Ready to get rid of your old wallpaper and start with a fresh new look? If you’re not one of the lucky homeowners with strippable wallpaper, you’ll need to follow a few steps to get rid of the pesky paper.
Luckily, at One Stop Rental in the greater Cincinnati area, we have the tools and equipment you need to make your wallpaper removal a breeze. Follow these four steps to remove your wallpaper for good.
Prepare Your Work Area
Since you’ll be using steam to remove your wall paper, it’s important that you protect the surfaces in your room from any moisture damage. Place a drop cloth over your floor and any furniture left in the room. For wall prep, remove any electrical outlet faceplates then cover the actual outlets with electrical tape. This will keep water from seeping in during the steaming process. If you aren’t already aware, take some time now to figure out what your walls are made of. Tap on the wall and if it sounds solid, you’ve most likely got plaster. If the wall sounds hollow, it’s most likely drywall. With drywall, be careful not to over-steam as it will begin to soak up excess moisture.
Perforate the Wallpaper
Once you’ve prepped your work area, you may begin to perforate the wallpaper. To do this you’ll need a perforating tool that creates small slits throughout the wallpaper. This lets the steam penetrate the wallpaper easily to loosen the glue. Be careful with the amount of pressure you use though, as you don’t want to mar the surface of the wall beneath the wallpaper.
Steam the Wallpaper
For this step, you’ll need a steamer created specifically for wallpaper removal. Section off the room and steam one section at a time, scraping off the paper with a putty knife as you go. This ensures that the glue will not have time to re-harden between steaming and scraping. The longer you steam, the easier the paper will be to remove. But as mentioned before, if you’re dealing with drywall be careful not to over-steam.
Remove Leftover Residue
If any glue or paper residue stays behind after the steaming process, simply wash it away with soap and hot water. You can do this using a regular washcloth. Once finished, be sure to dry the area with a new washcloth.
Interested in renting any of our wallpaper removal tools or equipment? Be sure to stop by either of our locations in West Chester or Fairfield Township to pick up your supplies. You can also give us a call or talk to us on any of our social channels!