How to Remove Wallpaper Easily

In this video, painter Jim Clark shares tips for cleanly removing the most stubborn wallpaper. He shows a homeowner how to use a wallpaper scoring tool over wallpaper to prepare it for removal. Then, how to prepare and use wallpaper soaking fabric to remove wallpaper so you can peel it off with ease.

Is Wallpaper Easy to Remove?

Yes, with the right the tools and solution you can easily remove wallpaper. Follow the steps below to try it yourself.

Remove Old Wallpaper in 9 Steps

1. Run a scoring tool in overlapping circles over the entire wallpapered surface.
2. Pour two gallons of warm water into a bucket and add about 2 ounces of wallpaper-stripper solution.
3. Don rubber gloves, then soak wallpaper-removing fabric in the bucket of stripper solution.
4. Lift the fabric from the bucket, wring out the excess solution, and press the wet fabric to the wall.
5. Smooth the fabric with your hands, then put up more sheets of wet fabric until you’ve covered the entire wall.
6. Next, use a small pump sprayer to apply stripper solution to the fabric stuck to the wall.
7. Wait 20 minutes, then pull the fabric sheets from the wall and place back in the bucket for reuse on the next wall.
8. Carefully peel the old wallpaper from the wall. If the paper doesn’t release cleanly, spray on more stripper solution.
9. Remove any sticky residue by scrubbing the wall with a scouring sponge dipped in stripper solution.

Tools and Materials You’ll Need