Macungie, Lehigh County
Wallpaper removal in Macungie, PA.
The 1980s added more homes to Macungie than any other decade. Where those rooms still carry their paper or borders, the drywall behind them needs as much care as the paper.
Wallpaper removal for Macungie homes
More than a third of the borough's homes date from the 1980s, and Ancient Oaks, up Route 100, was finishing its last phase in the same years. So around here a papered wall is more likely to be drywall than plaster, and the paper on it may be forty years old, from the years when borders were popular.
Drywall that was primed before papering lets go easily. Drywall that was not can surrender its paper face along with the wallpaper, and a border is no exception: take one off an unprimed wall and you may be left with a torn stripe that needs sealing and skimming before the room can be painted.
Macungie
Borders, feature walls and 1980s drywall
A border is a small job with a large footprint. The paint around it has aged for years while the strip beneath it has not, paste spreads past its edges, and where the board was never primed the border can take a band of drywall face with it. A clean result usually means washing the paste off, sealing any torn band, skimming it level and then repainting the whole wall, not just the stripe.
The borough's prewar houses, about one in six, are plaster on lath, and their paper comes off without the drywall problem, though often onto cracks it was hiding. Out in Lower Macungie Township, more than half the homes date from 1990 on, about a third from 2000 to 2009 alone, and papered rooms there sit on drywall too, with the same question about what went on before the paper.
Worth knowing
Repaint the whole wall
A border's outline shows through a spot repair. Once the band is fixed, the full wall is painted so the old line disappears.
Test one panel first
Lift the corner of a full-height panel. If the drywall face comes with it, the wall will need sealing and a skim; if not, the paper may simply peel.
Let the board dry out
A soaked wall is left to dry before shellac or oil primer goes on. Sealer over damp board traps the moisture in.
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, Macungie.
We're taking down a border in our 1980s Macungie house. Will it leave a stripe?
Often, at first. Paint above and below has aged differently from the wall under the border, and paste or a torn band of drywall face may be left behind. Washed, sealed where needed and skimmed, the band disappears once the whole wall is repainted.
Is paper in a 2000s Lower Macungie house easier to remove than in an older one?
Often, but not always. Whether the drywall was primed before it was papered matters more than the year, and a corner test answers that before anything gets wet.
Do you also work in Alburtis and Ancient Oaks?
Yes. Randy serves the borough and the township around it, Alburtis, Ancient Oaks and Wescosville among them, along with Upper Milford.
More in Macungie
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.