How to remove wallpaper from drywall without damaging it?

In order for the new wallpaper to lie on the walls smoothly and beautifully, it is recommended to clean the wall by removing the old layer. And if old coatings of this type are removed quite easily from a brick or concrete wall, then some problems often arise with drywall. Although it is a durable and reliable material, it does not withstand mechanical damage and negatively perceives humidity. Therefore, when repairing, the question may arise how to remove wallpaper from drywall without damaging it. There are some useful tips on this topic that we will share with you in this article.

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Why is it necessary to remove the old wallpaper layer?

Anyone who has ever worked with drywall knows that this is a smooth, pliable material that a new layer of wallpaper or paint will easily fall on, even if you do not remove the old one. This is true, however, this method can lead to some problems:

• New material can lie with defects - bubbles go, bulges and irregularities appear. Even if the previous layer was perfectly glued, the appearance of flaws is guaranteed.
• Glue, which is under a layer of decorative coating, incorporates a small amount of water. As a rule, this depends on the thickness of the glue, its quality and composition. For this reason, new wallpapers may one day simply fall off the wall.
• On the basement floors, kitchens and in places of high humidity under the wallpaper often mold, fungus, various microorganisms that are harmful to health appear. Therefore, applying a new layer without removing the previous one may be unsafe.

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Preparation for withdrawal

Before you remove the wallpaper from drywall, you need to be thoroughly prepared. To do this, you will need to acquire the following tools:

• Wide and narrow spatulas;
• Masking tape;
• Thin blade construction knife;
• Paint roller and water tray;
• Household steam generator - for this purpose, you can use a steam mop or a conventional steamer.
  

The process of removing such coatings varies greatly, depending on the material from which they are made. But in any case, the process of preparing the room is identical:

• Cover the floor to prevent damage and contamination. You can, for example, cover old newspapers and cover the floor with plastic wrap.
• Cover all sockets with masking tape - this will help you to avoid the ingress of water, which can cause a short circuit.
• Remove all unnecessary things from the room, and also take away furniture. If this is not possible for some reason, then the furniture must be covered with protective material - again, newspapers or film can be fixed with adhesive tape.

Important! Before you remove the old wallpaper from drywall, it is extremely important to make sure that they are glued to a layer of plaster applied to the walls. Otherwise, it will be practically impossible to remove the material, no matter what material they are from.

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How to remove vinyl wallpaper from drywall?

If the past decor is vinyl or non-woven coating, then we can say that you are very lucky. These materials are removed in one solid layer.

In this case, just follow these recommendations to remove the wallpaper from the drywall without damaging it:

1. First you need to scratch the old layer very much in order to break its integrity.To do this, you can use a roller with needles or the so-called building “tiger”. Ultimately, shallow grooves should form on the wall, which greatly facilitate the removal process.

Important! Make sure that the pressure of the cutting tool on the wall is strong, but not excessive, because drywall is quite easy to damage. Make sure that only the wallpaper is cut, not the wall.

2. After the old coating is well scratched, you can start to remove it. The easiest way to do this is from the ceiling. Catch your hand on any cut piece and just pull the wallpaper off the wall. Remove any remaining decor with a spatula and a construction knife.

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Removing Paper Wallpaper

Wallpapering is the most common type of wall decoration. Therefore, the question of how to remove wallpaper from drywall without damaging it is relevant for many repair lovers. First of all, you should understand that paper does not tolerate moisture well. This means that it is in this way that the easiest way is to delete the last layer. By the way, in the same way photographic murals are removed, because they are, as a rule, made of paper.

Here are some simple options:

• Dampen the wall thoroughly with a rag or sponge. Wait about half an hour for the material to absorb liquid. After that, they will begin to fall off the wall. Using a wide spatula you can speed up this process.
• Using a steam generator will greatly speed up the removal of paper decor. In addition, this method allows you to evenly distribute moisture over the entire surface of the wall, as well as affect the old coating using temperature. The removal algorithm is similar to the manual version - moisten the wall, wait a certain time, remove the remaining material with your hands or spatula.

Important! When using water on drywall, make sure that there is plaster under the wallpaper layer. Otherwise, you can spoil the drywall.  

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Removing liquid and washable wallpapers

When working with these types of wallpapers, it is important to know that they repel water very well. But if you competently approach this issue, then there will be no problems with how to remove old wallpaper from drywall in this case:

1. To get started, take a knife, a roller with needles or a construction “tiger”.
2. Scratch the wall, as is the case with vinyl wallpaper. Take extreme care not to spoil the surface of the wall.
3. Moisten the damaged wallpaper with water using improvised means - a sponge, rag or roller. Or using a steam generator.
4. Wait half an hour, and then proceed to withdraw. Using a spatula in this case will significantly speed up the process.

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Alternative methods

If none of the above methods helped, you should not despair. There are several alternative methods that may come in handy:

• If the paper wallpaper is very tightly held on the wall, and there is no plaster layer under them, then you should not even try to peel them off. It is necessary to walk with a primer over old wallpaper - this will protect against mold and fungus, and also prepare the wall for gluing. After drying completely, just stick a new layer. This method is exclusively suitable for paper wallpapers.
• In any hardware store you can buy a special solution for wallpaper. Sometimes it's called a wash. As a rule, such a tool perfectly helps to remove wallpaper from drywall. However, before applying it is necessary to make sure that the wash is suitable specifically for your type of wallpaper.
• An iron can be used as a steam generator. It will not only help moisturize the wall, but also due to the high temperature will kill some types of bacteria. In addition, a large degree of steam makes the wallpaper fall off faster.

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Now you know how to remove wallpaper from drywall without damaging it. When choosing the right method, proper preparation and the availability of the necessary tools, repair will become easy and quick.If none of the methods helped you, turn to the help of professional masters, they will certainly help in your situation.