Struggling to remove 1970s wallpaper with paint on it, any tips for tackling a whole dining room?
Asked by John White 
1 month ago
Last Updated: October 13, 2024
I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of this old 1970s wallpaper that’s been painted over. I managed to scrape off a small section in the middle using a razor blade, but I can’t imagine doing that for the whole dining room. I already took off the newer layer of wallpaper, so now I’m just trying to tackle this older stuff. Any suggestions?
Give it a good soak, then wait and scrape. It takes some patience and effort.
The technique worked like a charm for the initial layer of paper 😊
The wallpaper remover liquid for tough spots works really well. Just mix it with hot water, spray it on, let it sit, then scrape away. Getting rid of old wallpaper can take a while.
Using warm water to remove wallpaper worked in other rooms, but this one is proving to be a tough one because it was painted over.
To prevent bubbles, try sealing it with two coats of shellac and then skim coating the entire area with joint compound. It might be a bit challenging if you’re not skilled with mud and blade, but applying thin coats can help minimize the need for excessive sanding. Use a light blade scraping technique to avoid over-sanding.
Great advice! 👍
Okay, so 2 coats of shellac and 2 coats of solid covering on top of joint compound?
Yeah, there’s a distinction between joint compound and topping. Joint compound is stickier and tougher to sand and blend, while topping is less sticky and easier to sand and blend. You can even use a wet sponge to blend and feather, resulting in less dust.
Can you believe this is a whole dining room!!
Honestly, I would simply remove and swap out the Sheetrock
The old lath and plaster in this room are quite a challenge.
Gives even more justification for doing it
Why is that?
Is just more pleasant to work with in the long term
The door frame in the photo isn’t suitable for Sheetrock. The entire house has lath and plaster from the 1950s, and it would be a shame to lose that charm. We’ve renovated 2 rooms already and adore the vintage feel of the walls.
Seems like you’re spending a lot of time soaking and scraping.
Using a steamer and a heat gun.
After sanding the wall, we applied a coat of thinned plaster before priming and painting. It’s been 3 years and the paint still looks great, with no peeling or bubbling.
Sanding is not really my thing. Haha. I also worry a bit about lead paint. I find it easier to work with it when it’s wet. I’m sure yours looks fantastic after all the effort you’ve put in.
We renovated the kitchen in our first home and discovered 5 layers of wallpaper with paint in between some of them. I scored it haphazardly and then used a steamer and putty knives to remove it. It was a time-consuming process. Once the wallpaper was gone, we patched up any wall imperfections, skim coated, primed, and painted. I can’t say it was the most efficient way, but the end result was fantastic and we didn’t have to deal with bubbling or peeling issues.
I just watched a video about your technique today. I decided to purchase the wallpaper scorer for $10, it seems like a good deal. I plan on testing it out tomorrow.
Hey , I removed my painted-over wallpaper on a plaster wall using a steamer, but I did it in two stages. Since it was latex paint, I first heated it up with steam to peel sections off the wall after scoring it. This allowed the steam to reach and loosen the wallpaper, making it much easier to remove.
Hey , I’m not sure if the paint is latex, but I can imagine how fun it would be to peel it off in strips!
You might want to start with a paint remover. Then scraping could remove both the paint and primer.
Try using a wall paper scorer (the new one is more effective as the pins tend to wear out over time), make sure to thoroughly score the surface, then use a mixture of hot water and vinegar, wait a bit and spray another round…. after that, you can begin scraping with a pull scraper.
Does the water behind ruin drywall or create mold?
We lightly scrubbed the surface with a bbq brush before soaking the wall in hot soapy water to remove the paper. After that, we had to apply a skim coat to all the walls because they were deeply scored, then primed and painted.
Check out this link for help:
https://homedepot.sjv.io/jr2xgZ (affiliate)
I recommend oil priming the walls, skim coating the entire area, sanding, and oil priming again. Oil primer is better than latex because it soaks into loose dust instead of creating a skin over it. After priming, you can paint it any way you like. Good luck!
If the paper was stuck to the sheetrock without proper preparation, it’s better to skip the soaking and scraping. It’s more effective to skim coat or re-rock the room for perfect walls, even though it’s a lot of work.
Have you given wallpaper and adhesive remover a shot? It’s a gel that you spray on, and you can find it at Lowes.
Yes, the warm water trick works, but dealing with paint adds a new layer of difficulty.