How to remove old vinyl wallpapers from the walls yourself
How to remove old vinyl wallpapers from the walls? To properly make repairs in the room, it is necessary to remove the old coating from the walls, including wallpaper. New wallpapers will look more beautiful after stickers on clean walls, on which there are no defects. The article will tell you how to remove vinyl wallpaper from the wall.
The content of the article
Features of vinyl wallpaper
The properties of vinyl wallpapers are influenced by the process of their manufacture. To do this, vinyl is applied several times to paper prepared in a special way using special printers that create original patterns on the canvas. A large number of layers increases the strength of the material.
The advantages of the material are:
- Affordable price.
- A variety of designs.
- Ecological cleanliness. Materials are made on a paper basis, using only natural components, which makes them harmless, and additional processing with special compounds that prevent the appearance of mold protects a person from dangerous diseases.
- Strength and durability.
- Resistance to the negative effects of temperature, moisture and light.
- Ability to clean using detergents.
- High density structure of the top layer.
There are four varieties of such wallpapers:
- Made of foamed vinyl. Made on a paper basis, which is covered with structural vinyl. Due to the presence of relief, they visually mask defects on the walls, have a high density.
- Solid vinyl. The outer layer of the material is quite thin, but its high hardness provides the canvas with resistance to various damages.
- Smooth vinyl. Such materials are less dense, but at the same time they are easy enough to stick on the walls.
- Vinyl with silk screen printing. The lower layer of the material consists of paper, and the structure of the upper has silk threads, which in texture resembles silk fabric.
The peculiarity of the material determines how to glue it on the walls and remove it if necessary.
Preparation for work
Before you remove the vinyl wallpaper, the room needs to be cleaned.
For this:
- If possible, all furniture is taken out or covered with a film of dirt.
- The floors are covered with polyethylene and covered with newspapers. This will prevent slipping on the surface.
- A wet rag is placed in front of the door so that dust does not spread around the house with his feet.
- The power is cut off to avoid accidents.
- The lighting devices on the wall are best removed completely.
- Wallpaper is removed under outlets and switches.
Before you quickly remove the vinyl wallpaper, you should purchase the following tools:
- Roller with special spikes or “wallpaper tiger”.
- With warm water basin.
- Detergent for dishes, when added to water, peeling is easier.
- Foam sponge, roller or spray.
- Hard spatula.
- Masking tape for sealing outlets.
- Gloves.
- Reliable stepladder.
How to remove old wallpaper with water
Simple paper wallpapers are easy to remove (see How to remove old paper wallpapers without problems): the surface is abundantly wetted with water, for some time they are given to impregnate until they begin to depart. Then, with a spatula or scraper, gently, slowly, the canvases are cleaned off the wall.
But how to remove vinyl wallpaper from walls with properties such as resistance to excessive moisture? There are several ways to remove vinyl wallcoverings from a wall. When removing wallpaper with your own hands, it is better to use a roller with metal spikes - a wallpaper tiger.
You can use a regular knife or metal brush, but it will not be too convenient.
Wallpaper Removal Instructions:
- The upper layer of wallpaper is perforated with a roller.
- The walls are abundantly wetted with water.
Tip: Wallpaper is moistened with plain water and with the addition of mixtures, for example, a dishwashing compound, which will quickly dissolve wallpaper glue.
The surfaces are wetted with a roller, sponge, using a spray bottle or a normal rag. At the same time, do not overdo it with water, which can damage the floor and wall coverings.
- After impregnating the material, you can begin to remove the coating. Remove old canvases from bottom to top, and use a spatula to remove remaining pieces of material.
- If necessary, the places are again wetted and removed.
Tip: If the main layer of vinyl wallpaper is held firmly to the surface and does not peel off, it should be left.
Other ways to remove vinyl wallpaper
It:
- The use of steam. For this method, you can apply:
- steam generator, as in the photo;
- iron with steam function.
Wherein:
- perforation of the top layer is performed;
- under the influence of steam, the glue begins to swell;
- Wallpaper is quickly removed from the wall.
This method allows you to remove vinyl wallpapers quickly and never breed dirt in the room. Alternatively, you can use a wet rag and iron. The walls are ironed through a wet rag. The effect will be similar to that of steam.
- Use of wallpaper glue.
With this method, the following are added to the water:
- specialized liquid that helps to remove vinyl wallpapers;
- a small amount of glue.
The method is used in cases where it is not possible to clean the old wallpaper:
- the solution covers the walls;
- in this state are left for two to three hours.
Such operations allow you to remove old wallpaper in whole stripes.
Tip: In severe cases, wallpaper should be removed using a wire brush, electric grinder or sandpaper. All operations must be done carefully without damaging the wall.
How to remove vinyl wallpaper from drywall
If vinyl wallpaper is glued to drywall, how to remove it without damaging the base of the wall?
The peculiarity of drywall is that it does not tolerate the presence of moisture, even moisture-resistant drywall, after severe moisture, can be injured.
When removing old wallpaper, you need to be very careful:
- Perforate.
- Moisten the surface with water, but without allowing too much zeal.
Tip: When removing wallpaper from drywall, you should use special tools to remove the old vinyl coating.
The overall process of cleaning the wall from wallpaper should remain the same as when applying water.
Besides:
- When sticking wallpaper on a special adhesive for vinyl material, dismantling will not be difficult.
- There will be no problems when removing if the drywall has been previously plastered (see How to putty drywall quality).
- Wallpaper made on a non-woven basis is easier to remove. In this case, delamination of the layers is possible: pry off the top layer with a spatula or knife, which does not allow moisture to pass through, and peel it off, and the base will be easily removed after soaking.
- When using PVA glue for gluing, it will not be possible to maintain intact drywall, even with very accurate work.
To better understand how to remove wallpaper from drywall, it is better to watch the video. To rip off the old wallpaper from the wall without damaging its base, you need skill and patience.The new coating will last much longer after carefully removing the old wallpaper so that not even small pieces of them remain on the wall.
