The short answer
We strip wallpaper, borders and painted-over paper from North Miami homes and condos, then clean off adhesive and repair the walls. The result is a smooth, primed surface ready for paint or a new wallcovering.
Taking wallpaper down in North Miami often means peeling back layers of history. A ranch house might have a kitchen border from one owner, a painted-over floral from another and a vinyl in the bathroom that has started to separate at every seam. A condo might have builder-applied paper glued straight to unprimed drywall. We remove all of it. Our crew drives about 9 miles east from Hialeah to strip wallpaper in 33160, 33161, 33168 and 33181, and we leave the surface washed, repaired and primed, ready for whatever comes next.
What we usually find
Every removal job reveals something. In older North Miami houses built with concrete block, we often find plaster beneath the paper, sometimes with a second or third layer of older wallpaper underneath. In condos, we tend to find drywall that was never primed before the paper went up, which makes removal slower because the adhesive is bonded to the drywall's paper face.
Bathrooms are a frequent source of trouble. Humidity from showers, combined with the coastal air in this area, can break down old paste unevenly so that some sections fall off while others refuse to move.
- Multiple layers on plaster in older houses
- Paper on unprimed drywall in condos
- Kitchen and bath borders over glossy paint
- Wallpaper that has been painted one or more times
- Vinyl with the face peeled but backing still attached
How we take it down
Floors are covered with drop cloths over plastic. Outlets and switches on the wall are protected or turned off. Then we test a hidden spot to learn how the paper releases.
Strippable papers come off dry. Vinyl faces peel, leaving a backing we soak and scrape. Painted or stubborn papers get lightly scored, then treated with removal solution or gel and allowed to soften. On plaster we may use steam to speed up multilayer jobs. On drywall we use as little water as possible to protect the surface. Wide, flexible scrapers held low help avoid gouges.
Removing every trace of paste
Once the paper is off, the wall still holds a film of adhesive. If paint goes on top of it, the paint can crackle, peel or dry with a blotchy sheen. If new wallpaper goes on top, the old paste can reactivate and cause bubbles. We wash the walls with warm water and a residue remover, rinse and repeat until the surface no longer feels tacky. Then the walls must dry thoroughly, which in a humid coastal home can take longer than you would expect. We check with a moisture meter before moving on.
Surface repairs
Removal reveals damage that the paper was hiding: torn drywall facing, nail holes, hairline cracks in plaster, or a ridge where a border used to sit. Torn drywall paper is sealed with a stain-blocking primer before patching, since joint compound applied straight onto it will bubble. Cracks are filled, ridges are skimmed and the wall is sanded smooth.
We finish with the primer that fits your next step. A paint primer if the wall will be painted, a wallpaper primer if new paper is going up. Both make the wall uniform and ready.
Condo logistics and timing
If you live in a condo, let us know the building's rules for contractor access, service elevator use and trash disposal. Removal produces bags of wet paper, and we carry it out ourselves.
Drying time drives the schedule. During the wet season from May through October, walls dry more slowly, so some jobs run into a second day. In the drier winter months, things move faster. When a tropical storm or hurricane is forecast, we hold off rather than leave damp walls in a home that may lose its AC.
We also remove wallpaper in Opa-locka, Miami Gardens, Miami, Miami Springs and Miami Lakes.
More services in North Miami
- Wallpaper Installation in North Miami
- Accent Wall Installation in North Miami
- Mural Installation in North Miami
- Grasscloth Wallpaper Installation in North Miami
