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Good Questions: How to Remove Aluminum Off the Wall?

Gregory Han
Gregory Han
A Los Angeles native, Gregory’s interests fall upon the relationship between design, nature, and technology. His resume includes art director, toy designer, and design writer. Co-author of Poketo's "Creative Spaces: People, Homes, and Studios to Inspire", you can find him…read more
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published Aug 5, 2008
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AT reader Jessica inherited the decor decisions of a previous tenant and is having problems trying to remove it:

“My bathroom downstairs has aluminum foil applied to the walls and I can’t get it off. I think the people who lived here before me applied it with glue and it’s proving to be impossible to remove. Can you tell me the best way to remove it? Thank you.”

We think you’ve got several options. The first being the easiest to try, but possibly time consuming. Take a hair dryer and try to apply medium heat to the foil applique directly. You don’t want to melt the aluminum, but just melt/loosen the glue underneath. Hopefully this will allow you to remove the foil.

Another solution mentioned on several oven care sites, where melted aluminum is often cited as an issue, a few people mentioned using a steam cleaner. We’re not sure if this is a good option for your walls though.

One last idea is to cover your undesired wall covering with your own wallpaper. You may need to respackle the wall for a smoother finish and prime the wall so the foil isn’t as visible through the wallpaper you’ve chosen to put ontop.

Any other ideas out there for Jessica’s decor dilemma?

Other Good Questions from our vaults:

Filed in:
Decor & Accessories
Wallpaper & Graphics