How to Remove Temporary Upgrades from an Apartment

Let’s learn how to remove temporary upgrades from an apartment or rental home. You may even increase your chances to get your deposit back when you remove temporary decor from your apartment.

HOW TO REMOVE TEMPORARY UPGRADES FROM AN APARTMENT

Have you added temporary (removable) ‘style’ to your rental home, apartment, or dorm?

If you have, then we are in the same community-pool! 😉

Current My Wee Abode family members know that there have been some big changes around here this year!

But, if you are new to My Wee Abode, welcome and get caught-up here! (And, to get the latest and greatest updates, including access to our Printable Library, click on the button below!)

One of the most recent changes (it just happened in April), is that I moved from My Wee Abode (the OG) to the new My Wee Abode 2.0!

However, before I moved out of the original MWA, I had some movin’ AND “REmovin'” to do.

This post may contain affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. For more information, see my complete disclosure HERE.

Remove Temporary Decor the Easy Way

And today, I’m going to share with you:

• How to remove adhesive film from a laminate countertop
• Removing temporary board-and-batten
• Easy removal of decals that look like wallpaper
• Removal of open shelving from a studio apartment kitchenette
• And, whether or not you can get your deposit back after using temporary upgrades in an apartment or rental home

Just like the post where I introduced you to the new My Wee Abode, this post ain’t the prettiest.

But, I think it’s a great way to answer the question of whether or not the temporary upgrades were actually… temporary!

Spoiler alert… they were and are!

How to Remove Adhesive Film from a Laminate Countertop

My DIY’d faux marble contact paper countertops is by far one of the favorite posts here at My Wee Abode.

However, my landlord let me know that they were planning on keeping the countertops because they felt they were in good condition. So, the adhesive had to go!

You really only need a few items to remove adhesive film from a countertop:

• Hair Dryer
• Goo Gone
• and, if possible, an extra set of arms… preferably strong ones!

I’m telling you… this adhesive really stuck! I am super thankful to my daughter for coming over and lending me her hands and arms.

Even between the two of us, this was a chore! It took probably an hour to remove the contact paper from the countertops. (Just keepin’ it real!)

The process was simple, but it DID take some time to heat the contact paper and pull a bit here and bit there as we went.

1. Using a hair dryer, heat the adhesive film and pull away from counter top.
2. After removing film, check for any leftover adhesive and remove with Goo Gone, as directed.

The process went a bit faster once we learned this:

And that’s it! The adhesive film left no damage behind!

In the future, I would definitely choose to cover a laminate countertop with vinyl adhesive film again.

Removing Temporary “Board-and-Batten”

The temporary accent wall in the living area, as well as the trim in the updated bathroom needed to come down, as well.

THIS removal process was much easier… it took about 5 minutes!

• All you need is… a hammer.

Simply take the claw part of the hammer and gently pull away the wood where the nails are inserted. The trim and nails easily ‘pop’ away.

And, I didn’t even fill the tiny nail holes. After living there for 6 years, it wasn’t required. 🙂

Easily Remove Temporary Decals from a Wall

The Modern Coastal Bathroom Makeover was given a wallpaper-look with vinyl decals I created with my Cricut Explorer.

Again, the landlord wanted to paint (even though I had recently painted the bathroom myself), so the vinyl decal ‘wallpaper’ needed to be removed (along with the afore mentioned wood trim).

This process was also quite easy, and actually satisfying. LOL!

To remove vinyl decals from a wall, take a hook weeder and lift the decal and peel away.

I find that no residue is left from the vinyl wall decals, and my landlord never even knew they had been there!

Removal of Open Shelving from a Studio Kitchenette

The tiny kitchen at My Wee Abode never was an actual kitchen.

You read that right. I lived in a loft apartment for 6 years without a kitchen and very little cabinet space.

Did you know that you can create a kitchen with a few appliances and a lot of open shelving?

Again, my landlord decided she wanted everything put back the way it was when I moved in. So, down came the shelves.

And this time, I enlisted my brother and his power tools to remove the wood and hardware. It took him all of 5 minutes to remove the shelving.

Several large holes were left, and I DID fill those and sand them, but I didn’t paint them. 😉

Wouldn’t you know it, I forgot to take a photo before I gave my keys back. Too much on my mind at the time!

Can You Get Your Apartment Deposit Back After Removing Temporary Upgrades?

Well, it seems you can get your deposit back on your apartment when you use temporary upgrades…

Because I did!

Now, this post is no guarantee that you will receive your apartment deposit back after removing temporary decor. That can depend on SO many things, including whether or not you have a fair and reasonable landlord. Which I did!

When My Wee Abode was all empty and cleaned, my landlord and I did a walk-through. She exclaimed how happy she was with how the place looked, and was very thankful for having me as a tenant for six years.

And, of course, I felt the same way about her. She was a very good and fair landlord, and a Christian sister, as well! We hugged and I drove off.

Later that evening, she texted me to let me know that I would be receiving my full deposit back!

There are so many things that I miss about the OG My Wee Abode. But, I must say, there are LOTS of things that I am thankful for at MWA 2.0 that were missing from 1.0 (like a washer/dryer, a dishwasher, vaulted ceilings, an elevator, LVP floors, and so much more that I will be sharing soon!)

So, are you surprised that my landlord wanted everything take down? Which item most surprised you that needed to be removed? Tell me what you think in the comments below. Your input makes my day!