Things got steamy in the foyer. As a quick refresher: we have five rooms covered in wallpaper and we’re testing five different removal methods to see what works best. For our first attempt we used hot water in a spray bottle, which actually worked pretty well. This week’s Wallpaper Exposé focused on the foyer and a borrowed clothes steamer.
Before we began, a moment of silence for the small blue flowers that were about to go.
This first area of the foyer was tackled with a two-person routine: John ran the steamer across a section of wall, and I followed immediately behind, peeling the paper as it was steamed. Overall it worked well. Some areas left backing behind and needed a second pass, but the steamer removed slightly more backing than the spray bottle method did—maybe around 10% more—which made the job a little easier and about 10% faster.
That said, when you factor in the cost of buying or renting a steamer, the advantage is marginal. If you already own one or can borrow it, it’s handy; if you need to spend $20–$50, you’ll have to decide whether that small time savings is worth it. Paper type and application method also make a difference—some people swear a steamer makes the job two minutes, while other papers resist no matter what.
We did run into an issue reaching the tops of the walls. The clothes steamer’s hose wasn’t long enough to rest the unit on the floor while steaming high areas, so John had to hold the hose overhead for extended stretches. If you plan to do ceilings or tall walls, rent or buy a proper wallpaper steamer rather than a clothes steamer; the longer hose and larger tank make a big difference.
About halfway through we switched techniques: instead of steaming a whole area and then peeling, I peeled directly as John steamed right behind me. That method was excellent. In most cases it removed both the decorative paper and the backing in a single pass, leaving the wall bare and smooth. The extra effectiveness likely came from peeling while the paper was hottest, rather than letting it cool before attempting removal.
Another benefit of the steam-and-peel approach is that one person can handle it solo. If you’re working alone, you can comfortably steam and peel without a second helper.
We estimated this faster-peeling method to be roughly 30% quicker and easier than the hot-water spray approach, though the foyer is larger than a bathroom so the overall process still took a while. Then we hit a frustrating surprise: layered wallpaper.
For some reason, the entire section along the front door had two identical layers of wallpaper. That meant we essentially had to repeat the process on that wall, which added time and a bit of whining. We suspect whoever installed it did a second pass to correct alignment issues, but there’s no way to know for sure.
We also had one spot where the paper was glued much more aggressively, and removing it pulled the top layer of drywall off in a small area. It’s not pretty, but it’s fixable: a skim coat of spackle and a careful sanding should restore a smooth surface.
Once all the paper was off, I wiped the walls with a spray bottle of half vinegar and half water (room temperature) and used the rough side of a sponge to remove any remaining adhesive. Most of the glue came off with the backing, but a few tacky spots cleaned up well with this final scrub, so it’s a worthwhile finishing step.
So that’s how we steamed the wallpaper off the foyer—mostly successful, with a few lessons learned: steam while you peel when possible, use a proper wallpaper steamer for high areas, expect surprises like double layers, and finish with a vinegar-and-water wipe to remove residue. We haven’t needed to score the paper or use a spackle knife for removal so far—hand pulling has worked, which is a nice plus.
For reference, the closet and bathroom doors were removed in preparation for painting; we’re partway through changing blue trim to white, which has required multiple coats. Has anyone else tried steaming wallpaper this way? Did you peel as you steamed or steam a section and come back to it? We’d love to hear other tips and tricks.