Living Room Renovation Vol.5: Wallpaper Removal

Hi there u2014 DIY Dad here! Continuing the first-floor living room renovation. Next up: stripping all the old wallpaper from the walls and ceiling. The tool for this job is a wide scraper u2014 same as the entryway. Just keep scraping, one section at a time.

Just getting started. The living room is more than twice the area of the entryway, so I was bracing for the work to take at least twice as long u2014 but it went surprisingly fast. Looks like DIY Dad is getting the hang of stripping wallpaper!

2026 Update u2014 The Big Picture of the Living Room Renovation

The living room was by far the most involved part of the whole renovation u2014 wallpaper removal, substrate prep, roof leak repair, ceiling reinforcement… Honestly, there were moments where I thought: how can there possibly be this much to do?

Start by Removing Everything Attached to the Walls

The first rule of any wallpaper replacement job is to strip everything off the walls before you start u2014 switch and outlet covers, light fixtures, curtain rails, all of it. Try to work around them and the finished result will look terrible, guaranteed.

A common beginner mistake is attempting to replace wallpaper while leaving switch plates in place. The paper bunches up around the edges, or tears. Thinking like an engineer: complete the prep stage fully before moving to the main stage.

Removing Outlet Covers u2014 What to Watch For

Turn off the breaker first u2014 that’s non-negotiable. Then it’s just a matter of unscrewing the plate with a screwdriver. Do not touch the wires themselves. In older buildings you may find a green or yellow-green ground wire attached; that just unscrews from its terminal the same way. If you plan to reuse intercom wiring for a new unit, photograph exactly which wire connects where before disconnecting anything. DIY Dad takes a phone photo every single time.

Floor Protection u2014 More Is More

Scratching the floor during wallpaper work means a repair job on top of a repair job. Lay masking film across the entire floor and secure it with tape u2014 no gaps. Then if putty or adhesive drops, it peels right off when you’re done.

“It’s just floor protection, how bad can it be?” u2014 skip it and you’ll spend an hour chiseling hardened putty off the floor. For a first-time project especially, protect the floor like you mean it.

Tips for Stripping Wallpaper

Insert a wide scraper blade parallel to the wall surface and work it under the paper slowly. Ripping it off by force pulls the drywall face paper away with it u2014 handle with care. If the paper is stubborn, dampen it lightly with a sponge or spray bottle. Go too wet and the gypsum board soaks up the water and becomes fragile u2014 find the balance.

One thing DIY Dad noticed: older wallpaper tends to come away more easily than newer paper, which is typically bonded more aggressively to the substrate.

Wall Substrate Prep (Puttying) Makes or Breaks the Finish

After stripping the wallpaper the wall surface will have screw holes, seams, and various bumps. Fill them with joint compound until flat, then hang new paper. Skip this and every imperfection shows through the new wallpaper. Nine times out of ten, a bad-looking wallpaper job traces back to skimped substrate prep.

Apply mesh tape over any holes, skim compound over the tape, let dry, and sand smooth.

Originally published: November 11, 2016 (old Seesaa blog) | Rewritten: May 7, 2026

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