Are There Safety Precautions To Take When Removing Old Wallpaper?
You need to prep the room, removing all electrical faceplates, telephone jacks, cover outlets and switches with tape to protect them from liquids. You’ll also want to cover your floor with dropcloths to protect the carpet or wood.
What’s The Very First Step When Removing Old Wall Paper?
• Whether you’re using heat-steam or chemicals, you always want to start by scoring the wall. There are wallpaper scoring tools.
• The tool works by poking holes in the wallpaper, which allows the liquid to get through the paper and back into the adhesive to break it down. • Gently roll tool over surface in circular motion, don’t press too hard (you’re just trying to poke through wall paper!).
How Does The Heat-Steam Method Work?
• You can buy or even rent wallpaper steamers at any home-improvement store. It’s basically like a clothes steamer, except it has a flat head on the end (like a dust pan) that forces the steam into the paper and melts the glue. • Best to start at the top of wall and place steamer flat on wallpaper, holding in place 15-30 seconds so steam can penetrate paper and soften the glue.
How Do You Remove Old Wallpaper Using Chemical Solution?
• Some solution can contain harsh chemicals, so make sure you have gloves and glasses on. • Do it one section at a time and keep the section you’re working on wet, so the water gets behind the paper and breaks down the adhesive. A good rule of thumb: wet 3 ft wide floor to ceiling sections at a time with solvent.
After You’ve Removed All The Paper From The Walls, How Do You Prep Them For Painting Or Re-Papering?
• You have to repair, sand and prime the wall, which I’ll be showing you tomorrow on the show! I’ll also be showing you how to put up brand new wallpaper!
For more, visit Ken Wingard at KennethWingard.com and follow him on Twitter @KennethWingard.
