ShareThisQ: I've tried several things to remove old wallpaper. I'm guessing the people who set it up were poorly skilled. Because of that, I put different wallpaper over that, but it's just making more of a problem. How can I remove old wallpaper without causing damage to the wall?A: This reminds me of the Bible verse, "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment making the tear worse" (Matthew 9:16). What's happening is the new wallpaper is shrinking and tearing the old wallpaper off the wall.I have also seen walls that had wallpaper applied over cheap paneling. The wallpaper actually pulled the finished surface off the paneling.Here's what you need to do. Wet the wallpaper using a wet sponge, a wet long-napped paint roller or a pump-style garden sprayer. Peel off what paper you can using a stiff wide trowel. There will be many stubborn areas where the drywall's paper covering will also come off with the glued wallpaper. These areas or gouges can be easily repaired using a drywall compound or a product called DryDex by DAP. It goes on pink and turns white when it's ready to sand.The project will take a lot of labor, but remember that the job does not have to be completed all at once. The water will not hurt the drywall, so you can start and stop as needed. Just make sure the floor is covered with a disposable drop cloth, because the glue on the paper will adhere to almost anything it falls on.(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 286, Evansville, Ind. 47702 or e-mail him at d.Barnett(at)insightbb.com.)
Old wallpaper not a good base for new
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