Old wallpaper stripped, glue scraped, and walls skimmed smooth. No gouges in the drywall, no glue left behind. Licensed and insured, with a price you get in writing first.
Wallpaper removal in River Forest starts at $399 per room, and a typical two or three bedroom home runs about $1,200. That price covers steaming off the paper, scraping the glue, patching the walls, and skim coating them smooth. Vanguard Painting is based ten minutes away in Melrose Park and works all over Cook County. We cover furniture, protect floors, and clean up every speck of glue dust before we leave.
Book wallpaper removal in River Forest and this is the package. Every item is included, not an add-on we spring on you later.
Room shifted to the center. Floors and furniture sheeted before we start.
We use a commercial steamer that loosens the glue without damaging the drywall.
Every scrap of old adhesive scraped off the wall, not just the paper.
Glue residue and dust washed off so the skim coat bonds to the drywall.
Nail holes, scrapes and gouges filled before any skim coat goes on.
The entire wall gets a skim coat so the surface is smooth and paint-ready.
Skim coat sanded flat, dust wiped down, ready for primer and paint.
Room reset, then we walk it with you and fix anything you point at.
Here's where our pricing starts for the wallpaper removal jobs River Forest homeowners ask about most. The number moves based on how many layers of paper, the wall condition underneath, and room size. You get the final number in writing first.
Not sure which option fits your River Forest home? Call (708) 815-7720. We price most wallpaper removal over the phone in about five minutes.
River Forest is full of homes from the 1920s through the 1970s, and the wallpaper in these houses was installed over decades. Here's what we see most often.
River Forest homes often have two or three layers of paper. Each layer was installed over the last, and it all has to come off together.
Old vinyl paper was hung with glue that hardens like plastic. It takes a steamer and scraping to get it off the walls in River Forest.
Many River Forest homes have plaster under the wallpaper. We repair the cracks and skim the plaster smooth before painting.
Homes built before 1978 can have lead paint under the wallpaper. Our crews follow safe prep on those. That's one more reason to hire a licensed crew instead of someone working out of a trunk.
Eight steps, same order every time, whether it's one bedroom off Ashland or a full house.
We check how many layers and what's underneath, then write the price down.
Furniture to the center and sheeted. Floors covered. Switch plates off.
Commercial steamer loosens the glue so the paper comes off in sheets, not shreds.
Every scrap of old adhesive scraped off the wall. No glue left behind.
Glue residue and dust washed off so the skim coat bonds to the surface.
Holes filled, then a full skim coat over the entire wall surface.
Skim coat sanded flat, dust wiped down, walls ready for primer.
Room reset, floors cleaned, then we walk it with you.
Most calls fall into one of three buckets. Same crew and same prep standard on all of them, different scope.

Master bedrooms and guest rooms with old floral or striped paper. Part of our house painting service when we paint after.

Kitchens with wallpaper over drywall. Grease makes the glue stick harder. We steam and scrape, then kitchen painting after.

Narrow spaces with high walls. We set up ladders, protect the stairs, and strip it clean. See interior painting when the stripping is done.
Our shop is at 541 Winston Dr in Melrose Park. River Forest is a short drive down Harlem, which is why we can usually get out for an estimate the same week you call. The person who prices your job is the person you'll see on the drop cloths.
We work the near west suburbs every day and we know these houses. Same crew, same prep, same price sheet whether you're on Ashland or Lathrop. If a spot needs a touch-up two weeks later, we're close enough to swing back.
Wallpaper removal often turns into a full-room job. Plenty of River Forest customers add interior painting or drywall repair once we're already booked in.
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Almost every wallpaper call opens with one of these. Here's the cause on the left, and here's what the walls look like when we pack up.
DIY attempts leave shredded paper stuck to the wall and glue residue everywhere.
Scraping too hard tears the paper facing off the drywall, leaving gouges.
Old adhesive shows through new paint as shiny spots that won't cover.
Steamer and the right scraper take the paper off without gouging the drywall.
We use the right pressure on the scraper so the paper facing stays intact.
Glue washed off, walls skimmed flat, and sanded smooth before you pick colors.
No glue residue. No gouges in the drywall. No dust on the furniture.



Most of our River Forest wallpaper work comes from somebody a few blocks over. Read what they said about the strip, the skim and how the walls looked when we cleared out.
Wallpaper removal is the biggest part of our schedule, but the same crew covers most of what a house needs.
Walls, trim and doors painted after the paper is stripped. See interior painting in River Forest.
Textured ceilings painted in River Forest homes.
Cracks and holes fixed after the paper is off. See drywall repair in River Forest.
Block walls and ceilings coated in River Forest basements.
Painting more than one place in the county? We cover the whole Cook County service area, and everything we do in town sits on the River Forest painting page.
Free estimate, a real written price, licensed and insured, and a crew ten minutes away. Book online and take $50 off.