How To Remove Wallpaper Border in an RV
If you’ve been itching to ditch that outdated wallpaper border in your RV then I’ll show you exactly how to remove wallpaper border in your RV! I recently did a makeover on our entire camper and it turned out AMAZING! (See our finished RV makeover here). The first step was to remove that outdated wallpaper border before we painted. I’ll show you how!
*UPDATE* I have since discovered an even BETTER and faster way to remove the wallpaper border without any elbow grease needed! Go here to read how to remove wallpaper border fast and easy!
How To Remove Wallpaper Border in an RV
The first thing I want to be sure to note is that there is a HUGE difference in removing the wallpaper border in your RV and removing the wallpaper itself. You should not attempt to remove all of the wallpaper. The walls are made of wood and the textured wallpaper is glued on to them. It should NOT be removed. Instead, you can paint over it (I’ll show you how later this week). However, before you paint, you’ll need to remove the wallpaper border so you don’t have that bump in your paint.
RV Makeover
Whether you plan on doing an RV makeover on the entire inside of your camper, or you just want to remove the outdated wallpaper border to spruce up the look, this post will show you exactly what you need to do. Our RV makeover has been so much fun and simply removing the ugly wallpaper border created a big difference.
Our wallpaper border ran on the walls in the master bedroom and the living room. I removed both. First, let’s get started with the supplies you’ll need:
- Blow dryer
- Goo Gone
- Paint scraper
- Sponge or rag
Begin in a spot on the end that is starting to peel up if you have one. If you don’t have one then use the blow dryer and paint scraper to get an edge started. Now using the blow dryer, if necessary, slowly start pulling up the wallpaper border.
Ours came off no problem for my husband but it did take a little muscle. After the wallpaper border is removed there will likely be adhesive residue behind it. We attempted to paint over the adhesive that we weren’t able to remove and I wouldn’t advise that, as the paint reacted with the adhesive and created a crackled paint look.
To remove the adhesive spray it with Goo Gone Gel, allow it to sit for a bit and scrub it off with a sponge or rag. Repeat this process until all the adhesive is gone. You can also wash the walls with TSP cleaner or Krud Kutter afterward to help remove the sticky residue.
If these methods don’t successfully remove all of the adhesive, then you can use sandpaper to lightly sand the walls and remove the adhesive.
Now you can leave it as is, or you can paint it! I’ll show you how to paint the walls in your RV later this week so stay tuned! I’ll also share how to remove an RV valance from the window. You can recover them or leave them off altogether like we did! I’ll be showing you my entire RV makeover and I can’t wait to reveal it!
Need more inspiration for your camper makeover? Check out the modern mountain fifth wheel camper makeover we did or this Bohemian farmhouse style RV makeover!
Pin the Wallpaper Border Removal Pic Below:
Do not use a blow dryer. It will shrink and loosen wallpaper from the wood
Ok we have a 94 rv. The wallpaper is bubble up around windows etc. Like it shrank. How do i repair it or take off and replace or ehrte do I go for information?
Curious I keep being told don’t paint it ,it will peel and look awfully bad please help me find a solution to this answer do u have to take wall paper off or can u lightly sand it and paint
Lightly sand walls. Clean with vinegar/water/dawn. Use tack cloth to wipe walls down. Use Gripper indoor/outdoor primer by Glidden. Then paint.
Lighter fluid work wonders on anything with a sticker adhesive. I use it to remove price stickers, labels etc. I’ve used it on paper, plastic, glass etc. Never leaves a residue and the odor dissipates in a few minutes. We got our camper a few weeks back and yes I will be using lighter fluid to remove the wallpaper border. Reminder: use ventilation (open all windows) when using on a project this larger.
Interesting tip! I’m not sure I’d be too keen on putting lighter fluid on my camper walls though.
Border came off over the counter etc. But not in the push out. Ended up tearing the wallpaper down to the wood. On some places the wood splintered. Real mess. Proceeded to put on sticly back floor tile. Kept coming off. Then glued them as they fell off. Now we are using a construction glue and guess what they are still coming off. Don’t know where to go from here.
Oh no! It sounds like you have a mess on your hands. I wouldn’t have recommended removing it down to the wood as it’s supposed to stay on. The floor tile may be too heavy to go on the wall. Perhaps try the lightweight wall tiles like these: https://amzn.to/2KIIUaj Good luck with your reno and I’m sorry to hear you ran into issues!
There is a product call Liquid Nails that will work for your adhesive on the walls. You should be able to find it at your local hardware store. https://www.lowes.com/pd/LIQUID-NAILS-Projects-Off-white-Interior-Multi-purpose-Construction-Adhesive-Actual-Net-Contents-10-fl-oz/3014660?cm_mmc=SCE_BINGPLA_ONLY-_-Paint-_-ConstructionAdhesives-_-3014660:LIQUID_NAILS&CAWELAID=&kpid=3014660&CAGPSPN=pla{ifdyn:dyn}&k_clickID=8c7c7dab-d611-4166-9db7-0e5c3b1edfd0&msclkid=463ad4d2c4721458c0858f84c815061b
How can you repair a hole in wall where chair hit it (small hole) ? Can you do like mud and tape like on drywall ?
Since RV walls are made from wood and not drywall I would say you should probably look at using putty to fill it in if it’s just a small hole. We’ve used putty to fill in holes in the wall and it works well. Make sure you get paintable putty so you can paint over it to match the wall color.
What if it’s a larger hole like 5x 7 inch
I would recommend replacing the panel and painting if you are remodeling. Otherwise, you could use the mesh patch tape over the hole and then fill with a flexible putty and paint.
I’ve been removing the border today, and a chunk of actual wallpaper came over with it. What do you recommend for doing to make sure the paint will still look good? Anything? Also, we had a leak before that is now fixed but when I pulled the border the paper came with that section too and the wood isnt smooth. Should we get a wood puddy?
Thanks!
Hi Courtney, I would just sand down any edges where that piece of wallpaper came up. Make it all smooth so it is less noticeable. If it is a big divet then I would use a paintable putty to fill it in and sand it to blend in. Good luck with your project!
Hi there! I did the same job and removed the delightful wallpaper border in my 2005 5th wheeler rig and had no problem whatsoever. Instead of using a hair dryer, I used a handheld garment steamer. The device steams the border, moistening it for easy removal. All I did was wipe up the steam / water and then apply some product to remove the glue. All good
Lynda C from downunder!
Great tip thanks for sharing!
To remove the wallpaper’s glue, press the steamer against it. Do not oversteam drywall if you have it. Use a putty knife to scrape off the wallpaper.