10 Tips for Stripping Wallpaper Without Breaking a Sweat

No home feature lasts forever, and that's especially true for wallpaper. Whether you put it up yourself or inherited it from the last owners, there comes a time when it no longer suits your tastes—or maybe it never really did to begin with—and you're faced with the task of taking it down.

While not as straightforward as putting up a new coat of paint, several tips for stripping wallpaper can make the process easier. Say goodbye to the old patterns once and for all and hello to your walls' future. 

1. Get to Know What Materials You’re Working With

Not all wallpapers are created equally. Some are designed to be easy to remove—like renter-friendly stick-and-peel options—while others are formulated to last as long as possible and be resistant to moisture—which is a key ingredient in most removal processes. 

That's why you have to know what you're working with before you get started. Maybe you're the one who put it up in the first place, in which case you already have the knowledge you need. If you're going in blind, though, find out more by evaluating one spot first. Test it out with a spray bottle and putty knife. If it comes off easily with no water at all, you probably have a stick-and-peel variety on your hands. If you use a decent amount of water with no luck, the wallpaper may have been painted over, so you'll need to perforate the surface first so the moisture can get in between the wall and the paper to do its job (more on that in a bit).

2. Skip Wallpaper Scrapers

A quick Google search will bring up loads of specially designed scrapers for removing wallpaper, but these tools might not deliver on their promises. Those who've tried them have found that they aren't as useful as devices they already have (like a putty knife) and unnecessarily add to the budget for a project like this. 

3. Lightly Score the Wallpaper

If you’ve found that your wallpaper has been painted over, or perhaps it's vinyl-backed—that’s a type of wallpaper designed to keep moisture out in spaces where it’s in abundance, like when wallpapering a bathroom—you’ll need to score it first. 

This involves poking small holes into the wallpaper with a sharp tool so the moisture can seep through and start the peeling process. You can buy a designated tool for this purpose, like a wallpaper perforator, or save on costs by using what you already have, like the pointy edge of a scraper or even an old kitchen knife. Just be sure not to penetrate too deeply to avoid damaging the wall beneath. 

4. Always Use Warm Water

Water alone isn’t enough to loosen wallpaper for stripping. It’ll need to be hot enough to enable steam to form and loosen the hold between the glue, paper, and wall. Cool water will do this, too, but over a much longer timeframe. 

5. Consider Using a Steamer or Heat Gun

When it comes to how to remove wallpaper, most guides recommend starting with hot water and a sponge. But if a sponge bath isn't having an impact, it's time to look into heavy-duty options like a steamer, hair dryer, or heat gun. A word of caution when using such devices: Overdoing it can damage the wall beneath, especially if it's made from plaster or drywall. Use a lighter touch throughout the process to keep everything intact. 

6. Try a Fabric Softener Solution

Traditional wallpaper will come off fairly easily with hot water or steam alone, but getting rid of the glue beneath is another story. These products are designed to stay in place no matter what, so you may need to try something else if they aren't coming off with other tricks. When in doubt, try a mixture of 80% hot water and 20% fabric softener to loosen the tough bits. This is also a good trick for encouraging peeling where the wallpaper borders the ceiling. 

7. Work One Layer at a Time

Save for a couple of exceptions, you can put wallpaper over wallpaper—but that's also why you may have more work on your plate than you realized when you start the removal process. Don't attempt to get rid of all the layers at once. Though you might think you'll save time that way, you'll end up with a larger mess and more work in the long run.

8. Sand Away Remaining Bits and Pieces

Once the bulk of the wallpaper has been removed, you can slough off the rest with an orbital palm sander or fine-grit sandpaper. This trick will remove the more stubborn parts that remain—like residual glue—without creating issues on the walls beneath. 

9. Have a Trash Can Handy

All those old wallpaper scraps need a place to go, and may end up on the floor where they can become a safety hazard without a trash can nearby. Keep a small to mid-size bin in the vicinity for this task—and remember, you want it to be small enough to carry outside with ease, but large enough that you don’t have to make a trip to a larger bin every ten minutes. 

10. Patience Is Key

The process of stripping wallpaper is not a speedy one, and the results may be less than ideal if you try to rush through it. Take your time, recruit friends and family to help—or hire a wallpaper removal pro near you if you don’t have the time to commit—and know that in the end, your patience will make all the difference.