How do you remove wallpaper?

Are you going to change your interior or are you moving and does the house need to be delivered broom clean or ready to move? Then this means that the old wallpaper needs to be removed. This is still a difficult task for many people and that is why we are happy to help you with this.

Removing wallpaper from the wall

Removing wallpaper is a difficult task and when it is not done correctly it is not a fun task. First of all it is important to get the wallpaper loose first and there are different ways to do this. How this is done does not only depend on what you like, but mainly on the type of wallpaper.

Removing wallpaper – soaking wallpaper

Wallpaper can be tricky to remove. The most common and traditional way is to soak it off. Old wallpaper on the wall is firmly attached and needs to be thoroughly wetted, so soaking it off is actually ideal.

To soak wallpaper, you only need a bucket of warm water and a sponge. You can also add a special soaking agent, but this is not strictly necessary. What is also often done is to use a few drops of dishwashing liquid to moisten the wallpaper. You then let the water soak in for a few minutes so that you can then gently pull the wallpaper off.

Steaming wallpaper

You can also steam wallpaper. You do need a steam device for this. You can buy these at a hardware store, but you can also often rent them. After you have gone over the walls with the device, you can gently remove the paper wallpaper with a spatula or putty knife.

Vinyl wallpaper

Vinyl wallpaper is waterproof and unfortunately you can't remove it by just soaking it. For this you need a spike roller so that you can make holes in the wallpaper. Then you can get started with water and your sponge. The wallpaper will then easily soak through because it can reach the glue via the top layer.

Glass fiber wallpaper

Glass fibre wallpaper is very difficult to remove because an extra strong glue is used so that it can bond well to the plasterwork. This type of wallpaper often causes damage to the walls because it is ultimately not removed in the right way. With glass fibre wallpaper, it is more common to fill the surface so that it can be painted over. In this way, you have an easy makeover with a thick layer of paint. A new layer of wallpaper is then no longer necessary.

Has the old wallpaper been removed?

As you have read, paint is often chosen for fiberglass wallpaper, but do you just have 'normal' wallpaper that is easy to remove? Then you can always choose new wallpaper on your walls.