Paper Tiger: Easy Wallpaper Removal

LESLIE: Lisa in Iowa with a wallpaper-removal question, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today? LISA: I’ve got borders and wallpaper to take down. Now, what if I paint over it? Should I prime it?…

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LESLIE: Lisa in Iowa with a wallpaper-removal question, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?

LISA: I’ve got borders and wallpaper to take down. Now, what if I paint over it? Should I prime it? And if I have to take it off, do I score it and then peel it off? Do I use water and vinegar? Hey, that’s my question.

TOM: So here’s the best way to approach this project. And yeah, you’re right: it is a lot of work. But we really don’t like the idea of painting over the wallpaper, because you’re just kind of putting off the problem for later. It makes it even harder to deal with.

LISA: Darn.

TOM: The easiest way to take off a lot of wallpaper is with a steam wallpaper stripper. And it’s a tool that you can easily rent. I know Home Depot rents them. I’m sure other places rent them. And it really does a good job of steaming the glue and loosening up the paper.

You can speed the job up by scoring the wallpaper. And there’s a neat little tool called a “paper tiger” that is really a one-of-a-kind. And it kind of rolls over the paper and puts a bunch of little holes in it that helps the steam get through the surface to get to the glue underneath. And it comes off that much easier.

Now, even though I say it’s easier, it is still a lot of work, so I don’t want you to kid yourself. But renting the steam stripper for the wallpaper is definitely the best way to go.