Have you been wanting to remove wall paper border in your home? I would love to share with you the tips I have learned!
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases
A bit of background if you are new to the blog: In 2001, my husband & I moved into the farmhouse I had grown up in. We had a modular home put in the back corner of the property for my parents to live in. My Mom lived there for 14 years and my Dad lived there until he passed away in September of 2017.
My Mom loved her wall paper border! She put wall paper border anywhere she could find a flat space to put it! If she wasn’t hanging wall paper border, she was putting contact paper where ever she couldn’t put wall paper border!
When I decided to put the property on the market so that my husband & I could move to Florida full time, I needed to learn how to remove the wall paper border. My first project was to tackle the entryway where my Mom had hung this lovely gingerbread themed wallpaper border in the early 2000s.
Let’s Give This Wall A Much Needed Makeover!
Once I learned how to remove the wall paper border, I tackled the border in the dining room of the farmhouse.
Refreshing The Farmhouse Dining Room Walls
Armed with the skills I learned tackling those two projects, I was ready to slay the wall paper border in the modular house!
Before
My Mom probably added the apple border a couple years after they moved into the house. By the time I decided to remove it, it had probably been in place at least twelve years. It was looking pretty tired.
I don’t recommend putting wall paper border near the sink or the range. The wall paper border in these two places took quite a beating from the water , heat and grease from cooking.
After Border was Removed
I had googled “how to remove wallpaper border” on the internet when I was getting ready to work on the farmhouse. I learned the most popular way seemed to be to add fabric softener to warm water in a spray bottle, spray the border , let it sit and then gently scrap.
Once again, I used this technique of mixing warm water and fabric softener in a spray bottle and applying it to the wall paper border. I let the fabric softener solution sit on the border for a few minutes and then I began scraping. This border came off a lot easier than the border in the entryway at the farmhouse. I didn’t end up gouging any holes in the walls this time!
After the walls & ceiling were painted
After all the wall paper border was removed, I painted the kitchen walls and ceiling. The kitchen looks so spacious!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. The opinions here are all my own. It helps me to continue to bring to you DIY and projects on my blog.
Please see my disclosure page for more information.
Christin says
We totally had fruit wall border in my house growing up too lol. Nostalgia is about all its good for haha
Kimberly Snyder says
Yes, I agree Christin! My Mom loved to put wall paper border every where! I am still trying to get some off of a piece of furniture!
Marie says
Oh my grandmother added a floral border in the kitchen! Sign of the times 😄 This will be so helpful for those looking to remove tired wallpaper!
Kimberly Snyder says
Thank you, Marie!
Danielle says
It does look so spacious! So much better!
Kimberly Snyder says
Thank you, Danielle!
Carol Karl says
It looks great. Wallpaper borders were such a thing! It’s funny to think of doing it now but I can remember wanting them so badly many years ago.
Kimberly Snyder says
They were quite popular! My Mom liked to use them everywhere!
Sydney says
My mom was a border queen too for a few years. We had it EVERYWHERE, though she would probably never admit that today!
Renee says
I am so afraid of putting up wallpaper or border forcfear of removing down the road
Kimberly Snyder says
I haven’t put up any myself but I think they have ones that are a lot easier to remove and to clean now!
Cara says
I chuckled, I gouged our walls a time or two when I was removing the wallpaper from our home too! I was so upset with myself, and then I realized it was an easier fix than I thought it was. Whew! Thank you for sharing your tips with Whimsy Home Wednesday Kim!
Kimberly Snyder says
You are so welcome! Love the Whimsy Home Wednesday!