How to Remove Wallpaper

I can't remove the wallpaper from the walls, it has been on there for decades and have at least one coat of paint on top of the paper. It's stuck for life! It's a mess; there are bubbles, texture/design and…

I can't remove the wallpaper from the walls, it has been on there for decades and have at least one coat of paint on top of the paper. It's stuck for life!

It's a mess; there are bubbles, texture/design and seams from the textured wallpaper underneath the paint. I'm on a limited budget and can't put new sheet rock up in each room. What should I do? I want the walls to appear smooth and be freshly painted for resale.

I will have to do this myself so it needs to be a simple solution because I am a 'newbie' to DIY projects.

Our Answer

While it seems the wallpaper is stuck for life, it's probably not that bad. But removing it will require more than the application of a wallpaper paste remover.

I recommend renting a steam powered wallpaper removing tool from a local home center. This should privde enough heat to get that old wallpaper to loosen up and peel off the wall.

Short of removing the wallpaper, there is no easy way to get the near perfect walls you are seeking. When you paint over wallpaper, it will show that you've done that!

If you ARE going to paint over the wallpaper, however, maybe because you don't want to remove it from every single room, I would reccommend you prime it first and then use a good quality, flat, latex paint. Any paint with a sheen will show the wallpaper seams. But don't give up on removing the wallpaper just yet, the steam heat might do the trick!

Thanks and let us know how it goes.