When wall decals start to wear out and lose their aesthetics, just replace them and you're done. But, that's easier said than done. I offer you my method. It has already proven itself.
If, despite all my efforts to make my articles and tutorials accessible, you still find that some of my tips are more difficult to apply than others, the DIY site Bricoleur Pro is also an excellent reference for minor manual work. . However, I will try to explain clearly what technique to use to cleanly remove old wall stickers.
To begin with, the mistake that should not be made is to yank the stickers off. You will simply end up with white adhesive residue scattered on the four corners of the wall. And you will only complicate your life since you will have twice as much work to do. In addition, if the coating is perfectly adhered to the surface, you also risk chipping the paint, worse downright damaging the wall. However, with a bucket of warm soapy water and a plastic spatula, I can easily get through even the most stubborn stickers.
My method is very simple, I soak a sponge in the mixture of warm water with a little dishwashing liquid. I dab on the wall sticker always starting with the upper parts. I let it sit for ten minutes. When the material begins to soften, using my plastic spatula, I gently scrape off the sticker. A spatula that you no longer use in the kitchen will do just fine. I repeat the operation until I finish the whole wall.
You will also obtain excellent results by heating the sticker for five minutes with a hair dryer set to a medium temperature, provided that you direct the hot air well on the areas to be removed. The only downside is that this approach is much more tedious and can be time consuming. Subsequently, once there is no more residue from the sticker, I continue by cleaning the surface where I will later put the new adhesive coating.
The wall must be perfectly clean for the self-adhesive coating to adhere to it. And here, too, I am not complicating my life. For cleaning, I use warm soapy water and a soft brush. I still add a few drops of white vinegar to remove grease stains. I always rinse with hot water then wait for the surface to dry completely before tackling the installation of my new stickers.
Fortunately, this is the easiest and most pleasant step. I unroll my sticker on a flat surface and with a plastic spatula I scrape the top of the sticker so that the very thin plastic film adheres perfectly. I peel off the white vinyl paper under the sticker and finally apply the coating to the desired location. Still using my squeegee, I smooth the self-adhesive paper while removing air bubbles. To finish, I gently remove the transfer sheet.
