Wallpaper Removal on San Juan Island
The paper comes off in an afternoon. The glue is what takes the time.
- Licensed & bonded
- WA L&I #SANJUJI741OT
- Insured
- Locally owned in Friday Harbor
A lot of island houses still have wallpaper from the eighties and nineties: floral bathrooms, borders along the top of the kitchen, grasscloth in the hallway. Taking it down is a satisfying job, but it goes wrong if it's rushed.
Old paper was often hung right onto unprimed drywall, which means pulling it off can tear the drywall's paper face with it. I score and soak the paper, take it down in layers, and then wash every bit of adhesive off the wall. Glue left on the wall is the reason paint cracks and peels later.
Once the paper's gone, the walls almost always need some repair: torn drywall face gets sealed with a shellac-based primer before patching, gouges get filled, and sometimes the whole wall needs a skim coat to get smooth. Then it's primed, and ready for paint.
Bathrooms are the most common room for this, and the steam over the years makes the paper both easier and messier to remove. Expect a bathroom to take a day or two including repairs.
What’s included
- Protecting floors and fixtures
- Scoring, soaking, and stripping paper and borders
- Washing all adhesive off the walls
- Sealing torn drywall face before repair
- Patching and skim coating as needed
- Priming walls so they're ready for paint
- Hauling the debris away
What it costs
Billed on the standard $250 minimum visit, which covers up to two hours, then $85/hour in quarter-hour increments. Materials at cost plus pickup. Washington sales tax applies to the total. Full rate card. A small bathroom is usually one to two days with repairs.
Combine it with interior painting and the room is done in one job.
Full rate cardCommon questions
Can you paint over wallpaper instead?
You can, but it often shows seams and can bubble later. Taking it off is almost always the better job.
What if there's paper under paper?
Common. It just takes more time. I'll tell you once I see how many layers there are.
Is old wallpaper glue a hazard?
Regular wallpaper paste isn't. If the wall itself might have asbestos in old texture or joint compound, it needs testing before sanding. I'll flag it if I see a reason.
Next step
Want this off your list?
Call (360) 317-0203 or send the details and I’ll tell you what it takes.
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