3 Easy Ways to Remove Wallpaper—Without Damaging Your Walls

Wallpaper is a stunning way to elevate your home's design aesthetic—whether you're creating an accent wall, using it on your ceiling, or covering an entire room. With that being said, just as wallpaper can add to a space, it can easily take away from it. If you're tired of your home's current pattern (or if you're remodeling a newly purchased home), you're likely wondering just how difficult it is to remove wallpaper yourself. While it can be a time consuming process, there are a few tried-and-true methods that make tearing down unsightly wallpaper much easier—and won't harm your walls.

Necessary Materials

Depending on your chosen removal method, these are some of the tools you'll need on hand for this project.

• Drop cloths
• Scoring tool
• Stripping spray
• Putty knife
• Steamer
• Dish soap
• Laundry detergent

Preparation

Taking down wallpaper can get messy, so you will need to prepare the walls and surrounding area before getting started.

Clear the Walls

Start by removing décor, including painting, mirrors, and shelves, from your walls. You should also remove all outlet and switch plate covers. Store everything you took off the walls in a safe space to protect them from damage.

Cover Furniture

Remove any furniture from the surrounding area and cover what's left in the room with a tarp. "Be sure to place old towels or plastic drop clothes along your baseboards to prevent messy scraps from getting on the floors," says Gary McCoy, store manager at Lowe's.

Score the Walls

If you're removing washable or vinyl-coated wallpaper, you should use a scoring tool before applying liquid or heat to create holes in the paper. "This will allow the water and steam to deactivate the glue between the paper and the wall," says McCoy. "If removing other kinds of wallpaper, scoring only needs to be done if the water or solution used to strip the paper isn't being absorbed." You will know the paper isn't reacting to the liquid or heat if it can't be easily torn off. 

How to Remove Wallpaper

You can remove wallpaper using more than one method. "There are three main processes that I've found most effective: wallpaper stripping spray, steaming, or a DIY spray mixture of 50 percent hot water and 50 percent laundry detergent," says Lisa Dreissig, senior interior designer at RHG Architecture + Design. No matter which method you use, it's common for old wallpaper to come off in two separate layers: the top decorative layer and the wall liner underneath, says Dreissig.

Method 1: Stripping Spray

One easy way to remove wallpaper is by soaking it with stripping spray—a product designed to remove paint, finishes, and coatings—then using a putty knife to gently peel off the paper.

1. After preparing your walls, saturate them with the liquid stripper.
2. Let the liquid stripper sit for the recommended time on the bottle's label.
3. Peel off wallpaper in sections using a putty knife.
4. If the top layer of wallpaper comes off separately, score the wall liner underneath.
5. Spray with wall liner with liquid stripper again.
6. Let the liquid stripper sit for the recommended time on the bottle's label.
7. Scrape the walls with a putty knife until smooth.
8. Once all paper is removed, wipe down walls with a mixture of dish soap and water.
9. Let dry.

Method 2: Steaming

If you already have a steamer on hand, you can use it to remove your wallpaper. "With this removal process, I've found you have to steam as you go," says Dreissig. "The wallpaper tends to dry quickly, making it harder to remove. The key is to have the adhesive wet so it is flexible for removal."

1. After preparing your walls, steam a small section with water where you want to start removing the wallpaper.
2. Peel off the section of wallpaper you just steamed using a putty knife.
3. Repeat the steaming and stripping process on each section of wallpaper until it is removed.
4. If the top layer of wallpaper comes off separately, score the wall liner underneath.
5. Steam the wall liner in small sections again.
6. Scrape the wall with a putty knife to remove the liner and adhesive. 
7. Once all paper is removed, wipe down walls with a mixture of dish soap and water.
8. Let dry.
   

Method 3: DIY Solution With Laundry Detergent

Alternatively, you can take a DIY approach by making a spray mixture that's half water, half laundry detergent. "It's very similar to wallpaper stripping spray, but it is more cost effective because it’s primarily water," says Dreissig.

1. In a spray bottle, mix a solution that's 50 percent water and 50 percent laundry detergent.
2. After preparing your walls, saturate the walls with the DIY solution.
3. Peel off wallpaper in sections using a putty knife.
4. If the top layer of the wallpaper comes off separately, score the wall liner underneath.
5. Spray walls with the DIY solution again.
6. Let the spray sit.
7. Scrape the walls with a putty knife until smooth.
8. Once all paper is removed, wipe down walls with a mixture of dish soap and water.
9. Let dry.