How to quickly remove wallpaper from the walls

How to quickly remove wallpaper from the walls? Many housewives will say: “It is impossible, it’s better not to bother yourself, and glue new ones on top of the old ones.” But this opinion is incorrect for two good reasons:

1. Firstly, old wallpapers are often kept on the wall, so to speak, “on my word of honor”, ​​and during the gluing process they can finally peel off.
2. Secondly, the result of such a sticking may be worse than before the update itself: bubbles and wrinkles may appear.

Therefore, before applying a new coating on the wall, check out simple tips on how to remove wallpaper from the walls.

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Types of Wallpaper

Wallpaper began in ancient times. Today, a huge assortment and a wide selection of textures and wallpaper colors allow you to diversify the interior, complement various types of decor, make it possible to combine with different types of tiles, plasters and other finishing materials. You can glue them in several ways. The choice will depend purely on what type of wallpaper you purchased:

• Paper (single-layer, multi-layer, smooth or textured).
• Non-woven.
• Washable.
• Vinyl.
• The liquid wallpaper.
• Photowall-paper.
• Cullet.

Important! The main factor for high-quality sticking remains a pre-prepared smooth wall. Therefore, the removal of old wallpaper or other cover is simply inevitable.

Besides the already mentioned main reasons for doing this, there are other factors.

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Reasons for removing old wallpaper from the walls:

1. An uneven and rough surface may accompany the appearance of knolls and folds.
2. Under the old coating there may be the formation of fungus or other types of bacteria that need to be disposed of. Often they become the cause of an unpleasant odor in the room, cause an allergic reaction of the human body, especially in children.
3. Defects that were on the old coating (dirty spots or smudges) can be printed on a new layer of wallpaper.
4. Under the influence of glue when applied to old wallpapers, new ones can swell or peel off completely.

Important! Depending on how long the repair has not been carried out and how firm the decor is on the surface, you will have to make a different amount of effort to remove the wallpaper from the walls.

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How to remove old wallpaper without too much effort? - Room preparation

It is not always possible to remove the wallpaper with one movement of the hand. Sometimes this requires a lot of effort, especially if PVA glue was added to the wallpaper glue, that is, it was glued “forever”. Therefore, before starting the main process, you first need to prepare a room. For this:

• Free the room from carpets, curtains and curtains.
• Furniture that cannot be taken out, cover with polyethylene and move away from the wall - at least 1 meter.
• Cover the floor with plastic wrap. At the edges, fix it to the baseboards with masking tape to protect the floor from excess dirt, old pieces of wallpaper, moisture and plaster.

Important! When the polyethylene coating gets wet, it becomes slippery, so work in shoes with non-slip soles.

• Turn off the electricity on the shield. For most methods of removing paper from walls, water is used; getting it into junction boxes will create a short circuit.
• First remove the wallpaper near the outlets. To do this, loosen the screws, remove the wallpaper and tighten them back.
• Seal the switches and sockets with tape to prevent water from entering the wiring.
• Free walls from paintings, lamps, shelves.

Important! The light in the room can only be turned on after the walls have completely dried.

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How to quickly remove old wallpaper from the walls? - Necessary tools

To quickly remove wallpaper from the walls, you can use certain tools. You will find some of them at home without any problems, and some will have to be purchased at a hardware store.

Important! What exactly you will need will depend on the type of wallpaper glued and the way you will remove them.

A complete list of fixtures may include:

• Spatula and scraper. Prepare a spatula in two versions: narrow and wide.
• Needle roller or wallpaper tiger to pierce old wallpaper.

Important! Such tools are not suitable for removing wallpaper from silk-screen printing. They simply cannot pierce them.

• A basin and washcloth with warm water or a roller and paint tray. For best results, add dishwashing detergent to warm water.
• 50 cm wide plastic film to cover the floor from dirt.
• Masking tape to fix the film on the skirting boards.
• Professional wallpaper remover.
• A sharp clerical knife.
• If you have a steam generator on the farm, it will greatly facilitate the process.
• Stepladder or chair.

Important! When working with sharp objects, follow the safety rules.

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How to clean the wall of old paper wallpaper?

Today, in practice, several methods are most often used to remove old coatings from walls. But the most effective are methods using water and steam.

Method number 1:

1. Moisten the surface of the walls with plenty of water. For a better result, use a washcloth, roller or spray gun. Add a little dishwashing detergent or fabric softener.

Important! The surface should be wetted in parts so that it does not dry before scraping.

2. After 5-10 minutes with a spatula or scraper, you can start scraping the wallpaper.
3. To make them soak faster, use a roller or wallpaper tiger. Using these devices, water quickly permeates all layers of the coating.
4. If the walls are covered with plaster, remove the rest of the wallpaper with a wide spatula at an angle to the surface of the wall.
5. If the wallpaper is firmly stuck to the wall, you can remove the remains with large emery paper.

Method number 2

A special wallpaper remover is much more effective than regular water to cope with cleaning. You can buy it at a hardware or hardware store. This tool is not harmful to the body, you can use it indoors.

Important! Before use, read the instructions and determine in what proportion to dilute the product, taking into account the type of wallpaper glued on the wall.

Application Rules:

1. Dilute the product according to the instructions and apply to the wall. The tool impregnates the wallpaper and destroys the glue.
2. Separate them from the wall with a spatula.
3. For best results, you can add wallpaper glue to the mixture. With the resulting composition, walk on the surface and leave until completely dry.

