Once the floor was installed we started taking off trim, stripping wallpaper, and painting primer. What?!? Painting after the floor was installed? Well, there was a little miscommunication – the hubby thought we were just putting in the new floor, but I couldn’t see making that big of a mess without just finishing the whole thing.
First up was removing that lovely country wallpaper we put up together in 1989. Thankfully it was the pre-pasted version so stripping it wasn’t too difficult. Even though it’s out of date and no longer stylish (stop giggling, it WAS a popular wallpaper in 1989), removing it was like removing a little piece of our history. It’s strange taking down something the 28-year old me put up.

We covered the floor in two layers - lightweight boards taped together to protect the new flooring underneath and then a layer of plastic.
Hints and Tips for Removing Wallpaper Quickly and Easily
Before you get started with the wallpaper removal cover your floor with plastic – it’s about to get messy in here! Have a large garbage can ready for the wallpaper pieces you pull off and put them in right away – this means less water on the floor, less mess, and you only handle the paper once and it’s gone instead of tossing it on the ground to have to pick it all up again.
We took off the wood trim, but you don’t have to. We did because we’re replacing it later on in the project. If you’re leaving your wood trim in place, you’ll likely need to score the paper with a box knife along the trim before wetting it if the trim was installed after the wallpaper was hung. If the wallpaper was added after the trim, no extra steps are needed to remove it. But how do you know? Try removing one corner of the wallpaper – if it comes off near the trim easily you’re good to go. If it lifts off below the trim but appears trapped under it, you’ll need to score it.

We're not taking any chances - two layers of protection for the new floor. The first layer of paper was pulled off and now we're scoring and wetting it.
If your paper is a vinyl paper (2 layers) you should be able to find a seam and easily pull off the top layer which holds the pattern. You’re left with a yellow paper that’s glued to the wall and that’ s the bit that’s a little tougher to get off, but don’t worry – you can remove wallpaper, I promise!
We used an inexpensive wallpaper removal tool called a Zinsser PaperTiger Scoring Tool for Wallpaper Removal (2966) (found at most hardware stores) and spray bottle of warm water and it worked beautifully. At under $10, it’s a best buy and real time saver. Don’t press so hard that you leave scoring marks on the wall – use just enough pressure to get through the paper. Light and easy!
We’ve tried using a steamer in the past and found that the PaperTiger and a spray bottle work better. We’ve also tried stripping chemicals and other options and all pale to plain water. Just keep the water very hot/warm and let the water soak into the holes you’ve made with the paper scorer to make removal easier.

Wallpaper glue reside left after stripping the wallpaper
Cleaning the Wallpaper Paste Residue After Wallpaper Removal
We did need to clean the excess wallpaper paste from the walls and we tried plain warm water but found it didn’t cut through it well enough. While I wanted to continue trying green products, my burn-it-slash-it husband went the shortcut route and bought GAL TSP Substitute (aka TSP Trisodium phosphate substitute). It’s a heavy duty cleaner that can cut through some hairy messes, take the gloss off before painting, and remove anything that’s stuck, but it’s a last resort in my book. Wear protective gear – masks and gloves – when working with it and even though it says you don’t have to rinse it, we did.
What can you use instead of TSP? Luckily you can mix up your own less toxic product at home. eHow provides a great list of recipes for safer wall cleaners on their website – Alternatives to TSP for Cleaning the Walls Before Painting – ingredients include washing soap, Borax, ammonia, lemon, vinegar, and dish washing soap.
Even in this messy state I can see our new calm oasis coming into focus and I’m loving it!
Next up: Let the wall priming begin!
Previous DIY Master Bedroom Makeover Articles
- DIY Home: Master Bedroom Update After 22 Years – Planning
- DIY Home: Master Bedroom Update and Makeover – Flooring
Previous DIY Articles
- Remodeling with Retirement In Mind After 22 Years In Our Home
- Our Spring Home Remodeling and Rejuvenation has Begun!
- Bedroom and Sewing Room Remodel Takes a Step Back, But I’m Happy About It
- Bathroom Update Finished Thanks to Inspiration from The Ladies’ Home Journal
- How to Choose the Perfect Ceiling Color for your DIY Painting Project
- Aren’t I Due This One Little DIY I Told You So?
- Bathroom Tile Chosen and the Cutting and Dry Fitting Begins!
- Bathroom and Hallway Remodeling Update: Mirror Down and Outlets Replaced
- Choosing a Husband Was Easier Than Committing to new Bathroom Floor Tiles – Luckily Online Help Is Available
- Tips on How To Decide What Size Mirror To Buy For the Bathroom
- Choosing the Right Bathroom Mirror For Our Remodel
- The Never Ending Bathroom and Hallway Remodeling Update
- Inexpensive Updates for a 1970′s Bathroom Bring It Up-to-date!
- Martha Stewart Living and Home Depot Visualizer Make Choosing Decor Simple
:me:
Every time I see wallpaper I cringe a little. All due respect to those who like wallpaper. There are some great patterns out there, but it just brings me back to a remodel we did a few years ago and EVERY room in the house had wallpaper and a ton of it.
I gouged so many walls when we first started. I used just about every tool I could find. I ended up renting a steamer from Home Depot, and wow what a difference. I saved so much time (and my walls from dings) by using that set up.
I actually got a lot of satisfaction from peeling off that paper so easily.
Ah, Brings back memories.
Kevin (EA)
I still love wallpaper and it lasted 22 years, but we’ll be selling the house in 3-5 years when we retire so we’re doing what other people like, not what we like 🙂
These are great tips, especially the part about the TSP alternatives. Luckily we had no wallpaper in our house when we moved in, although I would like to add some! 🙂
I can’t wait to see how your bedroom turns out!
I still love wallpaper and would put it up in a heartbeat if it wouldn’t make my husband crazy 🙂 Plus, we’re going to sell in about 5 years so we have to go neutrals and stuff that’s easy to touch up. I may do an allover or one wall stencil though 🙂
Good job! I’ve always been afraid of wall paper, mainly because it is so hard to remove! Can’t wait to see how it progresses.
I LOVE wallpaper and it really is so easy to remove…it’s just messy!
We moved into a house a couple of summers and it has wallpaper in the bathroom and playroom. We want to take it down so bad. Thanks for the less toxic recipe. We may try to tackle it this summer.
It’s so easy, I promise! Yanking the first piece is the hardest because then you’re committed to finishing the job 🙂
Wow, this is a major project. Fun to see each step of your process. I am, sadly, not very patient when it comes to projects like this. Good Work!
My husband’s done most of it, I snuck off to San Francisco for five days of it. Hee hee.
can’t wait to see the final room. love DIY projects.
Amber (EA)
You and me both! 🙂 We still need to pin down a bed and other big items, but we’re getting there!
That looks like a lot of work but I bet you will love it when it i done.
Looks like lots of work, but so worth it in the end. I’ve got some horrible wallpaper border that I just cannot get off in my bedroom. I can’t wait to try some of these tips 🙂
Visiting from EA.
Borders were often hard to stick so many people added extra paste and some were even using Elmer’s Glue and worse. Try the PaperTiger and hot water first but know that you may have to call in the big guns and do some scraping if they used glue. Then if your wall is textured with an orange peel finish, you’ll have to spray it to fix where you scraped. We did some crazy stuff back in the day never thinking it’d have to come down eventually 🙂
Good luck!