does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

and can you do it yourself or do you need to hire someone ?
Thanks

Re:

Message edited 3/4/2010 8:18:56 PM.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

I hate taking down wallpaper!!! But, we have rented a steamer, tried Diff but honestly water and vinegar worked best. Put it in a spray bottle then scrape away! It's so worth it when it's done. Good Luck!

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

What kind of paper is it? Does it feel smooth and thin? Or is the thick, fabric kind?

I just removed paper from two rooms. It was older, thick paper and came off in sheets but left the glue behind. I removed all the paper, then used a spray bottle of hot water mixed with Windex to loosen the glue, applied more hot water with a sponge, then scraped it off and scrubbed the remaining with a scrub pad and rag.

For thin paper, I'd get a scorer from a paint store and run that over the paper. Then, I'd spray the hot water/Windex combo on it, let it sit for a bit and try peeling and scraping.

I tried the wallpaper remover from the paint store and Windex worked much better and I used less of it.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

I removed a ton of it, The best way is Fabric Softener and Hot water in a spray bottle and a paper tiger(you can get it in any hardware store) YOu can SO do it yourself. FM me if you need more help

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

I've never done it, but I have watched enough of the home network and diy channels....you can always go on their websites but they always use either water and vinegar and/or water and some sort of soap product. It's doable, but it looks like a possible pain.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

I know when I worked at Home Depot they used to sell this spray gel stuff that you spray on the wallpaper and then use their handheld scaping tool that rips the paper up. I think it's called Dif, I may be wrong though.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

I am doing this now. It's a nightmare, no way to sugar coat it.

If the paper is thick with a mesh backing (sanitest), it usually peels right off in sheets.
If it is thin with a paper backing, it is a total PITA (pain in the @$$)!.

I am attempting Fabric Softener and hot water with a scraper. I've done the steam in my apartment, but it took my walls off too. So I am going to try the fabric softener and see if that works.

Unfortunately, there is no 'easy' way unless it is all sanitest.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

Diff and hot water worked best for me. We bought the wallpaper remover but it made my drywall crumble. When we bought our house EVERY room but 2 had 3-5 layers of wallpaper dating back to the 80's. It was suck a pain.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

Thanks everyone

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

use Dif (I think that's the name). It's blue goo that comes in a Windex-style spray bottle. Let the goo sit on wallpaper and it comes right off!

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

We just did some, and plan on removing it from our kitchen. It's a total PITA, but can be done yourself.

No advice other than what PP mentioned. Diff didn't seem to do much more than hot water.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

We removed it from the whole house. I never want to see wall paper again. We used Diff, (the blue one) we tried the other color but it didnt work as well and scraped away.

Once you are done- you will love the results! GL

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

Does anyone know if the DIF stuff will work if someone has painted over wallpaper??

When i went for my inspection, I think the master bedroom has wallpaper under the paint.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

Message edited 5/6/2009 9:51:37 PM.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

We had professionals do it. If you don't do it right, it looks like crap afterwards. And its very time consuming.

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?

We did old paper - thick, thin, textured, shiny, you name it - throughout our whole house. It was a nightmare. Next time I would either a) hire someone or b) only buy a house that d oesnot have wallpaper! Myfriend had her painter skim coat over the wallpaper... that's another option

Re: does anyone know what's involved with getting rid of old wall paper?