Stripping just isn’t what it used to be-stripping wallpaper, that is! Today, it’s easier than ever, but it’s still a hassle. After all, who wants to spend their free time, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, stuck indoors stripping wallpaper?

A business that offers a stripping of wallpaper service is going to appeal to busy homeowners who, after a long week of work, don’t want to face the task themselves. Why not do it for them?

If you are scratching your head, thinking, “I’ve never stripped wallpaper before, so what do I do?” It’s simple. Let’s take a look at some great tips for stripping wallpaper:

Step One. The first thing you want to do is strip the wallpaper’s outermost layer. This is generally a thin layer of paper or vinyl coating.

Step Two. Once you have finished stripping the outer layer, you are going to create a solution to make stripping the next layer much easier. You will need a bucket of water, a sponge, and dishwashing detergent.

Simply add a small amount of dishwashing detergent into the bucket of water. Soak the sponge with water and run the sponge over the wallpaper. Allow the water to sit for 10 minutes. (If the wallpaper starts to dry, soak again.) **Hint** you will find the more you soak the wallpaper, the easier it is to strip the wallpaper.

Note-instead of a sponge, you may opt for using a spray bottle (this will probably be faster.) Either works well and it depends on your preference.

If you find the water and detergent isn’t effective, then you’ll want to spill it out. Instead, fill your bucket or spray bottle with ‘half water and half white vinegar’. If this still doesn’t work, it’s time for a visit to your local home improvement store. Ask a salesperson for a recommendation or try ‘Safe and Simple’ or ‘Dif’.

Step Three. Now that the wallpaper has had a chance to soak, it should be much easier to strip. Take the putty knife or another flat tool and start to strip the wallpaper. If the wall is going to be painted, make sure you remove all of the glue. You can test to make sure the glue is off by wetting the wall and running your hand over it. If an area feels slimy, you have some glue you still need to get off. This time, you want to put a gallon of water into your bucket then add two tablespoons of liquid fabric softener.

Step Four. After you have removed all the wallpaper and glue, you need to thoroughly wash the walls.

Step Five. The walls are ready to paint!

Simple, isn’t it? As you can see, you will have very little startup costs. All you really need is a bucket or spray bottle, dishwashing detergent, white vinegar (just in case), a tool for scraping, and you are set. Now all you need are some clients. Follow the normal marketing routes to find clients: classified ads, flyers and word-of-mouth.

On a final note, consider combining your wallpaper stripping service to include painting. After all, you will be stripping the walls, so why not make some extra cash painting them?

Helpful Resources:

www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

www.vistaprint.com/vp/welcomeback.aspx?xnav=welcome