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How hard the job will be depends on the paper, the paste, what lies underneath and how the wall was prepared before the first strip went up. A painter or paperhanger looks at all of that, tries a test area, then chooses a method. The wall that emerges often needs repairs and a skim coat before it looks good under paint.
This page explains how to tell strippable paper from the stubborn kind, compares steam, scoring and soaking, walks through the removal process, and covers drywall damage, plaster walls, asbestos and lead in older homes, and priming for paint afterward. For hanging new paper, see the wallpaper installation page.
Strippable, peelable and non-strippable wallpaper: how to tell what you have
The quickest diagnosis is to lift a corner at a seam with a putty knife and pull slowly. The way the paper responds tells the painter a lot about the job ahead, and older homes often hold more than one kind on the same wall.
- Strippable paper releases in whole sheets and leaves little behind, as many non-woven papers are designed to do.
- Peelable paper splits in two: the printed top layer comes away and a thin paper backing stays on the wall, to be soaked and scraped off separately.
- Non-strippable paper tears into small pieces and needs moisture or steam to reach the paste through its face.
- Vinyl and coated papers shed water, so the face usually has to be peeled or perforated before any solution can soak in.
- Painted-over wallpaper behaves like a waterproof shell and is often the slowest of all to remove.
- Borders are often hung with a stronger adhesive, sometimes right over another paper, and may need extra soaking time.
Steam vs scoring vs soaking: choosing a wallpaper removal method
Every method has the same aim: soften the paste so the paper lets go without taking the wall with it. The right choice depends on the paper and on how much moisture the wall underneath can take.
- Soaking with warm water or a removal solution, applied with a sponge, sprayer or roller and given time to work, is the gentlest option on sound drywall and suits porous papers and leftover backing.
- Scoring perforates vinyl or painted paper so moisture can reach the paste, and it calls for a light hand because deep cuts will show through new paint.
- Steaming softens paste with a hot plate held against the wall, which works well on thick, layered or painted paper and on plaster, but it can soften a drywall face if held too long.
- Dry peeling is the fastest route when the paper allows it, followed by soaking to lift any backing and paste.
- Enzyme-based and other removal products can speed up soaking, provided they're used as the label directs and rinsed off completely.
- Sanding is not a removal method: it clogs abrasives, gouges the wall and, in an older home, can release hazardous dust.
How professional wallpaper removal is done, from protecting the room to washing off paste
- Furniture moved out, floors covered with absorbent drop cloths over plastic, and baseboards protected from running water.
- Power to the room's outlets and switches shut off at the panel by the crew before cover plates come off and the walls get wet.
- A test patch in a discreet spot to see how the paper, paste and wall respond before committing to a method.
- Paper removed one section at a time, keeping the wall only as wet as the paper requires.
- Paste residue washed off and rinsed until the wall no longer feels slick or tacky.
- Walls left to dry completely before any patching, sanding or priming begins.
- Wet paper bagged as it comes off, since it's heavy and slippery underfoot.
Drywall damage after wallpaper removal: patching, skim coating or new drywall
When paper was hung on drywall that was never primed, the paste bonds to the drywall's paper face, and removal can peel that face away and expose the brown layer beneath. The torn area has to be sealed with a primer made for the purpose before any compound goes on; otherwise the moisture in the compound raises bubbles and fuzz. Gouges from scrapers and scoring tools are filled, and when a wall is covered in small tears and ridges, a full skim coat is usually faster and flatter than spot patching.
Where damage runs deeper, such as gypsum softened by too much water or patches that keep failing, replacing a section of drywall can make more sense than chasing it; the drywall repair page covers those repairs. Plaster walls react differently. Old plaster tolerates moisture better than drywall, but it may be cracked or loose, and removal can reveal hollow spots that need a plasterer's attention, as the plaster repair page describes.
Signs old wallpaper should come off rather than be painted over
- Seams lifting or curling, which would show as ridges through any paint.
- Bubbles or soft spots where the paste has already let go.
- Stains, dark patches or a musty smell, which can point to moisture or mould behind the paper and call for a professional to find the source.
- Heavy texture, embossing or several layers that paint won't disguise.
- Plans to hang new paper, since fresh paste can loosen an old layer beneath it.
- Paper in a bathroom or other steamy room, where painted-over paper tends to fail first.
Asbestos and lead under old wallpaper: test before steaming, scraping or sanding
The paper itself is rarely the hazard; the wall behind it can be. Paper hung decades ago may cover joint compound, patching and textured paint from an era when asbestos was still in use, and Health Canada notes that it was mainly used in homes before 1990, listing plaster, paint, drywall and spackling among the materials that may contain it. Removal is exactly when those surfaces get scraped, steamed and sanded.
Health Canada advises having a professional test for asbestos before renovating and hiring a qualified removal specialist if it's found, so sample the patching compound and texture in an older home before the steamer comes out. Lead is the second concern. Health Canada says a home built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint and warns against sanding it or using heat guns on it, and the painted walls under old paper are a likely place for it. The skim coating and sanding that follow removal make testing first all the more important.
Priming walls after wallpaper removal: sealing paste residue and torn drywall
Water-based paint rolled straight onto a wall that still carries traces of paste can crack, wrinkle or peel in patches, because the water in the paint reactivates the adhesive. That's why painters wash the wall thoroughly and then seal it with a primer suited to residue and patched surfaces, often an oil-based or shellac-based sealer or a product sold for this exact job, before any finish coat.
Once the primer is dry, the painter checks the walls under a raking light, since the paper hid flaws that paint will reveal, fixes what shows up and spot-primes the repairs. If new paper is going up instead of paint, a primer designed for wallcoverings is the better base, as the wallpaper installation page explains.
Wallpaper Removal: frequently asked questions
How long does wallpaper removal take?
It depends on the paper, the number of layers and the wall. Strippable paper in a small room can come off quickly, while painted-over or layered paper on unprimed drywall takes far longer, plus drying and repair time. A test patch gives the most reliable estimate.
Is it better to steam wallpaper or use a removal solution?
Try soaking first on sound drywall, since it's gentler. Steam earns its place on thick, layered or painted paper and on plaster. Either way, the wall should only get as wet as the paper requires.
Why is my wall bubbling after the wallpaper came off?
Usually because compound or paint went directly onto torn drywall paper, which soaks up moisture and lifts. The bubbles need to be cut away, the area sealed with a suitable primer, then patched again.
Does wallpaper removal damage plaster walls?
Plaster generally handles moisture better than drywall, but cracked or loose plaster can come away with the paper. Expect some patching, and have a plasterer look at hollow or crumbling areas.
Does wallpaper paste need to be removed before painting?
Yes. Wash the walls until they no longer feel slick or tacky, let them dry, and seal them with a primer suited to paste residue. Paint over leftover paste often cracks or peels.
Sources
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Reviewed by Zubair Afzal on September 10, 2026. How we write and check our guides