Background

Wallpaper has been manufactured and installed for several generations. Most wallpaper manufactured before 1950 was made from wood pulp, hence the word “paper” was used. All walls were made of plaster. Professionals installed wallpaper with home-made pastes, usually wheat based. After World War ll wallpaper boomed onto the decorating scene.

Existing homes and most new homes until the late 1960’s were made of plaster. Due to the demand for wallpaper there were not enough professional installers available so early forms of manufactured wallpaper adhesives became available. Wallpaper was usually installed by first “sizing” the wall. Sizing is thinned down adhesive meant to prime the plaster for installation. Wallpaper was installed with a wheat based adhesive or ready mixed clay adhesive. Removal of wallpaper at this time was relatively easy. People removed wallpaper with their own "home recipes". The most common recipe was vinegar and hot water. This worked adequately because the wheat or clay based adhesives broke down due the acidity of the vinegar and the heat expanded the molecular structure of the adhesive. “Steamers” were the sure fired way to go to remove wallpaper.

In the late 1960's and early 1970’s the wallpaper industry reached boomed even more and reached its highest peak. New manufacturers and new products entered the marketplace and by doing so created new types of wallpapers. Wallpaper was not made just from paper anymore. The outer surface (the part seen by the consumer) now had several types of looks; grass cloth, string, fabric, silk, to name just a few. These types of wallpapers required a "backing" paper typically laminated to the outer (viewed) surface to give the paper strength to adhere to the wall. New adhesives were a necessity to make the paper adhere to the wall. Professional installers were booked for months.

Due the lack of installers manufacturers answered consumer demand with more new wallpapers (foils, flocks, bold patterns, bold colors, and clear adhesives designed to attract the “home owner installer”. Vinyl was the answer. Wallpaper installation was taken out of the hands of the professional installer and turned over to the home owner. In the late 1960's and early 1970's new "vinyl" wallpaper products were introduced. Vinyl, an oil based product was cheap and easy to print. Typical vinyl wall coverings consist of an outer layer of vinyl laminated to a paper backing. Someone coined the phrase "strip-able" which is still used today. "Strip-able" wallpaper means that eventually you will be able to get it off the wall. It does not mean that the process of removing it will be easy. People began to find out that wallpaper removal was not easy which in part began the decline of wallpaper use.

The wallpaper industry responded by manufacturing "pre-pasted" wallpapers that were to be simple to install and remove. The pre-pasted paper usually consisted of paper with a thin layer of dried glue applied to the back. The consumer was to simply place the paper underwater causing the glue to activate then adhere to the wall. The problem is no one thought about human nature. Society had been trained for years to paste wallpaper to the wall so most people added paste to the back of the pre-pasted paper. Human nature compounded the problem with the theory that "A little bit of glue is good therefore a whole lot of glue is real good".

Another type of vinyl product was developed in the late 1970's. It is commonly known as commercial vinyl. Designed to be used extensively for commercial buildings to save the cost of paint and paint maintenance in high traffic areas such as corridors, high-rise buildings, commercial buildings, etc. Typical commercial vinyl is very thick (compared to paper), has no backing and was applied directly to the wall. This works great for plaster construction but no one realized what a boom to construction that gypsum wallboard would be. Gypsum wallboard or "drywall" is the common wall material today. Enter human nature; since commercial vinyl was developed for areas of high traffic and abuse by people, adhesive manufacturers made adhesive that will really stick. Labor cost exceeded material costs. If the product will stick better, less chance on warranty labor returns.

On the coattails of the wallpaper manufacturers came the adhesive manufacturers. They see the opportunity to sell gallons of adhesive and do so successfully. Wallpaper adhesive manufacturers also make their own adhesive removers. It is important to note that their removers are formulated to remove their adhesive. Enter human nature again. Typical wallpaper installation is done by a homeowner or professional paperhanger. Homeowners ("Weekend Warriors") simply do not follow instructions. They try any combination of pastes or home "recipes" to install wallpaper. Most paperhangers custom mix their pastes (though they are shy to admit it) to create a "recipe" that works for them. They do not want to return to job sites to repair seams. They do not use pastes 100% pure as received from the manufacturer and to the manufacturer’s specifications. We know this to be true because we constantly test actual field conditions.

