Remove Old Vinyl Wallpaper

Start by peeling off the vinyl from the paper backing.

Remove old vinyl wallpaper.

We assume the little holes in the wall are. Washable vinyl wallpaper is a durable and easy to clean wall covering found in many homes. Run a scoring tool in overlapping circles over the entire wallpapered surface. Some types of wallpaper are more soluble than others.

Rent a steamer instead of purchasing one since this is not a job you will do very often. That way the backing will easily soak up water making the rest of the wallpaper removal faster and easier. Don rubber gloves then soak wallpaper removing fabric in the bucket of stripper solution. Remove old wallpaper in 9 steps.

Vinyl wallpaper will often create a big mess when you try and remove it from the wall using conventional methods. Once the paper is soaked you can scrape it away from the wall. Hgtv expert steve watson shows how to remove vinyl wallpaper. It s not hard but be prepared for a mess.

Removing vinyl wallpaper can be a very difficult job if you don t take it off in the correct way. Removing it to paint or repaper however is not so easy. Next spray liquid wallpaper remover onto the remaining paper then use a trowel to spread the liquid over the paper so it soaks in thoroughly. Pour two gallons of warm water into a bucket and add about 2 ounces of wallpaper stripper solution.

A steamer uses boiling water to soften the glue between the wallpaper and the wall. It may come away in small strips or the vinyl may become soft making it harder to strip off of the wall. Typically this vinyl layer will come off in strips rather than as an entire sheet. If you are removing vinyl coated wallpaper with a steamer you still have to use a scoring tool to punch holes in the paper so the steam can reach the glue.

The point is to remove the top layer of paper and leave the backing on the wall. Vinyl papers like the ones used in bathrooms and kitchens may even repel water. Pull off the facing. For the majority of wallpaper removal projects you ll need to apply a hot water solution to the paper and adhesive backing in order to reactivate the adhesive and allow the paper to come off of the wall.

Removing washable vinyl wallpaper. Only when all of the vinyl is removed can you begin to tackle the rest of the wallpaper layers.