It’s easy to remove wallpaper if you follow a few simple steps and use products designed to break down wallpaper glue and release the paper from the wall. Perforate the wallpaper.

1. Scoring. The key to easy wallpaper removal is to loosen the glue underneath. Do this by perforating the surface with a wallpaper scoring tool like the PaperTiger® Scoring Tool or the Wallwik©Scoring Tool.

These patented tools perforate the wallpaper without damaging the wall to allow wallpaper stripper to penetrate through the paper. Just use light pressure and perforate the entire wallpapered surface. The more holes you make, the faster and easier the paper will come off. Scoring is not necessary with uncoated papers.

3. Apply Stripper. After scoring the wallcovering, apply a wallpaper stripper such as Zinsser’s DIF® or E-Z GEL® by Golden Harvest. Several brands and types are available to liquefy and break down the paste behind the wallcovering. As the stripper wets out and liquefies the adhesive, the stripper breaks down the paste’s chemical structure and destroys its adhesive strength. Strippers usually come in concentrate that is mixed with warm water and applied with a sponge, paint roller or garden sprayer. Or try a non-drip gel; it does not dry out and clings to the wall leaving no mess. Apply the stripper starting at the top and working your way down, using a sprayer, sponge or roller like the WALWorks™Adhesive & Stripper Roller. DIF®needs to soak for 15 to 20 minutes, then the wallpaper will be ready to be removed. The backing paper that may remain with peelable or strippable wallcovering is also removed in this manner.

3. Scrape Off the Paper. The loosened paper may come off in sheets or large sections with little or no scraping. Where it doesn’t, scraping may be required. Use a wallpaper scraper specially designed to glide along the wall at an optimum angle to scrape without gouging the wet wallboard beneath such as Paper Scraper™ Wallpaper Remover and Wall Scraper.   Putty knives and razor-edged scrapers, even when used by a professional, can damage the wallboard. Rinse the walls well to remove all excess adhesive before starting to redecorate.