Is it easy to remove old wallpaper yourself?
My husband and I disagree massively when it comes to DIY and decorating: he thinks the destruction jobs are the best and I think it’s the re-construction.
Give me painting, staining, tiling and I’m happy whereas he, on the other hand, wants to knock down walls, pull up carpets and remove the wallpaper.
Although I ~can~ carry out those tasks I find them boring and laborious, so I’d rather not.
It’s not that it’s hard to remove old wallpaper yourself, but it can be long and I want to do a job that’s going to look pretty at the end – removing wallpaper is not this.
Lincoln dogbone sponge – Amazon £2.48
Is removing wallpaper a big job?
Removing old wallpaper can be easy, but it does take a long time, so it has a reputation for being a very difficult job. Don’t let that put you off though, most people can remove wallpaper if they want to and according to scientists, home improvements can relieve stress, so there are a couple of benefits to carrying out the task.
To make removing old wallpaper easier, make sure you have the right tools in place before you start the job; below is a list of some of the things you might need:
- Wallpaper steamer
- Wallpaper stripping solution
- Stanley knife
- Sponge
- Bucket
- Solution of warm water, vinegar and washing up liquid
- Wallpaper scraper
- Bin bags
- Dustpan and brush
- Sander
- Sand paper
Read more: can you sand off wallpaper?
Long handled dustpan and brush – Amazon £14.95
how many hours does it take to remove wallpaper?
According to experts, it takes a day to remove wallpaper from a small bedroom, but I believe it depends on lots of different factors: has the wallpaper been painted? What’s the condition of the walls like behind the wallpaper? How much strength do you have in your arms? Do you have enough podcasts to listen to?
When I was removing wallpaper from my old bedroom which was about 10 foot x 10 foot, it took a couple of days – the walls were in very bad condition and the woodchip wallpaper had been painted several times.
Coral wallpaper stripper – Argos £8
What should you not do when removing wallpaper?
Although you might be tempted to use a lot of force when you’re removing wallpaper it might not be a good idea; try to take care you’re scraping off the wallpaper so you don’t gouge out plaster and create lots of holes.
Wagner Steamforce wallpaper stripper – Argos £45