Removing a Wallpaper Border

We moved Ammon to an upstairs bedroom to make his room a guest room, that meant the wallpaper border needed to come down. Now that we’re going to be moving it needed to be taken down even sooner. I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it turned out to be. It was actually very easy, especially with a friend helping.

The first thing I did was peel off the top layer (the printed layer). Since the top layer has a washable coating over it I needed to get to the next layer. The top layer was fairly easy to peel off in most places, but some areas took a little longer.

Once we were to the next layer we used a wet cloth and gently rubbed it over the paper to get it damp and so the water could soak through. After waiting just about a minute it was easy to peel off. Again, there were a few areas that were more difficult, which means it just took a little longer. It was kind of satisfying, peeling off really big pieces.

I’m not claiming that all wallpapers are this easy to take off, but it doesn’t hurt to try it this way before you take out the big guns. Once the paper was all off we used a TSP (copy cat) cleaner to clean the walls of any remaining residue. Then I used a magic eraser to erase the pencil line.

I also filled all the holes using Dap DryDex spackle. I love this spackle because it starts out pink and turns white when it’s ready to be sanded. Perfect for an impatient DIYer, like me. I usually use my finger to fill holes, it’s easier and I don’t have to look for a tool.

I don’t sand either, if you take a damp cloth and wipe off the excess spackle it works better and doesn’t make a mess. I can’t believe I’m finally getting this room to a clean slate again and now we’re moving. Oh well, the new owners will have a nice room to add their own personality too.