Safe and Simple entered the scene about 1990. We found that there is a demand for a removal product that works, is non-toxic, odorless, and safe for people, pets, & the environment. Hence or name, “Safe” to use and “Simple” to apply. Our secret is that we developed our product based on what we have removed from walls and continually evaluate the removed wallpaper. Our wallpaper removal product works on the premise of re-activating the original adhesive. We do not use enzymes commonly found.

FAQs

Removal

Use of wallpaper was at its peak in the late 1970’s. Professional paperhangers were back logged for months and could not fulfill the demand for their services. For ages wallpaper had been made from pulp or “paper” but needed to be installed by the pros. Wallpaper manufacturers reacted to the booming market and lack of installers by developing and selling new wallpaper types designed for the home owner to install. New products with names like prepasted, paper backed vinyl, strippable appeared. At the time it seemed like a good idea and wallpaper manufacturers made a fortune. In the long term this actually led to the beginning of the decline of wallpaper use. The “power” of wallpaper installation shifted from the pro to the inexperienced.

Prepasted wallpaper. As the name implies prepasted wallpapers are usually vinyl coated patterns printed on paper stock. The back included adhesive that was applied at the factory. It was installed by “dipping” the wallpaper in water to activate the adhesive.

Wallpaper Adhesive - General Information

Vinegar & Water

The "old wives tale" of using vinegar and water is no longer valid. This recipe worked well long ago when 90% of wallpaper was made of pulp paper. Pulp wallpaper was usually installed with starch or wheat based adhesives. The pulp nature of old wallpaper would readily absorb water and the acidity of the vinegar would attack the adhesive (acid is the chemical enemy of starch or wheat). Over the last 20-30 years wallpaper and adhesive have changed. Today 90% of wallpaper is vinyl coated, vinyl laminated to a paper backing, or vinyl laminated to a fabric backing. Most wallcovering installed in commercial buildings is solid vinyl or fabric backed vinyl.

Enzymes

Removal solutions have been in existence for years., but have not chemically changed for years. Most competitive removal solutions introduce an enzyme to attack wallpaper adhesive. Safe and Simple removal solutions DO NOT use any enzymes to attack adhesive. S&S removal solutions work on the premise of reactivating the existing wallpaper adhesive. Once the adhesive is soluble it can be removed.

Sizing

People often think that wallpaper removal will be easy because their walls were sized prior to installation. Sizing is actually thinned down wallpaper adhesive. Older homes were constructed of plaster and walls were painted with oil based paints. The sizing gave more of what felt like tack to the slick feeling enamel paints so that it would more readily hold the wallpaper. While this practice is still in existence today it does not mean removal will be easier. This is especially true if the paint is latex based and the walls are drywall. Sizing over latex or drywall can make the removal more difficult because the sizing cures over time by absorbing into the latex paint or drywall paper surface.

Primers

There are hundreds of different primers each with very specific properties and uses.. We are often told by our customers that the wallpaper should remove easily because the walls were primed. This holds true IF the primer was a wallpaper primer. We have found that the better the wall was prepared with proper materials and workmanship, the easier the removal. Wallpaper should only be installed on primers formulated to receive wallpaper. We have found Draw Tite to be the best wallpaper primer.

Rx35

Rx35 is a specially formulated wallpaper primer which offers a feeling of tack. This product feels tacky when wet or dry. This tacky feeling was deliberately included in the product to make paperhangers believe slippery and wet wallpaper will adhere better, especially on a slick or new surface. It is extremely difficult to remove. If the wall is dry and still feels tacky hours later, most likely it is Rx35. Scrubbing the Rx35 could take hours and if the walls are drywall or texture, the scrubbing action usually ruins the paper surface of the drywall or texture. In most cases is easier to seal over the Rx35 with Draw Tite than to scrub for hours on end.

