The dreary vinyl wallpaper installed by the prior homeowner in the master bath had to go! Removal was straightforward, but a bit time consuming and requiring attention to detail. Here’s the “after” and “before” photos of the now bright and cheery bath. The Akita likes the new look, too!
Master Bath - After - No Wallpaper and Fresh Paint
And here’s how it looked before with the dreary vinyl wallpaper (gag!):
Dreary Vinyl Wallpaper
Tools Required:
- 1-1/4 inch putty knife
- 4 inch putty knife
- 8 inch putty knife
- Water spray bottle
- Step ladder
- iPod or Radio – for entertainment
Wallpaper Removal:
The steps to removing the vinyl wallpaper are:
- Peel off the vinyl top layer.
- Soak the paper backing to soften the glue with a spray bottle of water.
- Gently scrape off the paper backing with a 4 inch putty knife.
I was pleasantly surprised how easily the paper backing came off the wall after soaking with water. It helped the wall had been painted before the wallpaper was installed.
Step by Step Photos:
The wallpaper is removed by peeling off the top layer, one course at a time.
Peeling off the Top Layer Section by Section
Using the small putty knife, lift a corner of the paper and with a slow steady motion peel off the top layer. The paper backing remains glued to the wall as you see here:
Peeling off the Top Layer
Partially peeled course of wallpaper in the photo below. The faint “stripes” delamination of the paper backing. However, there is remains a paper layer and glue attached to the wall that must be scraped off.
Peeling Off the Top Layer
The paper backing after the top layer is peeled off:
Top Layers Removed
Soak the paper backing with water from pump sprayer and wait about 2 minutes. I found that spraying a 3 foot by 6 foot section at a time worked well as I could scrape the area before the paper dried out again. Here the paper backing is removed with putty knife leaving the painted surface underneath showing. Very little force was needed to scrape the paper backing off the wall:
Scraping Off the Paper Backing
Ribbons of water-soaked paper backing hang exposing the painted wall beneath.
Scraping the Paper Backing
Work in regular rows to scrape off the paper backing. Here an area of is soaked and ready to be scraped off with the putty knife:
Soaking the Wallpaper
The medicine cabinet, light switch and electrical outlet covers must be removed to get at the wallpaper in these areas. Hold a dry rag over the electrical outlets when using the pump sprayer to keep these from getting wet. Water and electricity don’t mix! If you’re uncomfortable around electricity or your skill level, turn off the circuit breakers first.
Medicine Cabinet and Outlet Covers
I took nearly 12 hours to peel and scrape off all the wallpaper in the master bath. The most time consuming part were the small spaces around the doors, window, shower, mirrors, tub and the like.
Patching Holes, Removing Rust and Preparing for Paint:
After the wallpaper is removed, there were several blemishes to be corrected:
- Fill in any pock marks in the sheetrock (wall board) made when scraping off the wallpaper. A few small ones are unavoidable. Use a putty knife and spackling paste.
- Fill in any unused mounting holes for shelves, photos and towel racks with spackle.
- I had a few small rust areas on the exposed metal corner bead around the shower stall. A dab of Naval Jelly Rust Dissolver applied by a Q-tip took care of the problem. Ospho Rust Treatment also works well.
- Lightly sand the wall surfaces with the rough side a drywall sanding sponge to knock down the slight roughness left by the wallpaper glue. It’s important to sand with the sponge dry to avoid redissolving the glue. One or two passes is sufficient.
Naval Jelly and Drywall Sanding Sponge are available at most home improvement stores.
Loctite Naval Jelly
3M Drywall Sanding Sponge
Painting the Walls:
The walls were repainted the original color with a premium kitchen and bath latex paint. Masking off and painting the trim are always time consuming.
The Wagner Paintmate Plus is a huge time-saver for rolling on a coat of paint, easy to use and simple to clean. I’ve painted several rooms with it and wouldn’t go back to the pan & roller ever again. The Paintmate Plus is very maneuverable and non-electric so there’s no power cords to get in the way. The Powermate is available at most home improvement stores.
My better half is pleased with the master bath facelift. She’s busy accenting the walls with a wrought iron candle holders and a framed painting.
Thanks for reading!
Bob Jackson
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