Wallpaper Removal and Installation in the Lehigh Valley, PA
Expert Wallpaper Work, Start to Finish
Wallpaper removal is one of the most labor-intensive jobs in any renovation, especially with older homes that have multiple layers or paper applied directly to drywall without primer. Anthony's Painting has the experience and tools to handle even the most difficult removals without damaging your walls.
We score, soak, and carefully remove wallpaper in sections, then skim-coat and sand the walls smooth before any paint or new paper goes up. Rushing this process is a common mistake that leads to visible seams and peeling, we never rush it.
We also install new wallpaper with precision pattern-matching and seamless seams. Whether you're going from wallpaper to paint or installing a fresh pattern, we handle the project completely.
How We Do It
Test a section first
How the paper is coming off decides how the job is priced. Paper hung over primed wall behaves completely differently from paper stuck straight onto bare drywall.
Score and soak
Worked in sections rather than pulled at. Older homes often have two or three layers, and each one comes off separately.
Remove the adhesive
Left behind, old paste shows through paint as a patchy sheen. It gets washed off properly before anything else happens.
Repair and skim coat
Torn drywall paper repaired, gouges filled, then the whole wall skim coated and sanded flat so there is no ghosting where the seams were.
Prime, then paint or paper
A skim coated wall has to be primed before it takes a finish. Then either the paint goes on or the new paper is hung with the pattern matched.
What's Included
- Single and multiple-layer removal
- Wall repair and skim coating after removal
- Smooth wall prep for paint or new paper
- New wallpaper installation with pattern-matching
- Accent walls and full-room installation
- Border removal and repair
What Affects the Price
We do not publish a price per square foot, because the number would be wrong for most homes. These are what actually move the estimate.
- Number of layers, and what is underneath them
- Whether the original wall was primed before papering
- How much drywall repair the removal exposes
- Room size and ceiling height
- Whether you are going to paint or to new paper afterwards
- Pattern repeat and match complexity on new installations
How Long It Takes
Removal is the unpredictable part, because what is under the paper is not visible until it comes off. A single room usually runs two to four days including repair, skim coating and the finish. We flag it at the estimate if we think a room will be difficult.
What We Use
Scoring tools, steam and solution rather than dry pulling, which is what tears drywall. Skim coat and primer chosen so the repaired wall takes paint evenly across old and new areas.
Common Questions
Can you paint over wallpaper instead of removing it?
Sometimes, but it is usually a short-term answer. Paint over paper can lift the seams and telegraph the pattern edges. We tell you honestly whether your walls are a candidate.
What if there are several layers?
Older Lehigh Valley homes often have two or three. Each comes off separately and it adds time, which we account for in the estimate rather than discovering mid-job.
Will removal damage my walls?
Some damage is normal, particularly where paper was hung on unprimed drywall. Repairing it is part of the job. We skim coat and sand so the finished wall is flat before any paint goes on.
Do you install new wallpaper as well?
Yes, including pattern-matching across seams, accent walls and full rooms.