What’s the best way to remove wallpaper glue from surfaces after taking off old wallpaper?
Our Answer
Proper removal of the wallpaper itself will make this part of the job easier. You can smooth the way by using a rented steamer to saturate and loosen paper or vinyl-based wallcovering, a task made even easier by lightly pre-scoring the surface with a utility knife. There are many tools made for this purpose, and some will suggest running this tool all over the wall. Here is the only problem with that: you will have smaller pieces of paper to remove, making the job unnecessarily tedious. If you score the wall to allow steam to penetrate and loosen the glue under the paper, you might want to score the area in large portions, so the paper pulls of in big sheets as opposed to little scraps.
Working from the top down, steam one small area at a time; from there, you’ll be able to pull the wallpaper back and away for easy removal. This step is time consuming but must be done properly. Once all wallpaper has been removed, use a mixture of distilled white vinegar and water to remove any remaining wallpaper glue. After wall surfaces have completely dried, you’ll be clear to apply primer and paint!
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