How can I safely remove wallpaper adhesive from drywall without damaging it, or should I consider ripping out the drywall and starting fresh in my first home?
Asked by Ömür Kunter 
6 months ago
Last Updated: May 14, 2024
I was totally caught off guard by this situation. When we first checked out this house, it seemed like a simple fix with just paint and a layer of scalloped wallpaper. But as we started peeling things back, we found out they had used latex paint over an old layer of wallpaper, and now it’s all coming off in one big mess. So now I’ve got a bunch of wallpaper adhesive stuck on the drywall.
I’m wondering –
1. Can I use a steamer to get rid of the adhesive without damaging the drywall?
2. Or maybe it’s easier to just rip out the drywall and start fresh at this point?
This is my first time dealing with something like this in my own home, and it’s definitely overwhelming. I have no idea where to even start!
For me, I think it’s best to just remove everything and put up new rock. But that’s just my opinion 🤷🏼♂️
Here’s a picture of a room where we had to do a lot of patching after removing the wallpaper because it’s gyprock behind it. All the seams needed to be smoothed out.
If there’s even a tiny reason to open up the walls, I say go for it!
A lot of us have dealt with this, trust me. The best approach in my opinion is using plenty of water and scrapers. Personally, I find that using dawn liquid detergent mixed with water works well; you let it sit until it starts to lift, and sometimes you can just peel it off. I wouldn’t bother replacing drywall just because of wallpaper. It’s definitely a tedious task, but once it’s done, it’s done, and you’ll learn from it.
Hey, what prep work did you do on the wall before painting? Did you apply a skim coat?
Hey there! I made sure to spray water and Dawn dish soap and kept removing the leftover wallpaper residue diligently. After that, I applied a high-quality primer and paint on the wall.
I’ve always just used warm water and a spray bottle. Remove the vinyl layer of wallpaper, spray the paper with water, let it soak for a while, then use a scraper to remove it. It’s a tedious job but it has always done the trick. You may need to do some light skim coating with spackle afterward, but it’s usually not too difficult. The whole process just requires a lot of elbow grease.
Wait, was the wallpaper directly on the drywall? I’m concerned about causing irreparable damage to the drywall 🫠
I’ve taken down tons of wallpaper. I work in construction. I’ve never messed up the drywall except for a few areas where I had to do some skimming.
I’m lowkey freaking out about attempting to skim 😂 people act like it’s so hard
It’s not a big deal. Honestly, it’s hard to completely mess up. You might just need to do more sanding if it doesn’t turn out well. Starting with less material is better. You can always add another layer if needed. Just watch some YouTube tutorials, you’ll do great.
Mitch is right – removing the rough spots isn’t too difficult to figure out. Just watch a couple of YouTube videos and ensure you have the right tools: a good drywall knife and a mud tray. The effectiveness depends on the wallpaper glue used, but a mix of hot water and liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle might help soften the glue for easy removal.
The good thing is that wallpaper can be removed from walls. The challenge is that it can be really tough and messy to do. To tackle tough wallpaper, try using a mixture of hot water, dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar. Mix hot water, soap, and baking soda together, then use a sponge to apply it to the glue. Work on small sections at a time and once the glue softens, use a putty knife to scrape it off. Be sure to protect everything in the room with tarps or plastic and cover the outlets.
You have the option to purchase wallpaper remover along with a tool that will simplify the process.
Simply remove the paper and apply Guardz sealer. Then you’re all set to go
Even if there’s some residue left over?
Hey , if the issue is with the glue, that’s what the sealer is meant for. Even if there’s some paper sticking, the sealer can handle it, but the final smoothness depends on your preference for the walls.
I looked up how to skim a wall on Google. Basically, you dilute drywall mud until it’s like pancake batter. Then you roll it on with a paint roller. After that, you skim it all off and move on to the next section. I did this in my dining room and now it has the best walls in the house. It was a bit scary, but turned out to be pretty easy.
I’ve personally used a spray bottle of water to dampen the paper backing before scraping it off the wall. It’s a pretty straightforward process, although you could also opt for a steamer. Just be careful not to oversaturate the wall or let the water sit for too long.
We took it off and applied a skim coat on top. There were about 5 layers, with two layers of paint in between – quite a job, haha.
Elizabeth, did you apply skim coat yourself?
I was originally planning to, but I had other areas that needed to be finished from our remodeling, so I just had them take care of it all at once.
Have you tried using a steamer to remove the wallpaper? It’s a much quicker and easier method.
Last year, I found myself in my son’s bathroom dealing with some stubborn wallpaper. It required a lot of effort with soaking, scraping, sanding, and skim coating to finally get rid of it. I definitely won’t be using wallpaper again.
