How To Remove Wallpaper

Knowing how to remove wallpaper is an important skill, especially if you don’t want to have to pay a decorator! As with fashion, interior design fads come and go. The latest trends leaning to subtle beige and earth toned paints, can soon change to a fondness for floral fabrics and garden-inspired wall coverings. We all love a good old feature wall – be it papered or paint – but what happens when you change your mind about it?

The Best Ways To Remove Wallpaper

It’s easy to paint over a painted wall, but removing stubborn wallpaper can be slightly more challenging. Don’t worry – we’ve compiled some top tips on how remove even the smallest and peskiest pieces!

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Using a Steamer to Remove Wallpaper

A wallpaper steamer works by using hot water to soften the wallpaper adhesive between the wallpaper and the wall. By heating up the wallpaper and paste, the bond between the paper and the wall is broken and, in theory, the paper should come away from the wall with some gentle encouragement.

Don’t refill your steamer with fresh water when it’s turned on. It’s best to unplug it for a couple of minutes before topping up the water tank to avoid any extra mess.

Use A Wallpaper Stripper for Removal

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By combining store-bought wallpaper stripper with hot water, you can create a solution that loosens the paper from the wall. Things can get a bit messy and wet, but this does work. Combine the stripper with hot water and pour into a spray bottle. Then, spray small areas of the walls and let the wet solution stand on the paper for several minutes. After that, it’s just a case of thinking happy thoughts and spending the next couple of days scraping the paper off the walls with a putty knife!

Don’t Ignore The Sticky Residue When Removing Wallpaper

It’s really important to check walls after you think you’ve removed all the paper. Painting over left-over residues can make the paint look greasy in patches or, worse still, make it stand out from the wall! Sometimes adhesive can be left on the surface of the wall and no amount of scraping can get it off. This is where your trusty can of WD-40® Multi-Use Product comes into its own.

Apply some product to a cloth and dab onto the adhesive. Wait a few minutes while the WD-40® fast-acting formula breaks down the adhesive. You may need to apply a bit more for super stubborn spots! Then taking another clean cloth, wipe away the sticky deposit.

Fetch The Fabric Softener

Yes, you heard us right – go and get the fabric softener! Using the same method as the wallpaper stripper, fill a spray bottle with equal parts of fabric softener and water. Shake the bottle so that the two components mix completely. Then, spray the mixture onto the wallpaper you want to re-move from the wall and let it soak for a little bit. After a few minutes you’ll be able to peel the paper straight off the wall without any trouble at all! Isn’t that ‘comforting’ to know?!

Take The Easy Way Out and Don’t Remove the Wallpaper

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If all else fails and the thought of peeling off all that paper makes you lose the will to live, then take the easy way out and paint over it! You’ll need to do a fair but of preparation such as dealing with any curled-up seams or ripped patches. You’ll need a smooth working surface to paint over so stick down any loose bits of wallpaper and deal with any rips. Fill in any holes or gaps.

This option will require you to use a really good primer paint coat first, especially if your wallpaper has a heavy pattern or is a dark colour. Then you’ll need at least two coats of paint.

We’re sure you’ll agree that what goes up must come down and with our top tips, hopefully your wallpaper will come down fairly easily! It’s all about patience really – waiting for the steam or stripper to do its job and giving WD-40® a bit of time to work its magic.

If you found this handy guide useful and would like to find out more ways WD-40® can help you around the home, why not check out our blog page here.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
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