How to Remove Wallpaper

Use a putty knife to lift a corner of the wallpaper at a seam. Pull slowly at a low angle (close to the wall). If the wallpaper comes off in a full sheet, you have strippable wallpaper — keep peeling from top to bottom. If only the top decorative layer comes off (leaving paper backing), or if it tears into small pieces, you'll need to score and soak it.

Remove all furniture or move it to the center. Lay canvas or plastic drop cloths on the floor and tape them to the baseboards — wallpaper removal is wet and messy. Turn off power to all outlets and switches on the walls you're stripping (wallpaper solution and water will drip into them). Cover outlets and switches with painter's tape. Remove all wall-mounted items.

Run a wallpaper scoring tool (Paper Tiger) over the entire surface in overlapping circular motions. The tool creates hundreds of tiny perforations that allow the remover solution to penetrate behind the wallpaper and dissolve the paste. Don't press too hard — you want to puncture the wallpaper, not gouge the drywall underneath. Score every inch of the wallpaper surface.

Mix wallpaper remover concentrate with warm water according to the label (DIF concentrate typically mixes 1:4 with warm water). Apply generously to a section of wallpaper using a spray bottle or garden pump sprayer. Saturate the wallpaper completely — you should see it darken as it absorbs the solution. Work in manageable sections (about 4x4 feet) so the solution doesn't dry before you scrape.

Let the solution soak for 10-15 minutes. The wallpaper should start to bubble and lift. Slide a wide putty knife or scraper under the wallpaper at a low angle and push forward. The paper should come off in large pieces. If it doesn't, re-soak and wait another 10 minutes. Keep the angle shallow to avoid gouging the wall surface. Deposit the wet wallpaper strips directly into garbage bags.

After all the wallpaper is off, you'll see a film of dried paste residue on the wall. Spray the wall with the remover solution again and wipe with a large sponge, rinsing the sponge frequently in a bucket of clean water. Change the water often. Continue until the wall feels smooth when you run your hand across it — any remaining paste will prevent paint from adhering properly.

Inspect the bare walls for gouges, torn drywall paper, and other damage. Fill gouges with spackle and sand smooth when dry. If the drywall paper is torn or fuzzy, skim coat those areas with a thin layer of joint compound, let dry, and sand. Prime the entire wall with a good quality primer (like Zinsser Gardz, which is specifically designed to seal and harden damaged drywall after wallpaper removal). Once primed, the walls are ready for paint.