Drywall & Wallpaper in Indianapolis
Wallpaper removal in Indianapolis
Border from the 1990s, vinyl in the bathroom, or three layers in a pre-war dining room. The paper is the easy part; the glue and the wall underneath decide whether the new paint looks right.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Glue washed off, not painted over
- Walls repaired and primed
Quick answer
Wallpaper removal in Indianapolis means scoring or peeling the face, steaming or soaking the backing, scraping it off without gouging the wall, then washing every trace of adhesive before priming. Glue left behind cracks and flakes under paint, so the wash step matters as much as the removal.
What the job involves
What decides how long removal takes
Updated September 2026
Three things: what the paper is, what it was hung on, and whether anyone primed the wall first. Strippable vinyl on primed drywall comes off in sheets in an afternoon. Paper hung on bare, unprimed drywall bonds to the paper face of the board and has to be removed slowly, with repair afterward. On plaster, paper usually comes off cleanly and the plaster underneath needs only patching.
After removal we wash the walls, repair gouges and torn drywall paper with a sealing primer and skim, and prime so the wall is ready for paint or new paper; see interior painting and wallpaper installation.
What is included
What wallpaper removal includes
- A test corner to choose the removal route
- Floors, outlets and switches protected
- Paper scored, steamed or soaked and scraped flat
- Every wall washed free of paste and tested
- Gouges and torn drywall paper sealed and skimmed
- Walls primed with a sealing primer where paste remains
- Waste bagged and removed daily
What moves the price
What moves the price of wallpaper removal
No sourced market figure is quoted here; removal is priced by wall area and how the paper was hung.
- Wall area Measured square footage, including stairwells and high walls.
- Paper type Strippable vinyl is quick; traditional paper and grasscloth take longer.
- Layers Several layers mean several passes of steam and scraping.
- What is underneath Unprimed drywall tears and needs repair; plaster usually needs patching only.
- Painted-over paper Scoring, longer steaming or a seal-and-skim route.
- Glue removal Every wall is washed; stubborn paste gets a sealing primer.
- Repaint Removal is usually paired with priming and painting the room.
Variations of this job
The wallpaper removal jobs we get called for
Steam removal of vinyl and paper
Vinyl-faced papers usually peel dry, leaving a paper backing on the wall that is soaked or steamed and scraped. Traditional paper is scored lightly so water can reach the paste, then steamed a section at a time and scraped with a wide blade held flat so it does not dig in. We work top to bottom, keep the floor covered because wet paste drips, and bag the waste as we go. Outlets and switches are covered and the power to wet walls is kept in mind throughout.
Glue residue wash-down
Wallpaper paste left on the wall looks invisible when dry and ruins the paint over it: latex paint over paste cracks into a fine web as it dries, sometimes weeks later. We wash every stripped wall with warm water and a paste remover, rinse, and check by wetting a test patch to see whether it turns slick. Anything that stays slick gets washed again. On walls where the paste cannot be fully removed, an oil-based or shellac primer seals it before paint.
Painted-over wallpaper
Paper that has been painted over is the hardest case, because the paint keeps water from reaching the paste. We score through the paint, apply a removal solution, and steam longer, or, where the paper is well bonded and the seams are tight, we seal it with an oil primer and skim coat over it rather than tear the wall apart. We test a corner first to decide which route damages the wall less, and on drywall that was never primed the seal-and-skim route is usually the safer one.
Border removal
Borders are usually a narrow strip of vinyl over a larger band of paste, often hung over paint rather than primer. They come off with steam and scraping in a short time, but the paint under them is a different color and sheen from the rest of the wall, and the paste leaves a visible band. The band is washed, spot-primed and the whole wall repainted so no stripe shows. A border removal is almost always paired with a room repaint.
Local context
How this work runs around Indianapolis
Irvington Terrace and the older blocks of Irvington were built largely between the 1910s and the 1950s in Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles, and houses of that age are usually plaster inside, often with several layers of paper from different decades. Plaster tolerates steam far better than drywall, so removal there is slow because of the layers, not because of damage; the plaster patching afterward is where most of the time goes.
From your call to the final walk-through
How a wallpaper removal runs
- 01
Call and describe the paper
Rooms, rough size, and whether it is painted over or layered.
- 02
Visit and test corner
We test how the paper releases and what is underneath.
- 03
Written scope
Removal route, repairs, and priming or painting after.
- 04
Protect
Floors covered, outlets covered, furniture moved.
- 05
Remove
Score, steam or soak, scrape, bag the waste.
- 06
Wash and repair
Paste washed off, gouges and torn drywall repaired.
- 07
Prime
Walls primed and ready for paint or new paper.
Paper off, paste washed, walls primed and ready
Call (317) 680-1946Doing it yourself vs. calling us
Stripping wallpaper yourself versus calling us
| Step | Doing it yourself | When we do it |
|---|---|---|
| Removal | Rented steamer and a putty knife | Scored, steamed and scraped flat without gouging |
| Glue | Painted over once it looks clean | Washed until a wet test patch is no longer slick |
| Damage | Torn drywall painted over | Sealed with primer and skimmed before paint |
A strippable border is a fine DIY afternoon. Painted-over paper, multiple layers and paper on unprimed drywall are where walls get damaged.
FAQ
Questions we hear on this job
Sometimes, if it is tightly bonded, sealed with an oil primer and skimmed. Removal is usually better.
Paste left on the wall. It has to be washed off or sealed before latex paint.
Paper on unprimed drywall can tear the face; we repair it before paint.
Strippable paper takes a day; layered or painted-over paper can take several.
Yes. It usually peels, leaving a backing that is soaked and scraped.
Yes; see wallpaper installation.
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Wallpaper Installation in IndianapolisReady when you are
Describe the paper and we will set the visit
Tell us the rooms and whether the paper is painted over or layered, and we will book the visit on the call, any hour.
Faber Paint & Blinds service office
3053 Stillcrest Ln, Indianapolis, IN 46217