Prepare the area by moving furniture from the room or at least moving it to the middle. Cover furniture and flooring at the bottom of the wall because the glue from the wallpaper is very sticky and can be difficult to remove once on fabric or carpet.

Start by scoring the wallpaper. Remember, you don’t want to damage the wall underneath so it is ideal to invest in a special scoring tool that properly perforates the wallpaper before steaming and stripping.

Select the wallpaper steamer, then apply steamer to the wallpaper and slowly pull the paper to remove it from the wall. If your wallpaper is old, one swipe might be all you need for removal, because older adhesives can be more susceptible to moisture. Newer wallpaper has better glue technology and might be more difficult and require additional scoring and steam application.

After you remove a piece of wallpaper, it is a good idea to take a damp, warm rag and gently wipe the area to remove excess glue that might remain on the wall. If the glue begins to harden, simply soften it with a quick swipe of your steamer.

Once dry, examine any dents or damages that have affected the wall. This is the time to repair any damaged areas to ensure the best-looking results. Use putty or plaster on any larger holes and consider priming the entire wall prior to painting. Once the wall is clean and smooth, you can start priming and painting.