Older Pittsburgh homes often have several layers of wallpaper on plaster, sometimes with paint over the top. Postwar homes have paper on drywall that was never primed. Each comes off differently. We test a corner, remove the paper and the paste, repair the wall and prime it so it is ready for paint.
Wallpaper has a long history in Pittsburgh houses. In a home from the early 1900s it is common to find three or four layers on the plaster, with a coat or two of paint over the top layer. Sometimes the paper was hung to hide cracked plaster, and it is doing part of the job of holding the surface together. Houses and additions from later decades have vinyl paper on drywall, often hung with no primer under it. We do not know which we have until we test.
So the first step is a test patch in a corner. It tells us how many layers there are and how hard they hold. Dry strippable paper may peel off in sheets. Older paper is scored, wetted with a remover or steamed, and scraped off a section at a time. Then comes the part people skip: washing off the paste. Paint over leftover paste will crackle and peel. Once the wall is clean and dry, we repair the damage, prime with the right sealer and paint.
The price depends on what the test shows, so we do not guess over the phone. Paper on bare drywall can pull the face off the board, and that wall then needs sealing and a skim coat. Plaster under old paper often needs crack repair. If painted paper in a house built before 1978 has to be scraped, we use lead-safe methods. Removal is wet, slow work, and a room usually takes longer to strip and repair than it does to paint.
Wallpaper removal in Pittsburgh: common questions
Can you just paint over the wallpaper?
It can be done when the paper is tight and removal would wreck the wall, but it is a second choice. Seams and texture can show through, and moisture from the paint can loosen the paper. We will tell you what your walls allow after a test.
Will taking the paper off ruin my plaster walls?
Sound plaster stands up to removal well. If the paper was covering cracks or loose spots, those will show once it is gone, and we repair them before priming. That repair is listed in the quote where we can see the need for it.
How long does it take to strip one room?
It depends on the layers and the wall under them. One layer of strippable paper can be off in a few hours. Several painted layers on plaster can take days, with repair time after that. The test patch gives us a fair idea.
How it works
- Free estimate: Call, text or book online. We walk the job and measure.
- Written quote: Prep, paint and price in writing.
- Prep & protect: We cover floors and furniture, repair and prime surfaces.
- Paint & walk-through: Two coats, clean lines, full clean-up and a final walk-through.