Which are The Best Wallpaper Removal Method?

As professional residential painters Melbourne, removing wallpaper is a part of our job. Through the years we have tried lots of methods, some works and some don’t. In this article we will share three methods and our experience with them.

Wallpaper remover solution

When you search ‘how to remove wallpaper?’ this option might show up on the first page. Essentially, these solutions supposed to break down the glue so it will easier for us to remove the paper from the wall. In our opinion this method gives us the result we are looking for, but we have always found this method require lots of work and not very effective. As for more effective alternative, we suggest you to try liquid fabric softener.  These solutions provide very similar results.

The Paper Tiger

This tool is pretty popular and you may have seen painter use paper tiger to remove wallpaper before. It looks like an over-sized computer mouse that you roll over the wallpaper, and it creates a scoring pattern in the paper.  The way this tool work is it penetrate the wallpaper’s top layer, which allows us to release the glue using water. After a few tries we found that the drawback with this method is critical. When not used carefully, it widely damages the drywall. When using this method, you have balance between getting aggressive with removing the wallpaper and leaving the drywall intact. We do not recommend this tool, unless you’re a professional.

Wallpaper steamer

Wallpaper steamer is our go to tool when removing wallpaper. This is the tool provide the best and most consistent results. And it is not expensive. But if doing bigger project, considering renting a commercial grade steamer. These have worked well for us in the past, but it only lasts for a dozen projects. We like using a wallpaper steamer because it is predictable. It takes several tries before you get used to it, and can still damage the wallboard, but once you get a feel for it, it is easy to work with.  Wallpaper removal cannot be done in hurry and most people just get impatient with it. The challenging part is when you have to work on large walls or above your head. Wrestling with the machine hoses can also be frustrating.  Tight spaces between trim or walls and cabinets can be difficult as well, but usually, wallpaper installed in these areas do not receive as much glue, and can usually be removed without too much problem.