mellifera Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 I recently picked up a Contemporary Ranch at a great price (thanks Jodi!) and am planning on decorating it in midcentury modern style. My first step is to remove the wallpaper, but my usual method of spraying a water/vinegar mix seems likely to damage the mdf. Is my best bet to peel off the surface layer and use a thin layer of spackle to even out/add texture? Or is there another method I'm overlooking? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 Test a spot to see if it was primed first. If it was primed and a water based wallpaper paste was used, I wouldn’t anticipate a problem with the vinager solution. Do you have a steam mop? That might work too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 If you wet the surface of the wallpaper and wait for it to seep through to remove, at worst it'll just raise the fuzz of the mdf and once it's dry you can go ahead with your priming and spackling to smooth it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 Another option is to paper over the existing paper. Or, remove as much as you can and then repaper using a heavy stock (if you are printing your own papers) or applying the paper to a card stock and then installing it. When I had a wallpaper catastrophe in the Big T, after removing as much paper as I could and sanding to try to even the surface, I eventually printed my wallpapers onto a heavy watercolor paper (it had a card stock weight) and used that to cover the mess. Worked like a champ! The heavy stock hid the imperfections underneath. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Miniature Madness Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Hi Melissa, The MDF was primed with Kilz primer, so you should be A-Ok to use a water solution for removal. The wallpaper I used was Minigraphics and was applied with Grandmother Stover's, which is water based. I have found that once you let water soak in for several minutes, rubbing several times in one spot with your finger gets a nice run started which is then relatively easy to peel off. I have gone over dollhouse wallpaper with scrapbook paper in the past with great coverage results. Good luck, and please share some photos of your progress! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera Posted June 8, 2018 Author Share Posted June 8, 2018 Thanks you everyone. And thanks Jodi! I feel much more confident using a water solution knowing that the walls were primed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argh! Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Same issue but i want to paint the walls after the wallpaper and glue are removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I would give the thoroughly dry, sanded & wiped MDF wall a skim coat of spackle and when it's also thoroughly dry, sand it smooth, if you're going to paint it; only I won't willingly/ knowingly mess with MDF if I can help it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Williams Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 I used fabric softener and water to remove my wallpaper and it worked like a charm! Thankfully my mom had primed the walls first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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