Here’s how to remove double-sided tape from walls. All tips and techniques
How to remove double-sided tape from walls? Double-sided tape is used on walls for a variety of purposes. To attach a picture to the wall of one’s living room without using nails or dowels, so as not to disturb anyone, to avoid having to use a drill and upset the owner of the house.
Or to attach a mirror in the bathroom, above the sink, avoiding needing to drill risky holes in the tiles.
And again, to hang the house number outside your home, to place hanger hooks at the entrance, to hang the mailbox, to attach insulating sheets, to secure wiring ducts along walls... more and more people are opting for tape, and it is no coincidence.
The advantages of using adhesive tape instead of nails and dowels, moreover, are quite clear even when it comes to uninstalling.
When you want to remove a painting or a mirror, leaving the wall free and visible, if you used nails and dowels a hole will remain, which will need to be plastered.
But the stucco will leave a clearly visible trace, at least until you re-paint the wall (and in this case, too, very often visible traces remain either way).
On the contrary, with double-sided adhesive tape, it is possible to remove what is hanging without leaving a trace: it is all about understanding how to remove double-sided adhesive tape from walls in the correct way.
How to remove double-sided tape from walls through heat
The surface of the wall is not smooth. It is not a smooth and resistant support, as, for example, the door of an aluminium cabinet, the glass of a window, and so on can be.
It is instead a rough surface, and not a particularly resistant one. This, from a certain point of view, can be an advantage: double-sided adhesive tape in some cases can be removed with a single motion, removing what was installed without leaving any trace, as it doesn’t have a complete grip on the plaster.
Other times, instead, double-sided adhesive tape remains perfectly glued to the plaster. At this point it is necessary to understand how to remove the double-sided adhesive tape from the wall without risking leaving visible traces: using a blade to “scrape off” the tape, in fact, you would risk scratching the plaster off, or even to remove the surface paint.
To remove the tape from the wall, the first task is to make the tape less powerful, without touching it. Coming to our rescue in this activity which would seem impossible is heat: our advice is therefore to use a normal hair dryer.
All you have to do is turn it on, set it to the hottest temperature, and direct the hot jet onto the double-sided adhesive tape attached to the wall. After a few tens of seconds, the glue of the tape should already be slightly softened, which will make it easier to lift at least one flap of the tape.
To do this, instead of your own nails, it might be best to use a small plastic scraper with rounded corners, or, even more simply, an old plastic card, such as an old bus or gym card.
Once a flap of the adhesive tape has been lifted, the work can be continued slowly, without sharp tears, continuously heating the bottom of the industrial double-sided adhesive tape.
How to remove double-sided tape from walls with liquids
A hair dryer may not be enough to remove adhesive tape from the wall completely. You may be dealing with glue residue that, instead of following the rest of the tape, decides to stay on the plaster. What to do in this case?
Well, this is plaster, and therefore not something that can be soaked. However, it is possible to slightly wet the affected surface with liquid which can make the glue more yielding, and therefore easier to detach with a sponge or with the sort of plastic scraper mentioned above.
There are various liquids which can be used for this purpose.
You can for example use an old DIY remedy, mixing hot water and vinegar, or warm water, vinegar, and lemon: just apply a little liquid on the glue residues of the strong double-sided adhesive tape left on the wall with a sponge, rub lightly, leave for about ten minutes, and then come back with a scraper to scratch.
Using the same method, it is also possible to opt for water and dish detergent, or water with baking soda; vegetable oils and lubricant sprays are often used on other surfaces, which, however, cannot be used on plaster: It makes no sense to try to remove glue while guaranteeing to leave a greasy stain on the wall!
