Remove Wallpaper Border

Wallpapers and wallpaper borders are usually used to accentuate the beauty of the interior walls. These are among the most popular materials used for wall decorations and are applied on the walls with the help of adhesives. With time, these borders get faded and spoil the looks of the room. You may decide to remove them and repaint the room or fix a new one. In case you don't have any knowledge about wallpaper border removal, you may end up spoiling the wallpaper or the paint finish underneath.

Removing wallpaper borders can be an easy task, if you know the right tricks. You must understand the specific type, before starting the process of its removal. While some types can be easily removed with little effort, others may need some patience, time and the right technique. You must prepare for this task by removing the wall hangings and nearby furniture. If the border is applied on wallpaper, then it will come off easily, but, those applied on other surfaces may make your task more tedious. If the wallpaper border is the 'strippable' type, you can peel it off without any difficulty. If it is directly applied on the wallpaper, then also it will get removed without much effort. But some adhesives can be stubborn and resist your efforts of peeling it.

How to Remove Wallpaper Borders

The best way is to identify the type of material and then adopt the right method. Start with easier methods, which are not fussy. If these methods fail, then try the difficult ones.

• In case of 'strippable' wallpaper, you have to loosen the edge with a knife and then peel it off at a low angle, in a gentle manner, so as to avoid any damage to the surface underneath. In some cases, only the top layer of the wallpaper border can be peeled off and the backing paper and adhesive have to be scraped later.
• Before starting with more fuzzier techniques, you may try applying some heat on the border. It can be done by using a hairdryer. After applying heat, loosen the edge with a wallpaper scraper or a putty knife and gently tug at the edge. If it is coming off, peel the whole thing or else try some other method.
• The third method to remove wallpaper border is by spraying some water over the edges and let it soak for some time. After some time, use a plastic scraper to lift the wallpaper border. If it has vinyl covering or any other water-resistant coating, scrape it first, before misting. You may also pull at the loosened edges. Don't use so much pressure, so that the surface beneath it is spoiled. In case of wallpaper applied on a painted surface, use warm water and commercially available wallpaper remover to soak it.
• If all the above said methods fail, you can use wallpaper steamer. You can either buy or rent such steamers, which steams the wallpaper border with a hose. You may also use a cloth steamer for this purpose. Beware of burns, which can be caused by the hot steam, while using the steamer.

In short, you have to find out the best method after identifying the type of the material and the surface underneath it. Once the wallpaper border is removed fully, clean the surfaces with sponge and water. Let it dry for a few days, before coating the wall with paint or applying a new wallpaper.