It seems complicated to remove it and then put new wallpaper on (I just moved in and it looks faded and yellowed), so I was considering just painting over it.
Is this a good idea and what kind of paint should I use?
2006-10-03 17:06:47 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
If the wall paper is tight against the wall, paint it. If you don't like the results, you can remove it later. It won't be any harder to remove with paint on it.
2006-10-03 17:19:20 · answer #1 · answered by T C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think painting over wallpaper is a good idea at all. Eventually the wallpaper might come off and you don't want to have to clean that up. And it will be HARD work to get all that off the walls.
One simple way I found to remove wallpaper is this: get a bucket of water (warm might work better than cold) and a big sponge. Just put the water soaked sponge over the wallpaper until it is soaked into the wallpaper. After a few minutes this will soften the old glue and the paper may just slide straight off the wall. Otherwise, you will be able to peel it off easily. If it doesn't peel off easily, just go over the entire sheet of wallpaper with the water again. I did this to wallpaper that had been on the wall for 15 years.
Then after the walls have dried, prepare the walls as you would normally do before painting.
2006-10-04 00:21:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anna K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can paint over wallpaper but I don't generally recommend it. If the wallpaper does not have a shiny vinyl finish to it, the paint will soak in and release the wallpaper from the wall. If it does have a shiny coating to it, it will make it almost impossible to get paint to stick and get a nice finish. Your best bet would be to use a wallpaper remover to take down the wallpaper. After that, make sure the walls are nice and clean and you've patched any holes with spackling. Once you've done that and the walls are nice and smooth, then prime the walls with 2 coats of primer, allow to dry at least 24 hours and then paint. It's a lot of work but, in the end, it will be worth it. Good luck!
2006-10-04 08:37:27 · answer #3 · answered by joem_1701 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't paint over wallpaper. Especially if it's faded and yellowed, which means it's older and more likely to flake off. They make tools and substances that you use that make it fairly easy to get the paper off. It's still a bit of a pain, but it's worth it in the end. The stuff is called Zip I think (or something with a Z, they'd know at a Home Depot or like-place), and they have a thing you roll over the paper first to pierce it, then put the stuff on it, then peel it). If you're going to go to the trouble to paint anyway, I'd go ahead and get rid of the paper (and would do the same if you were going to re-paper vs. paint). Good luck!
2006-10-04 00:18:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi.
It is not a good idea to paint on wall paper. The chemicals from the paint can make the wall paper fall off, or peel making a real mess. Take a large spray bottle and fill it with very warm water. Add a couple of table spoons of fabric softener to the water and mix well. Spray the wall paper super well (saturated) starting at the top down to the bottom and let sit. It should begin to easily scrape after 15 minutes. If it is vinyl wall paper use an iron on low heat with steam. Start at the top and hold firm for about 30 seconds to a minute, then scrape or peel.
Good luck!
2006-10-04 00:15:54 · answer #5 · answered by Erik 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not a good idea the paint will only stick as long as the wallpaper does. You will also use much more paint when you paint over it and it may bubble and peel.
A trick of the trade is Downy fabric softener, wipe it liberally on the wall paper, let it sit and then scrape it off. Clean the wall with cleaner found at the paint store and then paint. Use an interior latex it cleans up easily and when dry is just as strong as an oil based paint.
2006-10-04 00:12:15 · answer #6 · answered by Brutal honesty is best 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why not just remove the wallpaper and paint the walls after? I would. I can't stand the look of wallpaper.
2006-10-04 00:14:51 · answer #7 · answered by ♥Raven 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I painted the wallpaper in every room in my house and it looks much better, you can kinda see the seems but its not bad enough to warrant spending all that time removing the stuff(Trust me I spent hours doing one wall in my bathroom). Just use an oil based primer to help even the surface and cover the color if it is dark (be careful with this primer, you will have to throw away your brushes and rollers because it does not wash out). Good luck!
2006-10-04 00:16:49 · answer #8 · answered by cam 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can paint over wallpaper. Wash it with bleach and water
first.Go to your local paint store they will have wallpaper paint it's
as thick as yogurt. Try Kelly-Moore Paint. I have painted wallpaper several times it works. Good Luck Joe H
2006-10-04 02:06:53 · answer #9 · answered by joe h 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I opted to take down the paper from my first house and WHAT a chore buit it was sooo owrth it in the end. Id idn't even buy these expensive removers..I tore off the first layer and used hot water that I put on generously with a sponge and let sit for abotu 15 min then it pulled right off. Then i wiped down the walls and voila...ready to paint.
2006-10-04 09:47:46 · answer #10 · answered by Sandra C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