The stage most people skip, why old adhesive stops anything else sticking, and the dry-hand test that tells you when a wall is genuinely clean
Wash the wall with warm water and sugar soap, or a weak solution of wallpaper stripper, working in sections and changing the water as soon as it turns cloudy. Rinse with clean water and let it dry. Then run a dry hand over it. Anywhere still tacky, shiny or slippery has glue on it and needs another wash.
This is the stage people skip because the wall looks finished. It is also the stage that decides whether the next wallpaper stays up.
Why it has to come off
Old wallpaper adhesive is water-soluble and dries to a hard, glassy film. Three things follow:
New paste will not bond to it. You get lengths lifting within a fortnight, with the paste still on the back of the paper.
Paint will not sit on it either. It causes patchy sheen, crazing and peeling, so this matters just as much if you are painting instead.
It reactivates. Put wet paste onto old glue and it softens, so the whole wall becomes a slippery layer that nothing grips.
How to do it
Let the stripped wall dry first, or you will just be moving wet paste around.
Mix warm water with sugar soap, following the pack, or a weak wallpaper stripper solution.
Work in sections of about a square metre with a sponge or cloth, not too wet.
Let it soften for a minute, then wipe with a moderate amount of pressure.
Change the water often, as soon as it goes cloudy, which will be sooner than you expect. Washing with glue-laden water simply spreads it.
Use a broad scraper on thicker deposits, held flat, while the area is still damp.
Rinse the whole wall with clean water and a clean cloth.
Let it dry completely.
The dry-hand test
Once the wall is fully dry, run a dry palm slowly across it.
Tacky means glue.
Shiny or slick patches in raking light mean glue.
Squeaky and uniform means clean.
The whole wall should feel the same everywhere. Uneven patches are exactly where the next paper will lift.
Stubborn residue
Wet it and leave it longer. Most stubborn glue is glue that has not been given time to dissolve.
Use a stronger stripper solution rather than more scrubbing.
Try a plastic scraper held flat, so you do not gouge the plaster.
Avoid abrasives. Sanding glue tends to burnish it into the wall rather than remove it.
Then make good
Fill gouges, torn plasterboard and old fixing holes; sand flush.
Let the wall dry thoroughly, because a wall that has been soaked or steamed holds more moisture than it looks. A steamed wall needs several days.
Seal patchy, chalky or repaired areas with a mist coat of watered-down matt emulsion.
Do I have to remove wallpaper glue before hanging new paper?
Yes. New paste will not bond to old adhesive, and the paper will lift.
Do I have to remove it before painting?
Yes. Paint over old glue crazes, peels and dries to a patchy sheen.
What is the best thing to remove wallpaper glue?
Warm water with sugar soap, or a weak wallpaper stripper solution. Time does more than pressure.
How do I know when all the glue is off?
Let the wall dry and run a dry hand over it. Tacky or shiny areas still have glue.
Can I sand it off?
No. Sanding burnishes it into the surface. Wash it off wet.
How long should the wall dry afterwards?
At least a day or two, and longer if the wall was steamed or heavily soaked.
I love how everything turned out and the price point was great. It was a bit challenging to piece together. Being from the USA, it was kind of a challenge to convert all the measurements to figure out how many rolls I needed and then where to cut the rolls to line up the images based on the design repetition. Luckily, I had plenty of wallpaper to work with on the roll.
Absolutely beautiful design and texture. Got the heavy duty wallpaper and put it up without any previous wallpaper experience and it went up very easily and beautifully. Definitely recommend.
Extremely helpful and supportive when I needed advice on measurements, with fast delivery too. The quality of the wallpaper is excellent, and I’m really pleased with the overall service. Highly recommended!
Gorgeous wallpaper, but the measuring option on the website left us short by 1 roll. Had to order another one but when it came the colour match was perfect. Thankfully I wasn’t paying for a decorator, otherwise would have been disappointed in having to pay for them to return. Otherwise great quality wallpaper and design compared to other similar products available.
First purchase from claret and key and truly impressed. Beautiful quality wallpaper. Pretty yet not too fussy. Easy to hang, cut and match. Would work in any room
Good tracking and delivery service too.
Definitely recommend and would reuse for future projects.
Everything went really good. Apart from the quality of the wallpaper which is fantastic, the staff were exemplary in their communications, friendliness and professionalism. They really did go the extra mile to help me.
A great experience all round.
Thank you.
Patrick
Lovely pattern and paper quality.
However, I wish that I had paid more attention to the roll width measurement.
For some strange reason your paper is narrower than a standard roll. This caused me a great deal of problems when papering my lobby, a small area but that made it more difficult because I was left with a narrow space to fill on 3 walls with a very long drop.
Although I love the paper I probably wouldn't use it again just for this reason.
Why you would produce paper not of a standard width is for you to know and me to wonder but it has made my small project very difficult.
Used this paper to make a dark study cosier. Absolutely loved the colour - the background is a perfect match to our existing panelling painted in Farrow and Ball Old White. First time using paste the wall and it was a revelation so easy and much less mess. Quality of the paper is great but noted the rolls are slightly narrower than most wallpapers. Loved the pattern match which meant little waste what we had left we used to recover some old box files which was easy. I thoroughly recommend.
Great quality wallpaper! The print is beautiful, the wallpaper is thick, and fairly easy to install. Our small area took about an hour and a half because we had a lot of of awkward cuts.
Will definitely be using this brand again!
The paper was just hung and we are thrilled.
The quality of the paper, ease of working with it, (per the paper hangers), your customer service, all were exceptional. We will be ordering again. Thank you!!
Fabulous wallpaper and excellent customer service. This Bronte wallpaper has given my kitchen a new lease of life. Will definitely buy from here again.
