Can I Remove Wallpaper from Unprimed Drywall?

House hunting can be exciting and stressful all at once. Unless you’re building your home from the bottom up, there’s a good chance that the one you choose will have one or two features you don’t care for, but with a little time and some good old-fashioned elbow grease, you can transform it into a place you truly love. However, sometimes homeowners find unexpected surprises when they get down to business.

Removing old wallpaper is difficult enough, but if you find unwanted wallpaper on unprimed drywall, that’s a horse of a different color. Wallpaper glue is strong enough to damage the integrity of drywall if it is removed improperly, leaving you with a headache and a sizeable repair bill. But never fear, removal can be done with the right tools and know-how. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

• Pull off the outer paper layer of the wallpaper. This should peel off fairly easily, especially if it’s old. If it tears, don’t worry too much about getting every last scrap; those remnants should come off in the following steps. As you continue peeling, be sure to pay attention to how the wall looks underneath. If there are chunks coming off, stop what you’re doing.

• Soak those walls. Usually, you need a handheld spray bottle to distribute water through the underlayer of the wallpaper, but for a task of this magnitude, you’ll need something a little more heavy-duty. Try using a garden compression sprayer, which you can find in any home improvement store. Starting at the top, ensure the wall is completely saturated to dissolve the glue and loosen the paper.

• Peel away the underlayer with a putty knife. After letting the water soak in for about fifteen minutes, start using a putty knife to get underneath the remaining layer. Be sure not to scrape the walls; simply use the knife to lift the paper from the surface and peel it away.

 
Even with such guidelines, you may find that removing wallpaper from unprimed drywall is a difficult task to conquer–especially if it’s been stuck on for a long period of time. If you’re uncomfortable tackling such a project on your own, or you need to consult a professional, get in touch with the Orlando drywall repair team at New Ceilings. Give us a call at 407-378-6040 to learn more today.