Once you have been living in a particular set up, even the most appealing wallpaper and décor will start becoming monotonous to you. That’s why you need to renovate routinely, like removing wallpapers to put a fresh spin on your home interiors. Let’s take a look at how easily you can remove the wallpaper and set it to bring the interiors with new wallpaper.
How to remove wallpapers from the walls?
The thing about wall décor is, it is almost impossible to pin it down. Like all disciples of art and design, it continuously evolves, and hence to keep our home and office space looking like a sight for sore eyes, we need to take old things away to make way for the new.
This essential ritual is more frequently applied to home décor soft furnishings like wall art, cushions, curtains, etc. Though other critical items like furniture and wallpapers don’t need to be updated for years but eventually, like how all good things come to an end, wallpapers also need to be replaced for completely revamping the aesthetics of our spaces.
Let’s get ready to let go of those abstract patterns or florals on your wallpaper that you were so used to and can’t bear with anymore and breathe in freshness with new wallpaper.
Types of wallpaper
Generally, wallpapers are made of two layers. The outer layer with the printed pattern is either made of vinyl, fabric, or paper base. Beneath this top layer is the adhesive part made of paper and glue. We need to remove both of these layers altogether to add new wallpaper to your home interior.
Types of wall base
Whether you moved into a home with wallpapers in place or not, the type of wall base can be quickly figured out. Scrape out a small area, and if the wallpaper can be stripped or peeled easily, it is a plastered or primed wall. If only small pieces of wallpaper are coming off, you have got drywall with no coating.
Now that you have found out about the wall base let’s take a look at removing wallpaper from both kinds of walls.
Removing wallpaper from drywalls
First, you will need to gather household tools like the following:
- Putty knife
- Wallpaper perforating tool
- Sprayer or a sponge
- Vinegar or fabric softener
- Safety goggles or eye shield
- Screwdriver
- Tarpaulin or plastic sheet
- Wide tape
- Dustbin
- Ladder
Easy steps to get going with wallpaper removal from drywalls:
1. Preparing the hot water solution
The wallpaper’s removal starts with spraying the wall with a liquid solution of hot water and vinegar or hot water with fabric softener. Either add ¼ volume of fabric softener to ¾ hot water or ¼ household vinegar mixed with 2/3 hot water.
2. Cover the floor and switchboards
Since this solution needs to be sprayed or dabbed on to the wall, the flooring is at risk of getting damaged with the solution. After preparing the removal solution, start covering the floor with tarpaulin or plastic sheet by taping it to the wall bottom. Next, cover all the electric switchboards with plastic sheets and tape to avoid damage to wiring and switches.
After wrapping up the floor and switchboards, turn off the room’s power supply to prevent any accidental electric shock.
3. Applying the solution on the wallpaper
The next step is to apply the solution to the wallpaper to loosen it up. Use a sprayer or a sponge to apply the solution on a small area and wait for 3-4 minutes to get it absorbed on the surface.
Thicker wallpapers will need a stronger solution and more time for the solution to work its magic.
4. Scoring or perforating the wallpaper
Once the solution is applied, use a perforating or scoring tool and rotate in overlapping circles over the wet area to loosen the adhesive. Pay attention to not apply too much pressure to avoid damaging the wall surface.
5. Cover your eyes and start peeling out sheets
After waiting for the solution to get absorbed and perforating, put on your eye shield or goggles and use the putty knife to peel off an edge of the wallpaper, and start tearing it out in sheets as large as possible.
Throw the large sheets in the dustbin and repeat until you’re completely done. After removing wallpapers from the wall, remove the tape and plastic sheet from the electric switchboards and use a screwdriver to remove the board cover. Then use the scraper to peel off the wallpaper from the board cover. If necessary, use the hot water solution to moisten it and then scrape the wallpaper out.
6. Repeat these steps for removing the base adhesive layer
Post removal of the top layer, spray the hot water solution on the base adhesive layer. Wait for a few minutes and scrape out the base with the putty knife.
Removing Wallpaper from Plastered and Primed Walls
- Gather your tools and first perforate the wallpaper with a scoring tool to loosen the adhesive.
- Next, use the putty knife to scrape at an edge and peel off the wallpaper’s sheets from the adhesive base. If necessary, use the hot water solution to weaken the adhesive.
- For primed walls, removing the top layer is a cakewalk, as it comes off in sheets. The base adhesive layer won’t come off in sheets. To ensure its smooth removal, use the hot water solution to spray on the base, wait out for 3-4 minutes to weaken the glue, and use the putty knife to scrape out an edge of the base and easily remove it.
And that’s how you can easily remove the old wallpaper to infuse a new look into your home with a new wallpaper of your choice.
However, suppose just removing wallpapers is not making a significant change to your room or house’s overall look. In that case, we welcome you to explore HomeLane’s expert tips and customised home interior services to put a stylish spin on your living space. Make your area a personal haven of happiness with HomeLane’s smart and ergonomic interiors design solutions that will transform the space in 45 days.
Each of the décor accessories and furniture supplied by HomeLane comes with a five warranty for materials. With our 900+ team of experts and guaranteed delivery within 45 days, we offer you the most dynamic and trusted way to get your refreshed.
