Just removed 30 year old wallpaper in a 3 bedroom house using a similar steamer. The trick is to start like he does at the top corner and let it sit for 10 plus seconds. Then scrape the top with a putty scraper so that you can grab it then slowly, slowly move the steamer down the wall using one hand to hold the steamer and the other gripping the wallpaper strip while peeling down a strip a little thinner than the steamer head. Basically your chasing the steamer head down the wall with the wall paper strip. If you go too fast it will leave little chunks of the under layer so you will need a putty scraper handy. As long as the wallpaper is over paint most of it should peel off by hand with only a bit of scraping here and there. If the wallpaper is on unpainted drywall it is much much more difficult to remove and you will use the same method but you chase the steamer head with the scrapper making quick short scrapes instead of being able to peel it off by hand. Took me 3 8 hour days and to be honest it was pretty miserable, huge mess, glue on everything and in your arm hair, and the occasional minor burn from the hot water and or steam. The steamer I rented was kinda like a pissed off pressure cooker that would randomly gurgle water and steam out the pressure release cap keeping me on my toes. every time I bumped or moved it it would spit at me.

A job worth doing, is worth doing well. I have tried the steamer, and yes, while it is slow, I didn't have to do much in the way of sanding/scraping/filling in holes etc. It was a long process, but quite easy, and I was proud of the finished job. This video was helpful. My wallpaper didnt come off as easy, but my home was built in the 50's sooo..Overall not a hard process. The paper tiger helped

Start at the bottom as the rising steam will make the upper wall much easier as the day progresses. If you are right handed start bottom right corner. Leave for 20 secs or so and test looseness. Try to judge best length of time as plaster could get damaged if left too long. Move the dteam plate (concentrator) to ghe lft slightly and leave held against the paper whilst scraping the previous part. This speeds the job up and continue across the wall bit by bit gradually moving up the wall repeating the process.

Nice video, what you are doing here is very slow but accurate process. I guess it depends on the individual who is doing this wallpaper removal. This particular example shows a very easily removable wallpaper that will come off very very quickly with just simply rolling some hot water on it and it would come off very easily. If a nonprofessional person would be doing this I would recommend this process but a professional who is making a living at this wallpaper removal and the painting this is too slow. A room like this would take a man from what I can see about an hour. I don't know the whole size of a room so I could be wrong but from what I can see it is easy to do with the roller and tray with hot water and soap. The only consideration there has to be that when you are removing with hot water soap and roller you have to make sure that you have plenty of dropsheets on the floor to absorb the water that gets split while you are applying to the wall because it will run ,we add soap to the water to give little bit of body and to stay on the paper while the papers be penetrated with water. Using a used six-inch plaster blade we carefully start pushing the blade forward removing the paper paying attention not to tip the blade on such an angle that it will cut or damaged the drywall and this will take a little bit of practice until you get to know the exact angle that you have to push up to create a nice smooth action.

Thanks I now have the confidence to strip a two story foyer.

Mick, Your advice is right on target. We have been doing this for 30 years, and nothing beats a steamer. However, the tasks becomes substantially more difficult when the wallpaper has been on for many years, and has become cemented to the sub-surface. One would think you could just paint over it, but that doesn't work because there are some areas where the adhesive has lost its integrity and causes bubbles in the middle of the wall. The only way I have found to remove wallpaper of this sort is to first score the top layer of the wallpaper with a Paper Tiger, or use 40 grit in a electric sander. Then use a garden pump sprayer to apply a 50/50 vinegar and water solution. Only then will the steamer work. It's still a nightmare, but it will come off by repeatedly soaking the wall ahead of the steamer. Good luck. Gary Henson / The Wallpaper Pro

Those steamers look like the ticket. Helpful video , thank you ! Im with the other guy that mentioned a larger steamer about twice the size with two steam hoses on it . Looks a little time consuming , but steaming does the trick. I've always used spray DIF chemical with paper tiger tool.

U can add vinegar to water as well to help deactivate the glue if its really stuck on

Well done. Very thorough and logically explained. I will be removing wallpaper this week. Ive watched a number of videos. Though many are well done this one made it not seem overwhelming. You offered detailed explanations for each suggested step. I watched each video, you broke up each step which made it easier. . Thank you

The spray-om wallpaper remover was easily the best! THANKS for this video! You've just saved me a world of problems!

Really great information. I've never seen wall paper stripped off like this. Would have been great to know when I refinished the bath n hall. I'll know next time. Thanks

Thank you, we are planning on doing our kitchen and this video helped. Although I am going to try and use my sunbeam steamer I hope that works as well :)

Thank you. Excellent straightforward explanation/demonstration.