Did you do the skim coating yourself?
Definitely . I spent hours watching YouTube tutorials and practicing in a small section first.
Clean the surface with warm, soapy water – I personally prefer using Dawn dishwashing detergent. Spray it on, let it sit for a bit, use a scraper if needed, then wipe it off. Let it dry and follow up with a quick sanding. I always start with a light coat of paint, let it dry, lightly sand it, then apply another coat of paint.
If not all of the wallpaper is loose, just remove the parts that are loose, then seal the walls with a primer like Bullseye 123, and finally skim coat. I’ve done this several times for customers who wanted to avoid the high labor costs of removing wallpaper. After the skim coat, seal it again before painting.
Get a scorer to make small holes in the wallpaper & spray with DIF.
When it comes to removing wallpaper, the ease of removal depends on whether it was directly applied to sheetrock/plaster or if there was a primer coat of paint first. If it was applied over paint, it will come off easily. Otherwise, it can be a difficult and messy process of re-mudding, smoothing, and sanding the walls.
I used a steamer to strip off the wallpaper covering the drywall in a 1930s home. It had two layers of wallpaper, with the first layer dating back to the original construction. The main challenge was the old adhesive, which I was able to remove using the steamer, a paint scraper, and some patience.
In a more recent home built in 1975 with a single layer of wallpaper over drywall, I followed the same process. There were fewer adhesive issues, but it was a smooth experience overall.
An incredibly simple and affordable solution for removing wallpaper paste is the amazing cleaner. I purchase gallons of it from the dollar tree and mix it with hot water. Apply it with the reliable weed and feed wand. You can squeegee it off like a window or utilize the effective power tool: super sucker carpet shampooer. It works like a charm.
Some helpful tips:
– Avoid scrubbing vigorously! This can peel the paper off the sheetrock and make refinishing more challenging.
– Leave the stubborn spots that refuse to come off. Once the wall is dry, you can sand those spots and smooth them out with a purple Scotch Brite pad. After priming, the spot will vanish.
– Opt for bullseye zinsser primer. Despite its strong odor, it dries much quicker than water-based alternatives.
I found that a combination of spraying water, using a plastic scraper, and a rag worked wonders for me.
https://www.youtube.com/@vancouvercarpenter
I really want to move to Vancouver, I would totally hire that guy though. I picked up some great drywall tips from him. The main lesson being, “don’t let a small imperfection ruin your entire wall” or something along those lines. After priming and a few coats of SW paint, my walls look flawless.
When removing wallpaper, use vinegar, Dirtex, or TSP with hot water and plastering spatulas. Keep the tools sharp with a honing tool. Work in small sections, allowing the wall to dry between passes. Steam and dampen the glue with hot water-soaked cloths before scraping. Repeat the process and feel for remaining glue. Take it one section at a time for thorough removal.
If you start to notice the top layer of drywall peeling off, it could be due to incorrect angling, uneven drywall, damage, or lack of primer from the previous installation crew. Just do your best for now, you can always patch up later and smoothen it out with plaster. Make sure to use a bonding primer followed by a regular primer.
A few weeks back, this area in our office looked like this. I tackled it in sections. Notice the unfinished portion of drywall near the ceiling, as well as the wooden column concealing the pipe chase.
I had to remove the totally gross rubbery wallpaper glue because some of the walls in that room are drywall (others are plaster and lathe), and you can’t steam the drywall like you can horsehair plaster. Spackling can’t be steamed either; it will just come right off. I removed a layer to get the glue off and then reapplied spackle. It’s because of the refusal to prime from the previous decorators. Always remember to prime over your spackle patches.
I updated my master bathroom by re-rocking it since the wallpaper was being stubborn. I ended up being relieved that I stopped trying to remove the paper forcefully because the process ended up being quicker and I was left with flawless new walls.
For wallpaper removal, consider using a wallpaper scoring tool to create tiny holes for your solution to penetrate. A mixture of hot water, white vinegar, and Dawn Blue dish soap can be sprayed on the wall with a garden sprayer. Peel off the wallpaper and quickly wipe off any residue with a damp rag. Sand the wall, apply drywall compound if needed, sand again, primer, and paint.
Use hot water mixed with DIF wallpaper remover concentrate, spray it on the wall and let it sit, then scrub off with a red floor scrubber pad. Cut the pad into smaller sponges for easier use. Rinse with a mix of tsp and water, followed by white vinegar and water. Allow it to dry, then prime with oil-based kilz or coverstain before patching and painting.
We’ve found that spraying hot water and fabric softener does the trick for us.
Cover it all with 1/4 drywall. Take your time with taping, mudding, sanding, priming, and painting 💕
So what did you end up doing with the 1/4 inch gap between the window and door casings?