How to Remove Wallpaper
Strip old wallpaper cleanly down to bare drywall using scoring tools, liquid stripper, and a flexible scraper without gouging the wall surface.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Wallpaper scoring tool (Paper Tiger)
- ✓ 3-inch or 4-inch flexible putty knife
- ✓ Pump garden sprayer or heavy-duty spray bottle
- ✓ Large sponge
- ✓ Plastic drop cloths
- ✓ Painter's tape
- ✓ Screwdriver
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Liquid wallpaper stripping concentrate
- ✓ Clean warm water
- ✓ Heavy-duty contractor trash bags
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Shut off electrical power to all room outlets and switches at the circuit breaker before applying liquid.
- • Seal all wall outlets and light switches with plastic sheeting and painter's tape to prevent water ingress.
- • Wear safety glasses to prevent chemical spray from dripping into eyes while working near ceiling height.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Prep the Room and Seal Electrical Fixtures
Turn off power to the room at the breaker panel. Use a screwdriver to remove all outlet covers and switch plates, then seal the exposed electrical boxes completely with painter's tape and plastic. Lay heavy plastic drop cloths along the baseboards and tape them down to catch wet paper and dripping solution.
- • All wall plate covers removed and exposed electrical boxes covered in sealed tape.
- • Drop cloths taped securely along the perimeter baseboards.
- • Leaving power on while spraying water directly onto walls.
- • Using canvas drop cloths that let wet chemical stripper bleed through to the flooring.
Perforate the Paper with a Scoring Tool
Roll the wallpaper scoring tool across the walls in overlapping circular motions. Apply light, even pressure so the teeth prick tiny holes through the top waterproof coating without puncturing the drywall paper underneath. Ensure the entire wall surface is evenly perforated from top to bottom.
- • Uniform pattern of tiny pinpricks covering the wallpaper surface.
- • No deep slices or tears cut into the underlying drywall.
- • Pressing too hard and cutting deep grooves into the gypsum board.
- • Skipping corners and edges where wallpaper adheres tightest.
Saturate the Wall with Stripping Solution
Mix wallpaper stripper with hot water in your pump sprayer according to the manufacturer ratio. Spray a 4-foot by 4-foot section thoroughly until the paper is soaked and darkens with moisture. Let the solution sit for 10 to 15 minutes to penetrate the perforations and dissolve the paste backing.
- • Wallpaper surface visibly wet, darkened, and starting to bubble or sag.
- • Solution fully soaked through score holes rather than beading on top.
- • Spraying the entire room at once, causing distant sections to dry out before scraping.
- • Attempting to scrape immediately without giving the solution 10 minutes dwell time.
Scrape and Peel Softened Wallpaper
Slide the blade of a flexible putty knife under a softened seam at a shallow 30-degree angle. Push gently upward to lift long continuous strips of wallpaper and backing away from the wall. Drop loosened wet paper directly into contractor bags to prevent glue from re-sticking to floors.
- • Wallpaper sheets lifting cleanly in large sections.
- • Underlying drywall surface exposed without brown torn drywall paper.
- • Holding the putty knife at a steep angle, digging corners into the drywall.
- • Forcing dry, resistant sections instead of re-wetting them.
Scrub Residual Adhesive from Drywall
Dip a large sponge into clean, very hot water and wipe down the exposed drywall in firm circular motions to re-hydrate leftover glue. Use the putty knife held almost flat to shave off the softened, gummy adhesive sludge. Rinse the sponge frequently in fresh water to avoid smearing old paste across the wall.
- • Wall feels completely smooth with zero sticky or slimy patches when touched.
- • No shiny dried glue trails visible under glancing light.
- • Leaving paste residue on the wall, which causes future paint to crackle and fail.
- • Oversaturating bare drywall with water until the gypsum softens.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by HGTV — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Wallpaper scoring tool (Paper Tiger)? Coarse 80-grit sandpaper wrapped around a sanding block used with light circular pressure
- No Liquid wallpaper stripping concentrate? Equal parts very hot water and liquid fabric softener (or a 1:1 mix of white vinegar and hot water)
- No Pump garden sprayer? Paint roller with a thick nap tray soaked in hot stripping solution