How to Remove Wallpaper from Drywall – With Only Water?

Ever walk in that one room and immediately cringe at the sight of that ghastly wallpaper? If I were you, I’d get rid of it as soon as I can.

Wallpapers, which are an integral part of the whole decor, can be easy to remove! Previously papered surfaces can have the wallpaper stripped directly.

However, it still depends on the type of wallpaper that you have and the finish that you want to achieve after renovating it.

Step-by-step process on removing wallpaper from drywall (Water and wallpaper scraping tool)

Being new at DIY can be difficult, I would know. Following a step-by-step process will ensure that you have minimal mistakes along the way so make sure to read carefully!

Step 1: Saturating the walls

You can do this with either a spray or a damp cloth. Try to get it as drenched as possible, and let it soak through the back of the wallpaper.

However, if your drywall wasn’t primed beforehand then you should ease off on the water. Putting too much may affect your drywall as well.

Step 2: Pulling the paper off

Start at the corner of a seam and get a good grip before pulling. Get as much of the backing as possible so that the next steps would be easier.

Don’t worry though, being able to not remove the backing is a normal occurrence. Most of the time, a large part would stay behind.

Step 3: Saturate the backing

The best way to do this is by spraying multiple sections all at once. That way, water has time to soak through while you’re busy scraping off the first section you sprayed. It’s efficient!

If your backing is well-saturated, it would roll off the drywall without hiccups. If not, you can use your wallpaper scraping tool and start at the edge of the seams.

Step 4: Wipe it down

This process is essential in the case where you missed out on some bits of paper here and there. This ensures that you got everything out without missing a spot. This applies to leftover glue as well.

Step 5: The assessment

To ensure that there’s no more paper left, you can wait for it to dry and come back the next day.   After all, the leftover paper would be very visible after painting the wall.

This is especially true with wet surfaces. Since most papers and glue become transparent due to the water, you’ll have a hard time polishing everything.

Step 6: Repairing the walls

The best scenario here is that your drywall was primed and painted before the wallpaper, and you also used the wallpaper scraping tool.

If so, there should be little to no damage to your wall and thus can be skipped. And if you’re looking for materials (spackle vs joint compound) to use for repair, you can check out this other article.

Different methods of removing wallpaper from drywall

Some situations call for drastic measures (and equipment!). If you’re lucky, bare hands and lukewarm water could be enough.

But again, it isn’t as hard as people think it is. Tedious, maybe, but not difficult. You just need to be patient and employ the right conditions for successful removal.

According to the web

If you’re no stranger to looking up DIY information online then you might’ve heard about this method. Tutorials would argue that this is the easiest way to remove wallpaper from drywall.

All you need is to fully saturate the wallpaper before using a scoring tool. Be mindful, that you should use a wallpaper scoring tool as it is specially designed to go behind the wallpaper without damaging the drywall.

I know someone who was too lazy and used a putty knife, they ended up with a gouged and scratched wall every time.

According to experience

Only water

If you want to get rid of it now and don’t have any time to buy extra equipment, then lukewarm water should be enough.

The keyword here is ‘saturated’ meaning you must get every inch of it wet before removal. This will ensure that ripping it off would be far easier than if the wallpaper was dry.

Beware though, there’s a fine line between being saturated with too much water. If you’re unsure, just try slowly throwing water onto the wallpaper.

For best results, wait for around 10 minutes before pulling.

Tips for removing the wallpaper from drywall

Always cover up your floor. Anything like newspapers or used cloth is fine. Since wetting the wallpaper seems to be the norm for removal, it can easily get messy.

Once you wet the wallpaper and pull it off, some of the old glue would inevitably transfer to the floor, hence coverings.

If your paper isn’t being removed smoothly, you ought to saturate it more. Before that, you should also be careful of outlets or light switches near the area you’re putting water on.

Drywall coming off along with your wallpaper is a sign for you to stop. At this point, you should prioritize minimizing the damage it caused to the drywall by using the other side of the rip.

Steamers are more worth it to use than water buckets and scraping tools. Since it is a machine that specializes on wallpaper removal, it’s a great addition to the process and will help you get every bit of paper and glue.

Prepping the wallpaper for removal

The most important part of the process is the preparation. It’ll make sure that everything goes smoothly and without many burdens along the way.

After all, being prepared can save you multiple trips from the hardware store and probably even help lessen the damage it brings to your drywall.

Gather your supplies

The more prepared you have the better. But if you’re budget’s tight or you don’t want to spend much then you should just invest in a wallpaper scraping tool.

Though, all you really need is:

• Bucket
• Water source
• Wallpaper scraping tool
• Protective gear (Gloves)
• Floor coverings (Newspaper, tarps, etc.)
• Sponge and/or damp cloth
• Ladder/Chair
• Painter tape

Wall Repair

Sometimes, wallpapers, especially those that have been there for 20 years, will leave a mark/hole on your drywall.

Before painting it again or using a new wallpaper, you’ll have to go with the repairs first. It will make sure that your wall is pleasing to the eyes and easier to apply since the surface would be even.

Remove any items from the walls

This includes any pictures, paintings, mounts, vents, hardware, and furniture. Anything that sticks to your wall and floor should be removed.

If you’re unable to then the painter’s tape would be useful. You can use it to cover up stuff like bolted furniture and electrical outlets.

Cut the power

You must ensure that you’re safe before starting this project. People got shocked because they headed too fast without being careful.

Since you’ll be using water in a place that’s usually covered with outlets then it’s better if you’re careful with it.

Cover everything that you don’t want to be affected

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the whole process is messy. Think about leftover glue and wallpaper coming off the wall and onto your sofa, yikes.

If there are unremovable items within the room, then cover them up with either a tarp or newspaper. Seal it off with the painter’s tape.

Assess your wallpaper and drywall beforehand

Try peeling a small part off to test how strong the glue is, it will give you an idea of how much water you need.

Also, check if your drywall was primed prior to the wallpaper and if it has any circuits at the back that you should be aware of.

By doing this, you won’t be taken aback by a lot of unexpected happening due to the lack of knowledge about your drywall and wallpaper.

Conclusion

Wallpaper, while taxing, can be made into a much easier process under the right guidance. Essentially, it needs a lot of preparation beforehand.

Wallpaper, while taxing, can be made into a much easier process under the right guidance. Essentially, it needs a lot of preparation beforehand because it’s still a bit tricky to handle.

That’s why you should always assess before and after the removal. It will help you in figuring out how properly deal with the drywall in case it gets oversoaked.

Lastly, don’t forget to clean everything! After all, you can’t have a living room with newspapers as the floor.