By Jeanette Joy Fisher
I broke my promise to myself and stripped wallpaper again--something I would
only do for $100,000 profit. My family and I did not have time to wait for
professional help. We sold our investment property before finishing the work
and needed the home ready for appraisal.
While stripping the wallpaper, I realized that many homemakers get wrong
advice for this horrendous task. After years of experience on 30 houses
(especially our seven-bedroom Queen Anne Victorian, which had every
room--including ceilings--with multiple layers of painted-over wallpaper), I
offer my tried and best tips.
12
Tips for Stripping Wallpaper
1. Use a clothes steamer or rent a professional steamer
2. Soak a large section of the wall
3. Run a "Paper Tiger" scoring tool across the damp section
4. Steam the section again
5. Spray the section with fabric softener and hot water
6. Score the section with the paper tiger again
7. Steam again
8. Remove any curling edges (sometimes large areas peel off)
9. Scrape with a six inch sheetrock blade
10. Repeat the above steps on the section until most scrapes off easily
11. Scrub with hot water, TSP, and a sponge with a scratchy surface
12. Rinse with hot water and vinegar.
The key to getting the wallpaper loose: get it WET and let it soak. Take
care with the Paper Tiger; this little gadget scratches wall surfaces if
your wallpaper is thin. Also, some professional wallpaper strippers prefer a
four inch plastic blade which is more gentle on wall surfaces.
Don’t live with ugly wallpaper any longer!
P. S. Please email me if you have any additional how to strip wallpaper tips
that would help others!
Copyright
© 2005
Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.
Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars,
Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and
Design Psychology.
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