# Painting discovered under wallpaper! how to peel off?



## jbol (Jan 13, 2022)

Hi all,

I work in Arts & Heritage -
my colleagues and I began to peel wallpaper off an old wall (to be demolished), and to our great surprise uncovered a 70-year-old mural painted by a well-known artist.

We have only stripped off a small section of wallpaper so far, because we are afraid of damaging the painting! It seems to be acrylic paint.

Does anyone know the best way to scrape this wallpaper off without damaging the painting underneath?

I've attached a photo of another mural uncovered on the opposite wall (not by the same artist - done by a local school teacher haha), which should give some idea of the type of wall/wallpaper.

Thank you!


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

This is actually a site for professional residential/commercial painters to talk to each other. This doesn't mean from the art world. So posts from people who are not in the profession are usually shut down. I normally actually "flag" those posts and don't reply, but in this case I didn't because it's different.

I don't actually know - in any precise way - what it means to say that someone works in "Arts & Heritage." But it sounds like you've found something special here. 

My advice is to NOT comb the web and ask how to "do it yourself" (DIY). Instead, if this really is a well-known artist, then it's time to call in the cavalry. By that I mean send the word out among your colleagues and find people who know how to do these things. I'd say that the lead person would be one who knows art work protection/preservation/restoration. The second would be someone who knows wallpaper. You'll find plenty of that latter on this site. But not likely much of the former.

But in the end....you're in the wrong place. And even the web isn't the right place. Do not try to DIY this from internet advice if it's that much of a legit piece of artwork.


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

_PaintTalk.com_ is designed for professional painting contractors and the related fields to discuss issues and topics pertaining to the painting industries. The Moderators of this forum would prefer that you post Do It Yourself related topics on our sister site www.DIYChatroom.com. Many of our professional contractors are also members at _DIYChatroom.com_ and are looking forward to assisting you with your needs.

If you're not a member of _DIYChatroom.com_ you can sign up for a free account by going to http://www.diychatroom.com/register.php.

This thread is now closed.


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