adhesive from the wall.

Instead of using a commercially available wallpaper stripper, you can also use a mixture of fabric softener and water. Mix 1 capful of fabric softener with 1 quart of water. Pour it in a spray bottle and spray it right on the wallpaper border. For very strong adhesives, you can also use a sponge and soak the boarder with pure fabric softener.

Another “homemade” option is vinegar. Mix water and vinegar and pray it on, or use an old paint roller and roll it right on the wallpaper boarder. The stronger the wallpaper adhesive seems to be, the more vinegar you should use. Use the vinegar option as a last resort, since it will smell pretty strongly for a few days. Wipe the walls down with a damp rag after you removed the wallpaper boarder to get as much of the vinegar as possible off your wall.

How To Remove Wallpaper Borders

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The Secret to Wallpaper Removal - What You Need to Know For Fast and Easy Wall Paper Removal

Removing wallpaper can be one of the most frustrating DIY projects. However with this guide you will be able to keep your sanity and remove wallpaper more efficiently. Don't miss out on these ideas!

Materials Needed:

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Screwdriver

Wallpaper Perforating Tool

Spray Bottle for Wallpaper Solution

Wallpaper Solution

Garbage Bags

Sponge

Painters Tape

Sand Paper

Safety Glasses and Breathing Mask

Prep of the wall - Turn off the power breaker, and then remove all the switch and outlet covers. Once those are removed you can apply blue painters tape to the baseboards and outlets this can help protect your baseboard and outlets from scratches. Although tape is not required it can be beneficial to use, especially if you are going to be painting afterword.

You're First Cut - You first need to make a few cuts into the wallpaper. This can be done with a perforation tool; one can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. Make sure you don't apply so much pressure that it cuts into the drywall.

Wallpaper Solution - Now you will spray or sponge on a wallpaper removal. You can purchase chemical concoctions for wallpaper removal from any home improvement store that will accomplish this. However the same effect can be had without losing 8 bucks, get a spray bottle and mix a cup of vinegar to every gallon of water. Make sure you mix it with as hot as you can stand water. This will do essentially the same thing. If your solution gets cold it will not be as effective, so you may want to remix so you have hot water in your solution. You can also use fabric softener to remove stubborn wallpaper.

Peeling the Wallpaper - You will now wait about 10 minutes for the solution to soak into the wallpaper. Once soaked you can begin removing the wallpaper. First peel of as much wallpaper as you can with your hands. You will want to pull away the wallpaper at about a 45 degree angle. Once you have peeled off as much as you can spray your solution on the wallpaper again. Let the solution soak for a few minutes; then begin scraping of the wallpaper. When scraping off the wallpaper you will want to use a 3 inch scraper. Use a plastic scraper instead of metal; metal scrapers are more probe to leaving dents and dings. When you are scraping make sure you don't scrape too hard, otherwise you may have to repair damage you caused.

Stubborn Piece of Wallpaper - One of the worst things about wallpaper removal is that stubborn little piece of wallpaper that will not come off. For those stubborn pieces you can get a piece of sandpaper and actually sand it off. The sandpaper can also be used to remove stubborn glue from the wall. You can hand sand or use a sander to clean off those stubborn pieces. If you do sand the wall you will want to make sure you are wearing a mask, wearing safety glasses and are working in a ventilated area.

Wash the Wall - Once you have removed the wallpaper make sure you wet down and wash the walls with fresh water. Use a sponge to clean off any residue that is still on the wall. It is important you wash the walls a few times so that there are no problems with residue when you paint or do something to the wall.

The Secret to Wallpaper Removal - What You Need to Know For Fast and Easy Wall Paper Removal

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