BIO: This is a guest post on behalf of national tool and equipment hire supplier HSS Hire who specialize in DIY equipment including Wallpaper strippers.

Doing your own decorating is a great way to save money and can be a good household bonding experience too. But unless you do it right you can make mistakes that are expensive to correct, and create more discord than harmony.

It is probable that one of your first steps will be to strip away existing wallpaper. Although some choose just to paper over it, this is usually a bad idea, because new coverings stick less well to old wallpaper than to the basic wall surface.

Preparation is the key!
Don’t neglect to cover up the carpet and anything else in need of protection, and tape your covers in place. You should also cut off the electricity to the room, and tape covers over all electrical outlets. Gather together all the equipment you’ll need before you begin.

Check what your wall is made out of
Most walls are either ‘drywall’ (this is made out of a soft kind of plaster called gypsum sandwiched between paper layers) or plaster that has been laid over a wooden or metal mesh. You can tell by feel which one you have. Plaster feels cooler to the touch, and is smoother and harder. If in doubt, try tapping it. Drywall sounds more hollow.

You need to be particularly careful when stripping wallpaper off drywall, because as the name suggests, it is particularly susceptible to water damage.

Check what kind of wallpaper you’re dealing with
Some more modern wallpapers are dry-strippable. These are much easier to deal with. To see whether this applies to yours, get a putty knife and carefully ease off one corner. If it peels then you’re dealing with dry-strippable wallpaper. If that’s the case, you shouldn’t need any further tips – just remove the wallpaper carefully from the wall. If not, you’ll have a harder time of it.

Using a stripping solution
This is the traditional method of wallpaper removal, and perhaps the messiest and most time-consuming, though the good news is that it doesn’t require any expensive special equipment.

First either score or sand your wallpaper to help the water soak through, then fill a bucket with very hot water and stripping solution – there are lots of alternatives for this including vinegar and unscented fabric softener as well as products sold specifically for the purpose of wallpaper stripping.

Use a sponge, roller or large brush to soak small sections of wallpaper at a time. The key is never to soak more than you can remove in about ten to fifteen minutes. Let it soak for a few minutes then start stripping, using a plastic putty knife. Don’t neglect to wash away the residue once you’re done.

Using a steamer
You can make your life much easier by renting a steamer. The process for removing wallpaper with a steamer is very similar to using a stripping solution, but instead of painting anything on, you just have to hold the steamer against the section you want to remove.

Here is an interesting video about uploaded by Kulppainting about how to remove wallpaper. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb7_lOmdSjQ

BIO: This is a guest post on behalf of national tool and equipment hire supplier HSS Hire who specialize in DIY equipment including Wallpaper strippers.

Image reference: http://www.flickr.com/photos/varresa/1127789331/sizes/m/in/photostream/