Best way to remove wallpaper

Removing wallpaper feels like a never-ending task: it is often one of the more unpleasant jobs when renovating your home. But it cannot be avoided: if you want to put up new wallpaper, the old paper needs to be removed first.

If several layers of wallpaper are stuck on top of each other, the paper is likely to fail and come off the wall. Edges and corners of the paper will loosen or bubbles can appear under the paper. The surface texture of the old wallpaper can also affect the appearance of the new paper.

But what is the best way to remove wallpaper easily? You can read here about the best methods with the advantages and disadvantages to get rid of that old paper.

Removing wallpaper with a scraper or knife

If you want to scrape off your old wallpaper, you need a scraper or knife. With this you can start at the places where the paper is already peeling off the walls - and scrape. To do this, apply the scraper and slide it under the wallpaper.

The advantage of this method is that you only need one tool: a scraper or knife. However, this method is exhausting, time-consuming and you only remove small pieces of wallpaper from the walls at a time. There is also the risk that you will damage the wall. This is particularly annoying if you want to apply a smooth wallpaper afterwards as the unevenness of the wall will become apparent particularly if you are painting the wall.

A well-known household remedy can also be used as a wallpaper stripper: washing-up liquid. If you want to avoid using the more aggressive chemical wallpaper strippers, you can soak the wallpaper with water or washing-up liquid dissolved in water. Washing-up liquid also contain surfactants, but these are processed differently, as washing-up liquid must be safe for contact with skin.

For this method, we recommend that you use warm water. This penetrates the wallpaper better. You can apply the water or detergent with a sponge, a wide brush or a pump sprayer. If you spray it on, you can then brush over it again with a wallpaper brush. Then you work the water into the perforations made by the wallpaper scorer and it reaches the paste and does not just sit on the surface.

Let the wallpaper soak and repeat this process. Peel off the wallpaper and scrape with a scraper or knife where necessary.

The ideal thing about this of course is that in most cases you have the materials already at home. It is also cheaper than buying a wallpaper stripper concentrate and carries far less potential risk due to the less aggressive surfactants. Soaked wallpaper is easier to remove than just scraping it off directly.

However, the time required is enormous. Due to the weaker surfactants, the detergent must be applied several times. More water is used, which means that it can run down the walls. The wallpaper remnants can, depending on their condition and paper content, become so soft that they dissolve. This problem can occur particularly with woodchip wallpaper, which consists primarily of paper layers and wood fibres.