Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Removing Painted Wallpaper
Pro vs. DIYThere's not a messier, but more satisfying job than removing wallpaper. The job is most challenging when the wallpaper is painted because the paint seals the surface, making it difficult to penetrate without gouging the wall.

You'll pay a painting contractor $265 to remove painted wallpaper in a typical 10-by-12-foot room. You can do it yourself for about $25, the cost of a razor knife scraper, plastic drop cloths and a quart of wallpaper remover that you mix with water. You'll also need a bucket and sponge mop or paint roller to wet down the walls.

This is not a pleasant job, but then it's not exactly a mind bender either. It's tedious, time-consuming and requires little talent so it's an ideal project for the first-time do-it-yourselfer.

Score the wallpaper with the scraper and soak it with the solvent to get behind the paper and loosen the adhesive holding the paper to the wall. Secure plastic drop cloths to the top of the baseboard molding with masking tape to protect the molding and floorcovering. As you scrape off the wallpaper the scraps fall onto the drop cloth. When you're finished, wrap up all the messy wet scraps in it and throw it away.




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