5 Steps to Stripping Wallpaper and Painting Fresh
5 Steps to Stripping Wallpaper and Painting Fresh
So you can’t take it anymore…
After months and months of being trapped in flowery paper walls, you’re ready to finally strip the sorry sight from your living room and paint it something more modern.
But for the average homeowner, this can be an overwhelming job. Just the thought of stripping wallpaper and keeping the dog from shredding it can be a challenge in itself.
We cannot help you with your dog, but we can provide the steps you’ll need to take to make your room look brand new!
Here are the 5 steps you need to follow to strip your wallpaper and paint your walls fresh:
Strip the wallpaper
This can be easy or a nightmare -- depending on how well the glue held up over the years. If you’re lucky, the paper will pull off in large sheets. If you’re not you may need to bring in reinforcements.
Be prepared with a putty knife to try to get behind the paper and some good wallpaper remover like DIF. You should be able to spray the Dif onto the paper and then scrape it off. If not, orbital sanding could be in your future.
Make sure to try not to pull off the top layer of drywall that’s underneath the wallpaper. That could cause problems farther down the line.
2. Sand and Prime
Now you need to make sure all the last flakes of paper and gummy spots of glue are removed from the wall by sanding it. Once it’s been sanded, then you can prime the walls as the first coat.
The alternative to priming is to use a paint and primer in one like SuperPaint from Sherwin Williams.
3. Fill holes and Sand
Now that something has been applied to the walls you will be able to see any nail holes or bumps easier. Get some spackle and a spackle knife and carefully fill each hole. Then wait for it to dry before sanding all of the walls again.
4. Paint the Walls
This will either be your first coat of paint or your second if you used the paint and primer in one option. Either way, make this a good one. Cut in the ceiling and baseboard carefully and evenly roll the new paint onto the walls. Be careful not to apply too little at once so that roller marks show up or too much so that it looks wavy.
5. Sand, Fill Holes and Paint Again
Before applying the final coat, double-check for any holes you may have missed that need to be spackled, and make sure the walls are sanded to your desired smoothness. Then you can start the painting process over and apply the final coat on your walls.
If you follow all of these steps, your room will probably not even be recognizable anymore! Fair warning -- these upgrades can be contagious and you may be itching to remodel some other rooms in your home as well.
Stripping wallpaper, sanding, and painting not your cup of tea? You’re not alone! A lot of homeowners loathe painting their homes. If this is you, give us a call at (716) 316-4759 or fill out the form below and we can provide you with a free estimate.