Paper Backed Vinyl wallpaper. Consists of a vinyl outer layer with the pattern printed on it laminated to a paper backing. The backing is usually tan colored but may be white. The outer faces pulls off easily and wallpaper manufacturers were quick to capitalize on this and often called this type of wallpaper “Strippable”. In our opinion this was a marketing ploy. Yes the outer layer removes easily but the backing requires work.

Wallpaper removal from drywall and texture: Experience shows that in many instances wallpaper removal from drywall will result in torn drywall or damaged texture.

This condition usually occurs when the wallpaper has been installed on:

• Bare drywall (no paint, no sealer).
• Weak paint such as PVA sealer (inexpensive paint meant to receive a top coat).
• Existing painted walls with no wallpaper primer.
• Poor quality construction whereby wallpaper was used to hide imperfections.
• A combination of any of the above.

Improper wall preparation can create a nightmare because the water based wallpaper adhesives cure over time by absorbing into the paper face of the drywall or unsealed texture or paint.

All wallpaper and adhesive manufacturers recommend some type of wallpaper primer be used to seal the walls as part of their installation instructions and to meet the terms of their warranty. While this is admirable, in the real world there are no “wallpaper police” enforcing this recommendation. To save money or time a lot of wallpaper has been installed with little or no regard to recommended standards.

More and more wallpaper was being installed by fewer and fewer individuals who follow directions. Enter human nature (which the manufacturers ignored to continually sell product).

• I can save time and money not using wallpaper primer.
• I have some left over stuff in the garage that I can use.
• I don’t want to go back to the store and get the right stuff.
• I don’t believe that dipping this wallpaper in water will be enough. I will add paste.
• I want to do it the right way but Uncle Bob keeps telling me . . .
• I have to finish this today. The party is Saturday.
• I have to finish this before she comes home from work.
• I have to finish this before he comes home from work.
• It’s a model home, we’re selling it anyway.

Whatever the reason, poor installations led to difficult removals.

When considering all of the above factors it is not surprising that wallpaper sales have been on the decline since the early 1990’s.

To repair torn drywall or texture:

The torn drywall must be sealed. In the past this was usually done by applying oil based products such as varnish. It was smelly, took days to dry, and difficult to work with.

Do not use oil based sealers. Seal the walls with a water-based torn drywall sealer.

Draw Tite is about the consistency of water. It works on the premise of penetrating to the gypsum behind the paper outer face of drywall.

As the name implies it draws tight and dries fast. Keep a wet rag handy to remove any excess Draw Tite from (for example) baseboards and trim while the Draw Tite is still wet.

Apply the Draw Tite directly onto the wall. This should be done before applying any patching compound. We recommend using a 6” or 8” sponge roller cover.

• It takes about 30 – 45 minutes to dry and clean tools with water.
• Coverage is about 350 – 400 sq.ft. per gallon.
• Apply patching compound over drywall tears and gouges. Let dry and sand smooth.
• Apply Draw Tite onto the patching compound. Let dry.
• Apply patching compound or texture onto the Draw Tite.

Draw Tite

#325-C Draw Tite Sealer/Primer Clear (Maroon)

• This was the FIRST penetrating water base sealer for porous surfaces on the market. Other uses: Drywall sealer, Wallpaper primer, sealer, and sizing. Also used as damage drywall restorer. Great for hotels, hospitals and caves.
• Soap and water clean up.

#325-W Draw Tite™ Sealer/Primer White (Blue)

• Used mainly as a wallpaper primer, drywall sealer, sizing & sealer.
• Use one generous coat by airless sprayer, roller or brush.
• Soap and water clean up.

#325-NR Draw Tite™ Sealer/Primer No Run (Green)

• We came up with the No Run because the original clear was just too runny, so we jelled it up and voila, No Run was born! Easier to use, handle and control. Has the same penetrating power as the original. Great for Brown Baggers!
• Soap and water clean up.

#325-G Draw Tite™ Sealer/Primer Zero VOC (Clouds)

• No Odors or V.O.C.'s. Works like Draw Tite™ clear but 100% odor and VOC free. Samples available upon request
• Soap and water clean up.