Emmaus, Lehigh County
Wallpaper removal in Emmaus, PA.
The 1950s were Emmaus's biggest building decade, and its houses sit on the line between plaster and drywall. Which one is under the paper decides how it comes off and what follows.
Wallpaper removal for Emmaus homes
One home in five here went up in the 1950s, when the population climbed by almost a third, and more than half of the borough's houses were standing by 1960. Builders in that decade were moving from plaster, by then usually laid over gypsum lath, to drywall, so a papered 1950s room in Emmaus could have either behind it.
The difference shows the moment a scraper touches the wall. Plaster is hard and gives the paper up without losing anything of its own. Drywall carries a paper face, and if it was never primed, that face can peel away with the paste and leave a fuzzy brown patch that has to be sealed before it can be smoothed.
Emmaus
From the Moravian village to the postwar boom
The village the Moravians laid out in 1758 had 32 house lots, and a few of its early buildings still stand, the fieldstone 1803 House among them. Plaster in houses of that age was lime, mixed with sand and animal hair, and the roughly one home in four that predates 1940 has plaster walls as well. Under old paper that plaster usually shows its history, in cracks, patches of different ages and uneven spots, all repaired before a skim.
The postwar houses are the larger group: 1950 to 1979 accounts for about 43 percent of the borough. Next door, more than half of Salisbury Township's homes come from those same decades, and Upper Milford, much of it on South Mountain, built nearly half of its homes between 1970 and 1999. Papered rooms in those houses are more often drywall, and in the newer ones the first thing to establish is whether the board under the paper was ever primed.
Worth knowing
Old lime plaster stays
In the oldest houses, lime plaster is repaired in place rather than replaced, so the paper comes off slowly enough not to loosen it.
Seal the torn spots
Where a drywall face tears, the exposed brown paper gets shellac or an oil primer. A water-based primer would soak in and raise blisters.
A skim for the whole wall
A 1950s room often has paper damage plus decades of nail holes and anchors. Skimming the full wall makes it one even surface again.
The work
How the work goes
The same care on every job, in every town. The full guide to wallpaper removal.
The walkthrough
Randy looks at the paper, the age of the house and the walls with you, and explains what removal is likely to uncover. The estimate comes in writing, and both are complimentary.
Water and wiring
Because the work is wet, power to the outlets and switches on papered walls is shut off and their covers come off before any soaking. Floors are covered against runoff.
Soak, wait, lift
Vinyl facings that will peel off dry are peeled first. The backing and older papers are soaked with warm water and remover, given time to soften, and lifted with a wide blade; steam handles stubborn or painted paper.
Wash off the paste
Every trace of adhesive is washed away. Paste left on a wall shows through paint and stops new paper from bonding.
Seal and repair
Torn drywall face is sealed first with an oil- or shellac-based primer, because water-based products make it bubble. Cracks and loose plaster are repaired, and walls are skim-coated where they need to be made even.
Prime for what comes next
The wall is primed for paint, or with a wallcovering primer if new paper is going up. That primer also makes the next removal easier.
Questions
Wallpaper removal, Emmaus.
Our Emmaus house is from the 1950s. Is the paper on plaster or drywall?
It could be either, since builders were switching from one to the other in that decade. With an outlet cover off, the edge of the box usually tells: plaster shows a hard layer over a backing board, drywall a single sheet with paper on both faces.
Will removing paper in an old village house damage the lime plaster?
Not if it is done patiently. Old plaster can have loose areas that let go if they are soaked hard or pried, so the paper is softened gently and lifted rather than scraped, and anything loose is reattached or patched afterward.
We have papered rooms in a 1970s house in Upper Milford. What should we expect?
Drywall underneath, most likely, and possibly unprimed. A corner test shows whether the face holds. If it tears, those areas are sealed and skimmed so the wall is flat for paint.
More in Emmaus
Other services here.
- Level 5 drywall finishA skim coat over the entire surface, for walls that hold up under raking light and dark paint.
- Skim coatingRough, patched or uneven walls resurfaced smooth, often after wallpaper comes down.
- Plaster repairCracked, loose and failing plaster in older homes, repaired and made sound.
- Interior paintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and millwork, prepared properly and finished clean.
- Exterior paintingSiding, trim, porches, stucco and brick, prepared to stand up to Pennsylvania weather.
- Drywall installation & repairNew drywall hung, taped and finished; cracks, holes and water damage repaired invisibly.
- Drywall texture matching & removalTexture matched so repairs disappear, applied where you want it, or taken off for a smooth wall.
- Popcorn ceiling removalOld acoustic texture taken down and the ceiling finished smooth.
- Wood stainingDecks, porch floors, doors and trim, inside and out, stained by hand.
Consultation
Request a private consultation.
Private walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary. Tell us a little about the house and the rooms, and Randy will be in touch to arrange a time.
- Hours
- Monday – Friday8:30 AM – 5:30 PMSaturday10 AM – 3 PMSundayClosed
- Service area
- Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and the greater Lehigh Valley; Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Fully insured — proof on request. Residential and commercial.