How to Remove Wallpaper: Peel and Stick, Non-Woven and Old Paper

Whether you are taking down peel and stick wallpaper at the end of a lease or stripping an old paper before redecorating, the right method depends on what is on the wall. This guide covers the three types you are most likely to meet in a South African home: self-adhesive peel and stick, modern paste-the-wall non-woven, and older paper wallpaper.

First, work out what kind of wallpaper you have

• Peel and stick (self-adhesive vinyl): there is no paste behind it. Lift a corner with a fingernail and it peels back with a light, tacky feel.
• Non-woven paste-the-wall: a fabric-like backing that was hung with paste. Modern non-wovens, including our Traditional Smooth, are made to strip off dry in full lengths.
• Older paper or vinyl-faced paper: tears into small pieces when you pull it, and often leaves a paper backing on the wall. This is the one that needs water or steam.

How to remove peel and stick wallpaper

1. Start at a top corner. Lift the edge with a fingernail or a plastic scraper (not a metal blade, which can dig into paint).
2. Peel slowly at a low angle. Pull the panel back on itself, close to the wall, rather than straight out. Slow and low puts less stress on the paint underneath.
3. Use gentle heat if it resists. On cold days, or if it has been up for years, warm the adhesive with a hairdryer on a medium setting as you go.
4. Clean any residue. Wipe leftover tackiness with warm water and a drop of dishwashing liquid, then let the wall dry.

On sound, well-cured paint, peel and stick should come off cleanly. On fresh paint, cheap flat paint or patched but unprimed plaster, some paint can lift with it, which is why we always suggest testing a peel and stick sample in a hidden spot first.

How to remove non-woven (paste-the-wall) wallpaper

1. Lift a bottom corner with a scraper.
2. Pull the whole length up and away slowly. A good non-woven releases from the paste and comes off in one piece.
3. Wash off the paste. Sponge the wall with warm water, then rinse and let it dry before painting or re-papering.

How to remove old paper wallpaper

1. Protect the room. Switch off the electricity to the wall’s plug points and switches, cover the floor and remove switch plates.
2. Score the surface lightly with a scoring tool so water can get behind it. Don’t cut into the plaster.
3. Soak or steam. Sponge on warm water with a little dishwashing liquid, wait 10 to 15 minutes, or use a wallpaper steamer section by section.
4. Scrape at a shallow angle with a wide scraper, re-wetting stubborn patches.
5. Wash and dry the wall to remove old paste, fill any gouges and let it dry fully before you redecorate.

Putting up something new?

If you are removing wallpaper to start again, every design in our wallpaper and wall murals range is printed to order in Johannesburg and sized to your wall. Peel and stick goes straight onto the clean, dry wall with our installation guide; for traditional wallpaper see how to hang traditional wallpaper. Need help? Our installers page lists independent installers in Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban, the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape.