Wallpaper removal and repainting · Kelowna, BC
Wallpaper Removal and Repainting in Kelowna
Peeling back one loose seam makes wallpaper removal look like an afternoon job, right up until the paper tears away with a strip of drywall attached. Pacific Painting Kelowna removes wallpaper and borders, repairs the wall underneath and repaints it, all with one crew. In more than 15 years of painting Okanagan homes, dated wallpaper is one of the things we find most often in houses built through the 1980s and 1990s.
We strip floral bathrooms, vinyl-coated kitchens, grasscloth feature walls, and the borders that once ran around so many dining rooms and bedrooms. Our clients are homeowners updating a house they just bought, sellers getting ready to list, and landlords whose rentals still carry a previous owner's taste. Some walls come clean in a few hours, while others hide two or three layers, painted-over paper or paste stuck straight to bare drywall.
Before we quote, we test a small area to see how the paper and paste release, so your price reflects the wall you actually have. We are licensed, insured and covered by WorkSafeBC, and the repainting carries our written 1-year labour warranty. We work across Kelowna, West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation lands and Lake Country, in lived-in homes and empty ones alike.
Why Wallpaper Removal Damages Walls
Wallpaper itself is rarely the problem. The damage comes from what was, or was not, done to the wall before it went up, and from how it is taken down.
Paper Glued to Unprimed Drywall
Many installers hung paper straight onto new drywall with no primer or sizing. The paste bonds to the drywall's own paper face, so pulling the wallpaper lifts the face off with it and exposes the brown layer underneath.
Paint Over Wallpaper
Paint seals the paper so water and stripper cannot soak in. Every layer has to be scored and opened up before the paste will soften, which adds time and raises the risk of gouging.
Too Much Force, Too Much Water
Scraping hard with a sharp blade digs into the board, and soaking a wall repeatedly can soften the drywall itself. Both leave repairs that take longer than the stripping did.
That is why we diagnose before we remove. A small test patch tells us whether the paper is strippable, whether the wall was primed, and how many layers are hiding underneath.
Our Removal Process
Removing wallpaper cleanly is slow, patient work. These are the stages we follow in every room.
Protect the room
Floors get waterproof drop sheets, power to outlets and switches is shut off at the panel and the boxes are taped, and baseboards are covered so water does not soak into them.
Test a corner
We check whether the top layer peels dry, which is common with vinyl, and how the backing and paste react to water and stripper.
Score and soak or steam
Painted or non-porous paper is scored lightly with a tool such as a Zinsser PaperTiger, then soaked with a stripper such as Zinsser DIF or softened with a wallpaper steamer.
Scrape at a low angle
Softened paper is lifted with wide, round-cornered scrapers held flat to the wall, so the drywall face is not cut.
Wash off the paste
Leftover adhesive is washed off with warm water and stripper, then rinsed, because primer will not bond to dried paste.
Let it dry
Walls dry fully, usually overnight, before any repairs or primer go on.
Repairing the Wall Underneath
The quality of the final paint job is decided here, not in the stripping. Even a careful removal leaves some torn paper, seams and old anchor holes.
Torn drywall paper is the main hazard. If you roll ordinary latex primer or compound straight over it, the water in them soaks into the exposed brown paper and raises bubbles that show through every coat.
We seal torn areas first with a penetrating sealer such as Zinsser Gardz, which soaks in and hardens the damaged paper. Once it dries, the wall can take compound and paint like new drywall.
Next comes a skim coat of lightweight compound over the damaged areas, or the whole wall if it is badly scarred. It is sanded smooth and checked with a work light held flat to the wall, which shows every ridge the eye would miss.
Deeper gouges and holes are handled with the same methods as our drywall repair and painting service.
Painting After Wallpaper
A wall that held wallpaper for 30 years is not the same as a wall that has always been painted. The primer and finish coats need to account for that.
Primer Choice
Over sealed and skimmed walls, a quality drywall primer is enough. Where traces of paste might remain, we use an oil-based primer, because water-based primers can reactivate old adhesive and cause cracking or peeling.
Finish Coats
Two coats of a premium interior paint give a uniform colour over the new patches. A matte or eggshell finish hides any faint skim lines better than satin.
Bathrooms, where wallpaper was most popular, need a moisture and mildew-resistant finish once the paper is gone, which our bathroom painting page covers. If you have no idea what colour suits the newly bare walls, a colour consultation saves a lot of sample pots.
Older Homes and Hazardous Materials
Removing the paper itself rarely raises hazardous materials concerns. The repair work afterwards can, because drywall joint compound and plaster in homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos.
WorkSafeBC requires a hazardous materials survey before renovation work that could disturb those materials in pre-1990 buildings. If the wall needs sanding or cutting after stripping, we will ask whether a survey has been done, and help you arrange testing if not.
Older homes may also have lead in earlier coats of paint under the wallpaper. Our guide to painting pre-1990 homes explains both issues and what testing involves.
Wallpaper Removal Costs
Wallpaper removal is typically $2 to $4 per square foot of wall in Kelowna, with repainting quoted on top. Your written quote follows a walkthrough and a test patch.
| Cost factor | Lower end | Higher end |
|---|---|---|
| Layers | One strippable layer | Two or more layers, or painted-over paper |
| Adhesive | Releases with water | Heavy paste on unprimed drywall |
| Wall condition | Clean release, minor touch-ups | Torn face paper needing sealing and a full skim coat |
| Room | Open walls, standard height | Bathrooms, stairwells, cabinets and fixtures to work around |
As a rough guide, a 12 by 12 foot bedroom with 8-foot walls has about 380 square feet of wall, before subtracting doors and windows. At typical rates, removal alone would land between roughly $760 and $1,520, before repainting.
Repainting is priced like any interior painting job, and our painting costs in Kelowna page lists typical room prices. Our 1-year labour warranty covers the repainted walls, including bubbling or peeling caused by our prep.
Wallpaper Removal FAQs
Can you paint over wallpaper?
It can be done if the paper is tightly bonded, with seams sealed and an oil-based or shellac primer so the paste does not reactivate. But seams and texture usually show through, and the wall becomes much harder to strip later. In most cases we recommend removing it.
Do you remove wallpaper borders only?
Yes. Borders are a common small job in older homes, often in kitchens, bathrooms and kids' rooms. Because the wall under a border is usually a different shade, we normally repaint the full wall afterwards so no stripe shows.
How long does it take to strip a room?
A powder room or one feature wall usually takes a day, and a typical bedroom one to two days, depending on layers and adhesive. Add a day for sealing and skim coating to dry before painting, and another day for primer and finish coats.
Will removing wallpaper damage my drywall?
Some surface damage is common, especially where paper was hung on unprimed drywall. We expect it, seal it and skim it, and the finished wall should look like it was never papered.
Keep exploring
Related to wallpaper removal
Drywall Repair
Gouges, torn paper and old anchor holes are repaired before the first coat.
Read moreColour Consultation
Choosing a colour for a wall you have not seen bare in decades? Sample it first.
Read moreBathroom Painting
Bathrooms are the most common wallpaper rooms, and they need moisture-resistant paint after stripping.
Read moreInterior Painting
Repaint the rest of the room, or the house, in the same visit.
Read moreResidential Painting
Every home painting service we offer, from interior walls and cabinets to stucco, decks and garage floors.
Read morePainting Costs
Typical 2026 price ranges for interior, exterior, cabinet, deck, epoxy and commercial painting in Kelowna, with worked examples.
Read moreService Areas
Kelowna, West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation lands, Lake Country and communities within a 30-minute drive.
Read more
15+ years · WCB coverage · 1-year labour warranty
Get a Wallpaper Removal Quote
Call 778-946-5725 or use the form to book a walkthrough, 7 days a week. We test the paper, measure the walls and send a written, itemised quote for removal, repair and repainting, usually within one business day.
- 15+ years experience
- Licensed & insured
- WCB coverage
- 1-year labour warranty
Mon to Fri 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. · Sat 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. · Sun 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Loading the estimate form…
Or call 778-946-5725 or email info@pacificpaintingbc.com.