Great way to do it. It looks nice and clean. (We just did our bathroom and we managed to strip the top layer, but the bottom layer we scraped and scraped after many sprays with vinegar. Took a few hours. Quite a mess) Thank you. Carol.

Thanks Mate, that was very informative.

Honestly, as a professional contractor, this is a worthwhile item to rent.. put some music and take your time. A presoak is good before steamer is good as well, thanks for your professional video

Loved this video. Really helpful

Super helpful thanks so much!

Very helpful, thank you.

That was so helpful. Thank you very much.

Soak wallpaper in water with spray bottle after doing some rips/holes along the wallpapper. Then a wallpaper scrape find one with cheap or a good blade and a few replacements. A minor trick i found is use a heatgun with the above to reduce to force needed (dont forget goggles and floor protection. I have 3-5 layers of wallpaper, paint and so on.

WOW! Thank you. I'm going to rent one of those. I hope it's as easy as it looks! :)

This is a great video, especially if you do not want to score and gouge your wall, which will require spackling repair. The small area removal technique using the Paper Tiger is great. Loved it.

Very helpful, thank you

Cheer up mate!! Thanks for the help

Hi.thank you for your advice .I have to remove really old painted over layers of wallpaper. I have moved into a flat (apartment) that was previously occupied by a couple for 50 years. Will holding the steamer too long against the wall affect the plaster on the walls?I am from England.

Great video.👍

just cover the wallpaper in petrol and light a match. It Works a treat

Very nice, thanks!

Thanks JD, one fill in this machine does two average sized rooms ( 10' x 12' ) approx.

It looked like scoring it and using the chemical spray worked better than the steamer. NIce Video!

thank you for sharing :)

I forgot to say very nice :) Cheers and happy new year

great vid , how often do you have to fill/add the water to the container of steamer ? Ty

You tear the paper across when it gets to the bottom of the platter....but it looks like you could just keep peeling it down, no problem because when you tear you are able to get a clean tear much past the platter bottom

Hey Craig, I have old wallpaper thats covered with thick layers of paint (structure wall paper). Does the steam plate work through the paint or do I need to strip the paint first? I don't want to damage my dry wall with a scraper. Best wishes from germany, you're awesome!

Well I've data a few professional strippers..lol. Seriously thanks so much for posting this video. Made my purchase of a steamer much easier. The chemical strippers bothered my lungs to the point where the steamer was my best option.

Love it, where did you buy STEMMING?

Hello, Thanks for a great video. We have bought a house. The walls are covered with wallpaper and painted over with oil paint. We want to remove the wall paper without hurting the walls. please advise. Thanks

I would check first to see if the wallpaper is dry strippable. If it is, tear it off. It will leave, most likely, a paper underlay. Use hot water, hot as you can stand, and mix in some wall paper remover concentrate according to directions. Apply liberally on the wall according to directions and let sit. Do it again if you see an areas that don't look thoroughly saturated. This will take off the paper underlay very easily. To prevent gouging, use a plastic applicator used by autobody shops to apply body filler to remove the paper. These are readily available at Lowes or Home Depot or, an auto parts store. They would resemble scrape blades without the handle and are made of a soft plastic. Even if you do gouge a little, it is a very easy fix. If the paper is not dry strippable, purchase a device that puts tiny holes into the paper available at Lowes. These holes will not damage the wall if done applied correctly. Then apply the wallpaper remover the same way as above which will find its way through the holes you have just made. I would apply the remover at least two times and let sit. I have found these methods much faster than the method used in this video with the steamer.

"Taking the pain outta paint" I love it! Then all your left with is T for time. Or are you?

Interesting question, i havn't tried that......got to be be careful with steam not to get scalded !

Steamers are way too slow. Painter secret: Try hot water and dish soap, I like using Dawn but any detergent will work fine. Do not use wallpaper remover, it's not worth the cost and hot water and dish soap is equally efficient. Soak edges with a typical spray bottle or a chemical pump sprayer. Let it soak for a few minutes until it penetrates. Do not score paper, larger strips can be pulled and it helps prevent wall damage. Pull top layer of paper off leaving just the paper backing and glue, as you do that keep spraying the edges and letting them soak about 2 minutes or so. Once you remove the top layer it's child's play. Soak paper backing and scrape with a 5 in 1 or any non flexible blade. A 4" or 6" knife is nice as well but I have more luck with the handy 5in1. Be careful not to damage wall. It should come right off. if it doesn't soak and continue. You may actually be able to pull full strips or at least large ones all at once. To do so remember to spray and let soak as you pull the top layer. Afterwards, wash walls with same solution to remove glue and any other residue. Repair all wall damage, prime, repair wall damage again if needed (in case you missed something, primer helps you see it), prime again where repairs are (spot prime) and paint finish, 2 coats. Be careful of electrical and make sure you protect the floor. I guess I should of read some of the comments before posting many have mentioned the same thing.

