How to Know If a Wallpaper Has Been Primed

Run your hand along the surface of the wallpaper. If there is a crinkling sound or the paper buckles, it's likely that a primer was not applied. Well-primed walls will have paper that is well attached, with tight seams; in this case the moist wallpaper paste soaked through the paint during application and after drying caused buckling.

Find corners and seams where you can easily pull up a portion of the wallpaper. If you need to, spray the corners and seams with a little warm water and allow it to soak into the wallpaper to make removal easier.

Look under the wallpaper at the surface of the wall once you've removed the wallpaper section or corner. If you see a chalky white substance, the wall was not primed before wallpapering. This substance is wallpaper paste mixed with paint and will be difficult to remove.

Examine the back of the wallpaper to see if removal pulled anything off the wall. You may see old layers of wallpaper or paint, both of which are fine. Wallpaper adhesive is meant to stick to paint and other surfaces, but a primer keeps it from seeping through to the drywall itself.

Stop removing the wallpaper if you pull up any of the paper surface of the drywall. If the wall was not primed properly, wallpaper removal will cause damage to the drywall if you proceed. Consider painting over the wallpaper instead of removing it.