Follow the lead of professionals: Remove old wallcoverings. This will provide you with a ìfreshî surface over which to hang your new wallcovering.
Fabric backed and other strippable wallcoverings can simply be carefully pulled from the walls. Try pulling a corner of the strip at the baseboard and gently tug until the entire strip peels off.
Many solid vinyl wallcoverings are peelable which means the decorative overlay will strip off and the paper backing remains on the wall. For best results, we recommend removing the paper backing. This can be easily accomplished by wetting the surface with DIF remover and scraping off with a broad knife.
Special tools and products are available to help when removing non-strippable wallcoverings. Liquid wallpaper removers such as DIF concentrate or DIF Gel Wallpaper Stripper are applied to the wallcoveringís surface with either a roller or sprayer and allowed to soak. (Be sure to turn off electrical current in the room and cover electrical outlets with tape. Also, use a drop cloth or towels to protect floors from moisture.) Scoring the surface of the wallcovering with a special tool such as a PAPER TIGER will speed the penetration of the liquid remover. (Caution, use only light pressure to avoid wall damage.)
When the wallcovering is sufficiently loosened, it can be removed with a broad knife or wallpaper scraper. Paste residue should be washed off using additional DIF Wallpaper stripper followed by a thorough rinsing of clean water.
If you encounter mildewña fungus growth of various colors found in moist, dark areas such as bathrooms, basements and closetsñit must be removed before hanging new wallcoverings. Wash discolored areas with solution of equal parts household bleach and water until the discoloration is eliminated. Rinse and allow to dry.
TIP: Always resize wall after removing old wallcovering using Uniprep 100% Acrylic Wallcovering Prepcoat.