MAPLE, VAUGHAN · RETURNING CLIENT PROJECT
Wallpaper Removal & Painting in Maple
Smooth painted walls. Woodwork worth keeping.
5-star Google review · Returning clients in Maple
Old wallpaper came down, the walls were skim coated and painted, and roughly finished wooden doors were sanded and recoated with polyurethane. For Ilene and Mario’s return visit, we brought the walls, doors and trim together without replacing the woodwork they wanted to keep.
- Location
- Maple, Ontario
- Current work
- Wallpaper removal, wall preparation, painting, door refinishing and trim repairs
- Doors
- Installed by another company; sanded and recoated with polyurethane
- Returning clients
- Ilene and Mario
- Customer feedback
- Five-star Google review from Ilene Bottos
- PLANNING AN INTERIOR PAINTING PROJECT?
From wallpapered halls to painted walls
The wallpaper ran through the hallways and around the stairwell. Removing it would change a large part of the interior, but the wooden doors and surrounding woodwork were staying.
We had worked here before. About five or six years earlier, Ilene and Mario had asked us to remove popcorn from their hallway ceilings. They called us back for this next stage: wallpaper removal, painting and attention to details that were not finished as well as they wanted.
The walls needed more than stripping. The recently installed doors also needed their rough finish corrected, and cracks in the crown moulding and baseboards needed repair.
“Their attention to the smallest of details speaks volumes of the pride they take in their work.”
Ilene Bottos · Google review · Maple
Careful removal around the stairwell
The difficult parts were not just the broad stretches of wallpaper. They were the higher areas around the stairs and the edges beside switches, fittings and newly installed door frames.
We worked carefully around those details as the paper came away. The new doors had to be protected from the wall work, even though their own finish would be dealt with separately.
Removing the wallpaper was the start of the change. Preparing the surface underneath was what made the painted result possible.
Skim coating before the paint
Once the paper was off, we skim coated the walls and prepared them for painting.
The aim was a smooth wall, not a fresh colour over an unfinished surface. That preparation extended around the doorways and into the stairwell, where the walls would remain in view from several levels.
We then painted the stripped walls and the other areas included in this visit. The wallpaper pattern was gone, while the existing woodwork remained part of the rooms.
New doors should not feel rough
Another company had recently installed and finished the wooden doors on site. The doors were worth keeping, but the finish was extremely rough.
It was more than a difference in appearance. The rough surface caught residue and made the doors difficult to wipe clean.
We sanded the finish down and applied several layers of polyurethane. The work corrected the surface while keeping the wood visible, rather than replacing the doors or painting over them.
The distinction matters: Strataline did not install these doors. We were brought in to put their finish right.
Repairing the trim that stayed
Cracks in the crown moulding and baseboards were repaired as part of the same visit.
Freshly painted walls would have made those unfinished edges more noticeable. Dealing with them alongside the wallpaper and door work meant the existing trim could stay without its cracks distracting from the result.
Our dust-free approach carried through the work, just as it had on the earlier ceiling project. Ilene mentioned that care again in her review.
The next stage is separate
The remaining popcorn removal and staircase refinishing were reserved for another visit, planned around Ilene and Mario’s next vacation.
Those are future works, not part of the completed project shown here. This visit finished the wallpaper removal, painting, door recoating and trim repairs.
Thank you, Ilene and Mario, for inviting us back and for sharing your experience.
Planning answers
What homeowners can learn from this project
Does wallpaper removal include preparing the walls for paint?
On this project, yes. We removed the wallpaper, skim coated the walls and painted them as one scope. The clients were not left with stripped walls still waiting for preparation.
Can wallpaper be removed around a tall stairwell?
That was part of the work in this Maple home. The higher walls and edges around the stairwell required careful access and working around the existing doors, trim and fittings.
Can a rough finish on new wooden doors be corrected?
It was corrected here by sanding the existing finish and applying several layers of polyurethane. The doors stayed; their surface finish was reworked.
Did the work include repairing the crown moulding and baseboards?
Yes. We repaired cracks in the existing crown moulding and baseboards alongside the wallpaper removal and painting. They were not replaced with new trim.
What should I send for a wallpaper-removal quote?
Send a wide view of each room, close-ups of the wallpaper, approximate wall dimensions and photographs of any stairwell or high-access areas. Include doors or trim that also need finishing so we can review the work together.
Why Ilene and Mario called us back
This is the second time Max has done some work at our home. The first time was to remove popcorn from our hallway ceilings. We were so very impressed with the results and it was truly dust-free. This time Max removed wallpaper and prepared those walls for painting. He painted several other areas as well and sanded and reapplied urethane on all our new doors. And again it was dust-free! He and Galina are superb craftsmen. Their attention to the smallest of details speaks volumes of the pride they take in their work. A quality that is difficult to find these days. We highly recommend Strataline. Thank you Max and Galina. We will be calling again for the next project. Ilene and Mario, Maple
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Ready to replace the wallpaper with a painted finish?
Send us photographs of your walls and stairwell, along with any doors or trim that need attention. We’ll review the removal, preparation and finishing as one project.