When done correctly, removing old wallpaper can be easy work. If you have classic, old fashioned wallpaper on plaster walls, you are in luck, for this is the easiest scenario for striping. You can apply a home made vinegar and water solution. Allow for it to soak through and moisten the old wallpaper paste. Once the wallpaper is saturated, it can be removed with a putty knife or wallpaper scraper.



Unfortunately, today the vinyl coated wallpapers are made to be long lasting, and are therefore, more challenging to remove. Care must be taken so as not to damage the drywall underneath. The top layer of drywall is easily gouged, and further steps will be needed to repair it.

The surface of the old vinyl coated wallpaper must be carefully pierced with thousands of tiny holes. Consult your local hardware store to find palm sized tools for this purpose. These tools have small spiked wheels in the center that rotate like casters. You can push the tool over the wallpaper using moderate force and the tiny wheels will make holes that puncture the wallpaper, but not the drywall. The more passes you make, the more holes are created.

Once the holes have been made, apply an enzyme based solution to break the bonds of the wallpaper glue. Be patient in allowing adequate time for the solution to do its job. Once the solution has thoroughly soaked the old wallpaper, it can be easily removed, usually in sheets.

After all the old wallpaper has been stripped, remove all residual glue from the wall surface with mild soap and water. Now your wall is a fresh palate, ready to be prepped for redecorating.