Important! After a couple of hours, the wallpaper will easily move in solid pieces from the wall.

Method number 3

To quickly remove old wallpaper from the walls, you will need a steam stripper. You can buy it at a hardware store. Using steam, you can easily remove heavy multilayer wallpapers. But here, follow these recommendations:

1. When working with a steam generator, wear long-sleeved clothing.Protect your hands with special gloves.
2. You need to remove the wallpaper from the bottom up, as the steam rises and softens the coating.
3. Press the stripper to the wallpaper for 30 seconds, and immediately remove with a spatula. Alternatively, you can use an iron with a steam supply system.

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How to remove vinyl wallpaper from the walls?

Vinyl wallpapers are in great demand. They have a durable wear-resistant coating, are easy to glue and just as easily removed. Vinyl film is firmly connected to the paper base, does not tear when removed, it is removed immediately with a whole strip.

To quickly remove wallpaper from vinyl-based walls, you need to:

1. Before wetting with water, carefully scratch the surface so that the water gets under the polymer layer.
2. Treat the walls with water.
3. Leave the glue to dissolve for a few minutes.
4. With a sharp clerical knife under the ceiling, make an incision and pull gently on the wallpaper.
5. Remove the remains with the pallet.
6. If necessary, moisten them again.

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How to quickly remove washable wallpaper from the wall?

This type of wallpaper is made of waterproof material and is very durable. In principle, like non-woven wallpaper. In order to remove them, the following actions will be required:

1. Before treating with water, scratch with a tiger or needle roller.
2. So that the wallpaper is well behind the wall, you need to soak it several times with water.
3. As soon as they swell, use a spatula to remove the wall covering that is no longer necessary.

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We remove glass

Few people know what is cullet, because in the market for such products they appeared recently. They are made by fiberglass embossing.

Cullets have similar characteristics with a vinyl coating. To quickly remove the wallpaper from the walls, in this case, you need to do the following work:

1. Make cuts and holes to soak the adhesive.
2. With a sharp knife under the ceiling, make a horizontal incision and move down the entire strip.
3. Residues from the wall should be removed with a scraper.

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We remove non-woven wallpaper

The base of the non-woven is stronger than paper, so the process of removing from the wall is easier.

Important! To make your task even easier, you can remove only the top layer. The interlining remaining on the wall will be an excellent basis for a new coating.

If you decide to go to the end and completely clean the wall, then do the following:

1. Moisten the outer layer with water.
2. Undermine the wallpaper from the ceiling and gently pull down.
3. Use a spatula to remove any remaining material.

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How to remove liquid wallpaper?

This type of wall covering is not particularly in demand due to its expensive cost. But ease of application and removal from the surface increase its popularity. The composition of the wallpaper includes water-soluble glue, due to which the coating firmly adheres to the wall. Therefore, it does not hurt to know how to remove this type of wallpaper:

1. Pour warm water into the basin and moisten the walls several times with a sponge or rag.
2. Once the wallpaper is swollen, remove it with a sharp spatula.
3. The surface of the wall can be wiped with a damp cloth.

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How to take a photo wallpaper?

Wall mural is deleted in the usual way:

1. Using a needle roller, scratch the surface.
2. Dampen the wall plane with plenty of water.
3. Use a sharp spatula to remove the mural.

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How to remove old wallpaper from drywall without extra effort?

The structure of drywall includes paper, so water should be used carefully so as not to soak the base. In this case, a special tool for removing wallpaper will come to the rescue, the main property of which is to dissolve wallpaper glue without damaging the surface.

Mode of application:

1. Before wetting the wall, perforate on the old surface with a wallpaper tiger, knife or pinion.
2. Moisten the surface of the walls with water.

Important! For best results, vinegar can be added to the water.

3. Remove the wallpaper layer with a spatula.

Important! Work carefully with a spatula on the plane so as not to damage the surface of the hot water line.

4. Use a sponge to remove particles from the walls.
5. Use a dry cloth to collect the remaining water from the surface.
6. If the wallpaper is glued to PVA glue, then you can remove them only by removing the top layer of cardboard. Since the basis of drywall is multi-layer cardboard, this operation should be carried out carefully using a paint knife.

Important! Before applying a new coating, grind the surface and putty.

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Useful Tips:

• If you have at hand a special grinding machine or drill with a brush to remove wallpaper, this will greatly simplify the process.

Important! When using such tools, a lot of dust will appear in the room, cover the furniture in advance and protect the respiratory organs with a respirator.

• The surface on which the adhesive remains can be puttied. Previously, the walls should be primed. Use for this a deep penetration primer.
• Be sure to rinse off any glue with a damp cloth. The presence of old glue on the surface of the walls will affect the quality of the new coating.
• Before gluing new wallpapers, make sure that the plaster is not behind the wall. To do this, tap all the suspicious areas. If necessary, plaster problem areas again.
• Wall cleaning should begin from the ceiling. Remove any and all remnants of the old coating.
• Do not wet the walls so as not to destroy the putty.
• Before applying a new coating, the walls should dry well.

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Stock footage

Removing the old coating from the walls is painstaking and time-consuming work, but as a result, you will get a beautiful, updated room design for your efforts. And knowledge of how to remove old wallpaper from the walls will help in the future to easily remove the most firmly glued materials.