How do I remove wallpaper?

Stripping wallpaper is mostly waiting. The soak is what separates paper that lifts in sheets from paper that comes off in postage stamps, and almost everyone starts scraping too early. On modern non-woven papers, the top layer often peels off dry in whole strips — always try that first.

What you'll need

• Wallpaper scorer
• Garden sprayer or sponge and bucket
• Broad stripping knife
• Dust sheets and bin bags
• Steam stripper (optional)
• Wallpaper stripping solution (optional)

Step by step

1. Try lifting a corner and peeling the paper dry first.Many modern papers strip in whole dry sheets, leaving only the backing. Two minutes of trying can save hours.
2. Clear and cover the room, and turn off the electricity to the room if using water near sockets.You will be spraying water at walls that contain wiring. Take this seriously.
3. Score the paper all over with a scorer, using moderate pressure.Enough to perforate the surface, not enough to gouge the plaster. Heavy pressure leaves marks you'll be filling later.
4. Soak thoroughly with hot water plus a squirt of washing-up liquid, or a proprietary stripper.A garden sprayer covers a wall far faster and more evenly than a sponge.
5. Wait 15 minutes, then soak again before scraping anything.Two soaks with a wait between them is the whole trick. Patience here saves hours of scraping.
6. Scrape at a shallow angle with a broad knife, working upwards from the bottom.A shallow angle lifts the paper; a steep one digs into the plaster.
7. Wash the wall down to remove all residual paste, then let it dry fully.Leftover paste stops new paint or paper adhering and shows through as shiny patches.
8. Fill and sand any damage before decorating.Expect some. Scoring and scraping almost always leaves small marks.

Tips

• A steam stripper is much faster but will blow plaster off the wall if you hold it in one place. Keep it moving and never dwell.
• Bin the strippings as you go rather than letting wet paper dry onto the floor covering — it sticks like glue.
• Painted-over wallpaper needs much more aggressive scoring, because the paint is waterproof and the water can't get in.
• If the plaster underneath turns out to be poor, lining paper is a legitimate and much cheaper answer than replastering.

Common mistakes

• Scraping before the paper is properly soaked — It comes off in fragments and takes several times as long.
• Scoring too hard — Gouges the plaster, and every gouge is filling and sanding work later.
• Holding a steamer still — The moisture penetrates the plaster and blows it off the wall in patches.
• Not washing off residual paste — New paint flashes and new paper won't stick.

Questions people ask