TxBuilder

I have a room with some old wallpaper, maybe half a century.

What is the most efficient way to remove it? I've tried a blow dryer to warm it and a knife but it's really stuck on there.

The Gingerbread Man

You need to get a wallpaper scorer (scratches thru the paper) then mix some warm water with some stuff called DIF. sponge it on. not too much. The water mix will soften the glue and you can then use your scraper. Still hard work.

HJANB

Paper Tiger is the best! It comes in a kit and you do have to use chemical and a scraper as well. Lot's of work but beats a heat gun & Putty Knife!

taconick

wall paper scorer, putty knife and a 2:1 water to liquid fabric softener mixture (I am serious) It works better than any wallpaper stripper out there. If it is really tough, try a heat gun or rent a commercial steamer.

reds_21

we have lived in the house that we are currently in for about 2 years now and we are getting around to finally stripping off all the wall paper and adding some paint to these walls!!! we went round and round with a number of people on to what exactly was/is the best way to strip the paper. i have came down to the tool that has worked the best for us. It is the WAGNER wallpaper steamer. We bought it at Home Depot for $50. I have seen them on ebay for roughly $30-$40. The house that we have is filled with wall paper in every room, so i figured that it is definately giving us the results we were hoping for. But i know most people would not like spending $50 bucks, but we use the steamer, a putty knife, and some blue gel that washes off the gummy adhesive that is left behind.

no regrets here spending that $50!!!

shawn

Square Eye

I've got a Paper Tiger. I like it. It scores the paper without penetrating the drywall paper. I ran this over the wallpaper while it was dry, then I soaked the walls with DIF wallpaper stripper from a garden sprayer. From there I used a disposable 6 inch plastic taping knife. The wallpaper was easy to peel off and the taping knife was only necessary when I was starting a section. There were a few places where the glue left a mess, I washed those spots with Dif and a rag. I was able to paint the same day.

Paper Tiger at Amazon.com

DIF wallpaper stripper is available at most home centers.

The steamers ARE worth a look too! Some of the adhesives work differently. Steam will work with heat to release the adhesive. I still believe that a Paper Tiger is useful with steam. You can get the stripping solution into the adhesive more efficiently with the paper scored.

Tom in KY, stripper for hire. Heh-hee!

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james b

i agree with square eye i love my paper tiger it takes all the back ache out of taking down wall paper . and the dif i believe is the best stipper on the market ti makes it a snap.

renee26

I've used many things in wallpapering--one nice alternative to DIF which can be expensive depending on size of room and hard on your hands, is to mix Downy fabric softener with warm water, score the walls, spray on, let it soak a few minutes, and off it comes! Then, you can wash the walls in a solution of DIF and water--much cheaper and nicer smelling in my opinion. I just stripped a huge room in that way. It's the third room that I've used fabric softener for--recommended by local paint store.

Steeltowndubber

I second the fabric softner and hot water trick... it was much more affective then DIF.

thisdmnhouse

Have had good luck with DIF gel spray and a putty knife.