will this also help with a border and two layers of paper?with steamer

Could you please tell me where I can purchase a steamer? Can you rent them? How expensive are they if you purchase? I have a Master Bathroom I'm about to tackle and I wanted to make sure I did it the right way. It's the original wallpaper the builder placed on the drywall when my home was built 3 years ago. Thanks so much in advance for your help!

i apologize for the delay on this, when the adhesive is wet due to whatever method you are using, that is the time to deal with excessive glue, a plastic ( metal if you are very careful ) putty knife will take this off the best, keep it clean & have a place to put the glue so it doesn't end up where it shouldn't, best MP

Does that no ruin the wall paper if u wanted to put it in another room

I have stripped lots of wallpaper and this is the most arduously slow method I have ever seen! Perforate it with the paper tiger just like he did but even more, use a garden sprayer (it sprays continuously and puts out more water) with really hot water and DIF remover and really soak it more than he did, wait 15 minutes and then soak it again, wait another 10 minutes and it should just fall off the walls. Even in his video the perforate and soak method seemed faster than steaming those tiny sections.

Very informative, Thank you for sharing your knowledge :)

Do you have to perforate or score the paper first before steaming it?

The chemical wallpaper stripper is obviously much faster. You score the entire wall, then use a 2 gallon garden sprayer and soak the wall, wait 15 minutes and do it again and then strip it off. Some paper is extremely difficult to get off with either method and when this happens it's best to prime with a shellac bin primer and then to compound the seams, snad smooth and paint

second ? could you a used a sponge in between trim with steamer plate off just hose not plate on top of sponge. The steam transfer through sponge to paper ?

I have had great results with vinegar and water.

Stay tuned, as soon as the occasion arises, will do.

Thank you for the information but I'm not sure about this being the 'absolute best way'. Your paper looks quite new and didn't put up much of a fight. However, paper over paper and painted paper would not peel so easily. Also people need to know how much heat the steamer generates as you run the risk of damaging your plaster/dry wall if it is held in one place for too long.

Peeling off the pattern top layer when dry will produce faster results .....the steamer will soak the backing paper and reactivate the wallpaper paste so it can be peeled off easily, often in complete sheets..

is there any glue residue left?

Fibreglass paintable external wall covering

If you follow the instruction here you should be ok, when you perforate with the paper tiger you may have to press a little harder than you might with regular wallpaper or vinyl....try doing a section before you steam this should give you a good "feel" for how much perforating to do.

You're welcome.

This is for a 100sf wall we remove 10,000 sf per week hot water soap and a shop vacuum to remove the glue

If the paint is loose ( peeling ) i would scrape it of with a hook scraper ( be careful ) or whatever to take off the worst. If the paint is sound ( hard ) i would perforate it with the paper tiger ( try not to push too hard as to damage the wall but the paint must be perforated ) then proceed as in the video, you may have to hold the steam plate to the wall longer than demo'd but it should work.

If the damage is not too extensive all you have to do is spackle the damage and holes, if it is extensive you have to skim coat the entire wall with drywall mud then sand smooth, prime then you're ready for repainting.

The previous home owners wall-papered over textured and painted wall. I've been fighting with the paper for over a year. Today, I'm buying the stupid steamer...I'm desperate. The issue I'm having is the stupid texture...any tips for that?

Thank u

I thought what if you design a bigger square (head steamer) for high rang and faster. you can make it our of thin wood or steel. It should not cost much, your local hardware will help.

Suggestions; Show us how to skim coat a wall?

I've never had wallpaper come off this easily with my steamer. I'll leave it in place 2 to 3 times longer than this guy and the backing still remains, even after perforating/scoring beforehand. Always a 2 step process with me, the printed wallpaper then the backing.

