Wallpaper

Yuck! I hate the wallpaper that is in our bathroom. I can definitely live with the tiles on the wall, but the wallpaper is old and yucky. We want to tear it down and just paint.

I did a search on taking down wallpaper and I only found one. Our bathroom has a cathedral ceiling, but as I mentioned, most of it is tile. (The tile isn't bad.) My mom and I tried to start pulling on it today to see how it would be and we think there is more underneath. Yuck!

My dad is going to be helping us with this. Due to the fact that this is practically the only thing we are changing about the bathroom, could this be a nightmarish experience? I haven't talked over the whole procedure with my dad yet.

I wish I wouldn't be so lazy and learn how to post pics. Our bathroom fixtures are a dark, chocolate brown so I figured for now we could paint the wall a pink, coral kind of color. I like how pink looks with dark chocolate. I could live with it for now I guess, but not the wallpaper.

Any advice, thoughts are appreciated.

Re: Wallpaper

First, try to take off as much as possible by hand. I usually try to just leave the paper backing and as little as the wall paper as possibel.

2. To remove wallpaper mix a solution of 2 parts water to one part cheap store brand pink liquid fabric softener. Wear gloves and get the water SUPER hot... I have boiled a pot on the stove.

3. Get a very big sponge and while one person is saturating the wall with the solution have another person scrape the wall with a small but sturdy spackle knife.

Or:

If you know someone who has a steam machine (hand held cleaner) those work well too. Just hold it right on top of the wall paper and scrape while it is saturated.

It is a labor instensive process but if you are planning on keeping the tiles for now it's really the only way. If you weren't it would be easier to gut the walls and hang new sheetrock.

Good luck. I've done it many, many times.

Re: Wallpaper

I did it once and it was a nightmare.

I used the rotary scraping tool and DIF. Unfornutatelly, the previous owner had not prime the wall very well and the wall was starting to come off as I took the wallpaper off.

You may want to remove the first layer (top layer) and leave the paper backing. I never tried the "recipe" above but I heard about it.

Just be very careful when you remove the paper backing.

Re: Wallpaper

Good Luck!!! We used my moms steam machine..its a long pain in the butt process!!! try not to gouge the walls when scraping. Do it nice and litely. I have also heard of mixing vinegar and water and rubbing it on the walls as well as scoring the walls before starting to take anything down, so what ever you use gets in there. LOTS OF LUCK!!!

I swear...wallpaper should be against the law!!

Re: Wallpaper

I suggest renting a steamer and use a scraper to scrape the wall paper off. You can also try something called Dif. I had the same problem when I bought my house. I was lucky that they obnly had a border around the room. I will never use wallpaper it's a PITA.

Re: Wallpaper

Thank you all! My DH just spent the day with my dad and he said that he is going to steam it off. Luckily, it's not really that much of the room. I'm so glad that's the only place we have it!

Although I just remembered we have it in our bedroom closet and one of the other bedroom closets too.

Re: Wallpaper

I did this once in my parent's bathroom. There was so much glue behind it that every time someone would shower, it would look like glue was seeping out of the walls. It got so bad my parents had to tear that sheetrock out and put more up.