Best budget hacks for removing wallpaper

Wallpaper removal is one of my least favorite DIY jobs, so I really want to get it done ASAP. One of my first blog posts was about my wallpaper removal process in our master bathroom and three methods I tried. It’s one of the most popular posts on my site. I decided to write another post on how you can remove wallpaper without spending a lot of money because I’m cheap like that.

Here was my original process:

First, I bought a scoring tool and a spray bottle of wallpaper removal solution. The process went like this: scoring the wallpaper, spraying it down with solution, letting it soak for a few minutes, and then using a 5-in-1 scraping tool or wide putty knife to take off the paper.

This method didn’t work well at all for me, taking off tiny shreds of paper or nothing at all.

Not wanting to spend funds on a steamer, I chose a promising method on sale at Lowe’s at that time called Simple Strip from Wallwik (I don’t think they carry it anymore, and it’s more expensive on their website). You mixed a solution with warm water in a sprayer and had more warm water mixed with solution in a bucket. The kit included the concentrated solution, several long sheets of fiber paper (think giant dryer sheet) and a long scraper to lift paper off the wall in sheets.

You score the wallpaper, dunk the sheet in the solution in the bucket, and slap it on the wall. Well, it’s really more of a careful pasting. Leave it there for a few minutes. Then spray it down with the sprayer and wait a few more minutes.

Yes, the soapy solution will be running down your walls so keep an old towel handy.

Then you remove the sheet, dropping it back in the bucket. And scrape away the damp, scored wallpaper.

This method was definitely better than the first one. I could often remove sections as big as my hand and sometimes as long as my arm.

I used this method on much of my bathroom, but I still encountered stubborn areas that refused to budge, especially the ill-advised ‘90s floral border. And I wanted to speed up the process.

This post contains affiliate links, which means when you click on the link, go to Amazon and purchase ANY product, I get a small commission. The product does not cost you any more to buy, but it helps support Plum Prairie Ranch.

So I overcame my frugal nature and bought the Wagner wallpaper steamer from Amazon. This looks just like mine but is a newer model.

Score a section of wallpaper, hit it with 30 seconds or so of steam, then scrape it off. The steamer worked better on the double layer of paper with the border and didn’t need a special solution. Water worked just fine. It still required two passes, first to remove the border, then to remove the paper behind the border.

Way more useful than a Wallpaper Steamer

Fast forward several years, and I’m removing wallpaper in my kitchen.

I started with the slightly tattered and yellowed sheets dunked in solution, and that method did pretty well except in some awkward spots and, again another ‘90s border, this one featuring fruit. It’s a kitchen, so we’re going with a food theme here.

I wracked my brain trying to remember where I stored the steamer. Attic? No. Garage? No. In the far reaches of the closet under the stairs? YES! I located it after tripping over dozens of shoes and old sports paraphernalia.

I plugged it in… and nothing. It didn’t work! What was I to do? Buy another? No way!

I remembered another steamer we had in the house: my daughter’s garment steamer. And you know what? It worked just as well as the wallpaper steamer. This is the steamer I used.

If you’re frugal like me, don’t buy a wallpaper steamer, people!

The wallpaper steamer will collect dust in the back of your closet, basement, or garage shelf. A garment steamer comes in handy for getting wrinkles out of clothing or curtains without dragging out the ironing board. I hardly ever iron anything, and a steamer would have more uses.

Another use for a roll of blue shop towels

Since that hack worked so well, I decided to hack the system with the long sheets of fiber paper. If there’s a frugal way of doing something just as well as the pricey method, count me in! Also, you don’t have to wait several days for the materials to be delivered.

At first I tried good quality paper towels. Those wouldn’t stay on the wall and fell apart too easily.

What is thicker than paper towels, easily available and not too expensive? How about shop towels? Those are the thick blue rolls of paper you can find in the automotive section at Walmart or the cleaning products aisle at Lowes or Home Depot.

This time I found a winner. By using several shop towels still attached together I could get similar coverage as the long sheets of fiber paper in the Walwik system. The blue shop towels worked about as well and you could continue using the same sheets for the whole day.

Here’s a kit from Amazon that includes the concentrated wallpaper remover solution (just add water), a scoring tool, and a scraper. But you can buy the concentrated remover and a scoring tool cheaper at Lowes or Home Depot. Just use a wide putty knife or taping knife as your scraper.

If you want to try this DIY method for wallpaper removal, here’s what you need:

– Wallpaper scoring tool

– Roll of blue shop towels

– Wide putty knife, 5-in-1 tool or wallpaper scraping tool

– Concentrated wallpaper removal solution

– Empty spray bottle (I got mine at Dollar Tree, or you can get a higher quality spray bottle at Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart)

– Bucket

– Old towel to catch drips

Here’s the drill:

1. Score the wall with the scoring tool.
2.  Mix the wallpaper removal solution with warm water in the bucket. Carefully pour some of the solution in the spray bottle.
3. Dunk a section of blue paper towels into the bucket and slap it on the wall.
4. Wait a few minutes and spray it down with more solution. If the towels look like they’re slipping, you can spray them immediately. Wait a few more minutes before pulling the paper towels off the wall and dropping them back in the bucket. The wallpaper should look damp, especially where it is scored.
5. Start scraping.

As I mentioned before, you can use the same section of damp shop towels over and over while you work.

Whichever method you use, prepare for this process to take some time. It’s definitely making me reluctant to ever use wallpaper again.

And the last frontier for wallpaper in the house? It’s a pretty, vintage-look floral wallpaper in the powder room, and I’m not touching it! You can see it in all its Grandma’s House perfection below.

Wallpaper in my powder room. Leaving some projects for the next guys!