Mods: If this in the wrong place, please move it. Thanks.
Started a kitchen reno this weekend and ther first step was to remove the vinyl wallpaper. I went on-line and read several how-tos. I started with the scoring tool and a solution of fabric softerner and water. I decided to start with the alcove around the fridge so if it was really bad, I could shove the fridge back in and call the pros. After several hours of scoring, soaking, and peeling (and gouging the sheetrock) I was pretty dicouraged. I looked at the rest of the kitchen and saw many days just to remove the wallpaper.
Well, in the middle if the night my wife had an idea to use the blowdryer to heat the paper and soften the glue. She got up ahead of me and tried it and it seemed to work. So I got the heat gun out of the shop and went to work. That was the trick for peeling of the vinyl layer and I was able to strip the whole kitchen in about 10-12 hours. However, the paper backing layer was still on and I had been told to spray it with water and see if it bubbled up. If it did, scrape it off; if not, prime over it. So I started spraying and a few bubbles showed up and I started scraping and this stuff peeled off amazingly easy. I did one wall in less than an hour.
So, the secret to removing vinyl wallpaper is:
1. Use heat gun to soften and loosen the vinyl layer. Don't hold it too long in one place. Use a putty knife to get an area started and keep heating in advance of where you are pulling it loose.
2. Wet the paper backing with clear water and peel it off. (Put this stuff in a trash can or bag or it will reglue itself to your floor and leave glue residue behind).
Don't use scoring tools, wallpaper remover gel, or any home concoctions.