If I had to use a steamer, I'd never get the job done. I use a gallon sprayer and hot water. Working on 2 or 3 areas at a time and using a 8 in blade to remove the lower layers AND GLUE. I have found steamers to damage wall board if not done right.

i heard fabric softener with warm water in a spray bottle works i have done this works well lil messy but if u use a drop cloth u should be ok

Great. Can you just paint the wall once it has dried?

is that plaster or drywall

About to do a job of work for my Sister, and I know that this will be forgotten the moment I refuse to make a cup of tea. I had the schizophrenic idea that my family is kept in the loop with regards to my awful behaviour because we find our selves in the situation where, because I'm mentally ill, all communication has to occur indirectly by means of suggestion. But I also know that my sister has a friend in Manchester CID, so I would hope that this feeds back somehow, and she might be a bit nicer. To me.

your best bet is the big box stores, home depot, lowes etc, you may find them expensive for just one room, you could rent from the same source or local equipment rental co., but again you may find price prohibitive, see my video 'the proper way to remove wallpaper' this may be a better solution for just one room, my concern is the builder didn't size the walls if not you will have devil of a time whatever way you go !, i hope the suggestions in my videos help, regards MP

Wear thick fire place gloves mate.

What is the name of the products used?

wat about painted over wallpaper?

Ace .

I did this on a house project, took all the wallpaper off and behind it was graffiti from years ago, that said cussing words and all.

Michael klienman is absoloutly 100% correct. I've been a professional stripper for over 30 years. There is a lot more to it depending on many factors. But overall, go buy a pump up sprayer and some dif and a paper tiger. A roll of plastic and a couple of canvas runners. Also a 3" 1" and 6" FLEXIBLE putty knives to scrape paper. Respray with even more diluted dif solution and use big tile sponges with scrubby side and or stiff bristle brush with paint pole inserted to remove glue. There you have it the basics in a nut shell. Or go buy or rent a steamer since you have no life and all the time in the world. Steamers work well on old,old old paper. Personally at that point it's faster to just mudd (skim) over the old and paint or sand it, apply gardz and hang GOOD wallpaper. Your welcome. That will be $150, a bargain for the 2 days of misery I just saved you. Yawn. Good job Michael. Call me, we'll save the planet.

Remember a wallpaper steamer can damage the plaster so better luck water and scraper the old ways are much better

Prime / mud / paint. DONE

way to slow i use a pump action garden sprayer gets the job done in a jiffy

The very reason I dislike wallpaper - Removing it !!! :-/

No offence to the video maker but that is a load of tosh. Firstly that paper hasn't been sitting on the wall for years, it's freshly laid. Secondly, as a professional decorator, steamers are way to slow when time is money. A pump spray, a good Purdy hard edge scraper (my weapon of choice is the 6-1) and scoring. Wet the paper first, then score and wet again. Not the other way round. Now depending on he size of your room - you do it in manageable sections. Mark out sections with a pencil as it's a good marker for knowing where you have scrapped and finished a section. So the simple rule is WET-SCORE-WET and remove. Another piece of advice is lay down some plastic sheeting and don't clear away the waste until finished, just move it to the side as you move on. When completely done, roll the sheeting up in sections and viola, no messy bits everywhere, just nicely packed parcels ready for the bin/trash can.

tosh absolute tosh my tried and tested method that worked an absolute treat for me is washing liquid hot water and a garden sprayer or a scorer

this would take a month tob get it off

Dude. Visual progression in the con category is all wrong. You can unlock costume pieces without paying anything. You can toggle it on and off if the pieces you equip should change you apparence or not.

I must have watched dozens of clips on how to remove wallpaper and absolutely nothing has worked as shown. I am in the process of removing wallpaper in a powder room. 4 walls....I tried different methods on each of the wall and none has worked. The top layer comes off relatively easy, but the bottom layer is a bitch to remove. It comes off in little strips and if too wet it actually loosens the paper tape that binds wall board together at their seams. I dare anyone who advertises this task as being easy and even as a fun activity to come over and demonstrate this on my walls. Be prepared for several days of removal, several days of patching, sanding and more patching and sanding.

either way it takes a long time I've just moved to a new property and the last person thought it would be a good idea to wallpaper the entire place pink absolutely fucking hideous want it off asap

using a steamer will also take out bits of the wall plaster not the best method

Hotels use wallpaper. $1200 a roll

Cmon dude! why ripe it off sideways!!! try to take the whole thing off!

This would take far too long to do. There's better and quicker methods for doing this out there.

hey KZfaqrs take my advice just buy new wallpaper...and wallpaper over the old one

Why do they even sell wallpaper. Omg how awful.

Steamer is also known as the drywall destroyer Paper tiger also wrecks your drywall If the paper doesn't come off.... THEN IT IS STUCK... SO LEAVE IT STUCK Go buy some KILZ original, prime the wallpaper and plaster the seams..... easier than stripping