How to remove old wallpaper from the wall quickly and easily

The content of the article

• Preparing to delete wallpaper
• Wallpaper Remover
• How to easily remove old wallpaper from the wall
• With soaking
• Mechanical way
• Using steam
• Difficult cases
• How to remove vinyl wallpaper
• Non-woven
• Washable
• Glued to PVA
• How to remove old wallpaper from drywall

Before sticking new wallpapers, you need to prepare the surface well so that they are applied smoothly, do not peel and do not bubble. Wall murals and glass murals require special attention. Different methods of removing old coatings from walls save time and effort. Removing old wallpaper will take from several hours to 2 days.

Preparing to delete wallpaper

Getting started, clean things and furniture in a free room. The second option is to move all objects to the center of the room and cover them with polyethylene.

Dismantling old wallpapers can ruin furniture and furnishings, leaving traces of old glue on it.

It is better to cover the floor with newspapers or oilcloth, plinths – cover with plastic wrap. Protection is also needed for wiring. Advice:

1. During operation with a spatula, the wires can be hooked, so cover and seal the sockets and switches with masking tape.
2. With abundant wetting with water of the old coating, it is necessary to disconnect the apartment.

Wallpaper Remover

Warm water is the most commonly used remedy. Work order:

• Notch or perforate the coating.
• Grate a piece of laundry soap in water or add powder / dishwashing detergent – this will speed up the process.
• Sponge soapy solution applied to several strips. He impregnates them, dissolving glue.
• Cloths quickly begin to move away from the wall after a couple of minutes – they need to be scraped off with a spatula.
• Poorly removed residues are removed with sandpaper.

Other types of compounds:

1. Glue. If the canvases are poorly torn off the walls, a small amount of wallpaper glue should be added to warm water (5 times less than for gluing). A similar composition will act on the old glue and dissolve it.
2. Finished product. In construction stores there are special solutions (liquid gels or powders) without a pungent odor. There are no substances harmful to humans. The most popular – from the brands “Methylan”, “Tapeks”, Kleo. How to remove their coating:
   • The powder is diluted with water, mixed thoroughly.
   • The mixture is applied by roller, after a while (from several minutes to 3 hours) the coating is easily removed.
3. Table vinegar. You need to add 5 tablespoons per bucket of warm water. The smell will be unpleasant, but the old coating will be easier to remove. The method is simple and economical. Another plus of the vinegar solution is the prevention of fungus and mold on the walls..
4. Fabric softener. Procedure:
   • The bottle is filled with air conditioning and hot water (40-50 ° C) in a ratio of 1: 2.
   • The mixture is well beaten and sprayed with a spray gun..

How to easily remove old wallpaper from the wall

For dismantling, use different methods – starting with simple ones. In difficult cases, removing old wallpaper from the walls requires equipment. Are needed:

• ladder;
• sharp spatula, perforation roller, wallpaper tiger, knife, brush;
• bags for construction waste;
• a bucket of warm water, rags;
• roller, dishwashing sponge;
• special means for removing, iron, cloth flap (rags or gauze).

With soaking

Removing old wallpaper will be quick and hygienic if you soak the coating and dried glue. The pluses of the method are a little dust, the plaster does not peel off, the glue leaves evenly. What to do:

1. Wet a few bands.
2. Allow moisture to soak (20 minutes – 2 hours).
3. You can proceed with the removal if the canvases separate themselves.

Mechanical way

Durable coatings are removed mechanically.

To do this, use a knife, hot steam, spatula.

The method is suitable for vinyl coatings, as they are made of paper and covered with a moisture-proof protective film. What to do:

1. Before removing, carefully scratch the coating, moisten with water.
2. When the liquid softens the glue, make a cross cut with a knife at the top.
3. Shoot the stripes by pulling the edge.

Using steam

Fast moving wallpaper provides steam. It penetrates the structure much faster than water, dissolving glue and not damaging the plaster. You will need an iron or steam generator. What to do if you have an iron on hand:

1. Moisten a flap of cotton cloth (rags or gauze in several folds), attach it to the wall and, turning on the heating to the maximum value, iron.
2. When ironing, steam a few times.
3. Pry the strip of wallpaper with a spatula.

If you use a steamer, it’s more convenient to work together. One person holds or raises the body of the device, the second – directs the steam over the coating strip.

Hot humid air works perfectly on paper products. Other types must perforate or peel off the protective film.

Difficult cases

To choose a more effective method of cleaning the walls, consider:

• what surface is coated (ceiling, wall);
• wall material (concrete, drywall);
• what type it refers to: paper, vinyl or non-woven;
• what glue was used for applying.

It is easy to remove the paper coating even with your hands. Parts that have not come off are removed by wetting with a sponge and warm water. If they do not go away, spray 2-3 strips of water from the spray bottle, wait 20 minutes until the paper swells and the glue dissolves. The strips are removed with a spatula, starting from the connecting seam to the middle of the canvas.

How to remove vinyl wallpaper

Vinyl coatings are durable and difficult to remove. They are best treated with wallpaper “tiger”, thoroughly moisten with water 1-2 stripes. They peel them off, lifting the corner of the film layer first, and then the paper backing.

Be careful: if vinyl is glued to a drywall, you must not wet it!

In the most difficult cases, a grinder or drill with a brush head will help to quickly remove the remaining vinyl coating..

Non-woven

Non-woven coatings quickly stick and peel off. They do not even need to be moistened. Procedure:

1. Pull on the top layer (peel), holding the edge, separate it from the substrate, which remains in the same place.
2. You can leave the base of the coating – it is permissible to stick other wallpapers on it many times.
3. If the substrate is damaged, then for the new finish you need to remove the bottom layer. Soak it, and everything will be removed quickly.

Washable

All washable wall coverings are waterproof – they are pre-punched with a needle roller or notched with a knife. Moisten the surface liberally – the adhesive softens slowly, the cuts are small. Cloths will begin to depart in 10 minutes. Advice:

• If the surface has dried, then it is re-wetted.
• The scraper for dismantling works carefully so as not to damage the wall – all the bumps will have to be plastered again.

Glued to PVA

This type of glue is water insoluble. You have to remove the wallpaper mechanically. Advice:

• Buy a “wallpaper tiger”. Spinning wheels with needles scratch old coating.
• Make the needle roller easier. The principle of operation is different: they press on it so that it does not rotate, but brakes and scratches.
• Apply soap solution (1 kg of washing powder per 10 liters of water) or vinegar (1 part to 8 parts of water).
• Remove the blade with a spatula, remove parts that are easy to. Remove the rest with a grinder. Remember that it is easy to damage the wall..
• Steaming – less energy-consuming method.

How to remove old wallpaper from drywall

It is acceptable to leave the old coating on the drywall sheet, but because of it the new one often does not fit well. The second problem is that mold, fungus may remain under the wallpaper. The problem is created by the composition of drywall – paper and gypsum. This material must not be wet or heated..

To remove the wallpaper and not damage the drywall, buy a special solution.

The wash for wallpaper is selected by type of coating. Instruction:

1. wallpaper perforate;
2. to process with means for dismantle;
3. remove the trowel.

If the coating is glued on PVA and drywall, then due to several layers of materials, removing the wallpaper will turn out only with the top layer of cardboard. Carry out the work carefully, use only a paint knife – the grinder will definitely damage the wall.