OK, so we've decided to remove the wallpaper in our Alabama kitchen. YIKES! Isn't this what divorce is caused by? LOL!
I've had some bad experiences removing wallpaper. I feel like just hiring someone. Anyone remove wallpaper in a LARGE area and have any secrets to share?

By My2cuties on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 08:40 pm:

My whole family trusts this product called Awesome. You can even buy it at a dollar store. You just spray it on and then let it sit for a while adn peel the wallpaper off. Good Luck, like I said my WHOLE family loves this stuff they keep it stocked up.

By Jodes on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 09:18 pm:

Funny that this topic comes up tonight, I just hired someone to remove the wallpaper in my master bedroom and they started on it Tuesday, and I am sooo glad I hired them to do it, because it has been a mess, and along with the wallpaper, the wall plaster has peeled off in several places, so a lot of patching up has had to be done, and tomorrow is Friday, and they still haven't finished removing all the paper. (my bedroom is pretty big though) I also hired them to paint too, because I have very high ceilings and I know it would be a tough job. In my opinion, if you can afford it, I would hire someone to take it off for you!

By Missmudd on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 09:49 pm:

I would consider hiring somebody to do it too if you can. Not that this isnt a home improvement project you can do but I would also add into the hassle of doing it yourself, driving to alabama to do it, and the added stress if it turns out to be a horrible hideous job. That and your already established wall paper trama

By Feona on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 06:01 am:

It might be a horror or it might be okay. The kitchen wall paper peeled off like a dream. Took like 3 hours or less.

The hallway paper took like 4 or 5 days to scrape and wet down.

By Yjja123 on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 07:53 am:

Just make sure you score it and spray on a wallpaper remover gel. It works great to first peel off top layer and then coat with wallpaper remover gel, as that allows the stuff to really soak in the paper. It will peel of pretty easily if it has been put on a painted wall. The trouble usually starts when you discover the wallpaper was placed on bare drywall. I removed a ton of wallpaper when we moved in. It was on the walls AND the ceilings in each bathroom! It is not a fun job but it is an easy job. I would do it myself before wasting money on having someone else do it.

By Reds9298 on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 08:25 am:

We removed wallpaper in our large kitchen when we moved in...it was so thick and in layers!!! We rented steamers and used the wallpaper remover liquid and it still wasn't fun. The paper was so thick. Friends tore off the first layer and we came behind with the steamer/remover because the steamer/remover wouldn't touch the first layer. I think it's a pain no matter what. Everyone said it would be easy as long as we got the wallpaper remover - that's bull as far as I'm concnerned.

By Kaye on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 08:51 am:

A lot of it depends on the type of paper and how the walls were prepped. A lot of papers are plastic coated, feel it, it will be very smooth. What this means is that no matter what you spray on it, it won't go through. So there are two ways to fix that. The first and easiest way is grab a corner and rip off the first layer. I have had this very easy to do and then not so easy. One time my kids and I did it in about 30 minutes. However, if that isn't easy then you have to score it. There is a little tool that you run over it and it pokes holes in the paper, so the fluid will get under it. At either stage now you have to use fluid. Choices are remover, it works well, smells bad and it is a mess. You can just use water, cleaner, but doesn't always work. What I read somewhere and what I used was downy fabric softner. Again it is messy, but doesn't smell bad. Work with a small section at a time spray it, let it set, then peel off. If your walls are prepped right this is quick. If your walls aren't prepped right, YIKES. What I was able to do was get a plastic paint scrapper and spray then scrape. It took me about a half a day to do my kitchen.

By Mrsheidi on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 09:12 am:

Yeah, it took us 3 days in the same house to just get a border off in a small bathroom. Part of the problem was that it was on the bare drywall. I HATE that. We scored it and then used chemicals. It really took forever. But, what WAS neat, was that we painted over the backing that was stuck on the drywall and it was ok. Couldn't even tell.

We are flying back to AL soon (thank God for frequent flyer miles) and just might paint the back wood siding ourselves. I'm afraid that wallpaper removal might put our mental stability over the edge.
How much does it cost to hire someone to remove wallpaper? We did get *some* money back from taxes since we had 2 mortgages to deduct. YIPPEE!

By Colette on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 09:15 am:

Hire someone else to deal with it if you can, if not I think Home Depot has some kind of a steaming machine you can rent to get it off.

By Yjja123 on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:10 am:

Another suggestion:
IF it is down really well (no seams pulling up) you could just paint over it. Use a primer like Kilz and the cover with paint. We did this in my sons room because a test patch showed it was directly on drywall. It looks great and you would never know there is wallpaper under the paint.

By Vicki on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:35 am:

If the people that put the boarder in the bathroom are the same ones who papered the kitchen, I bet they didn't prep those walls either. I would either leave it alone or hire someone. I have this feeling it is going to be a nightmare and end up needing repaired and all of that.

By Feona on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 05:41 am:

You know it might not cost that much in alabama to remove wall paper. But it might take too long to hire someone. The paint store would have someone to recommend to remove wall paper and paint.

By Feona on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 05:45 am:

I would never buy a house with painted wall paper again. If you don't like it the wall must be covered in sheetrock 1/4 inch. You can not removed painted wall paper from a wall. At least without killing yourself.

I really don't like wall paper. Due to nightmare removal I experienced on the porch and kitchen. The kitchen walls are so damaged I don't know what to do with it still.
We live in a 90 year old house.


If I go in a house, and see wall paper, I have a night mare dream about removing it. (This is only if I am buying a house.) You don't know what is under it. Kitchen remodels here start at $30,000 if you need new walls.

Like I said I spend like a week scraping wallpaper in the porch. (Came out nice though... It was wall papered wood...

We spent about $9,000 dollars coving up all the painted wallpaper on every wall in our house. (Oh the ceiling were coming down too so some ceiling were taken down and replaced.) (Water damage....) Hate old houses....

By Jodes on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 11:44 am:

It cost me $495 to remove the wallpaper in my bedroom. The wallpaper was floor to ceiling, and I have very high pitched ceilings in there, and on top of the wallpaper was a boarder accross the middle of the walls. It was even behind the plant shelves. So, I feel it was well worth the cost for me to not have to worry about doing it!

By Jann on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 12:20 pm:

We had and have painted wallpaper in our house and have found it very easy to remove because it seems to stiffen it even more. On one wall where we removed it, it left a really cool textured effect that we then just sanded a tad, primed and painted again. We get asked all the time if we stuccoed the wall.
Another thing that makes wallpaper easy to remove is to prime the walls first before putting it up (for anyone who might want to paper! LOL)