What's a really easy wallpapering alternative?

Question

The Back Story:
The town home was probably built in the late 70's and decorated like it. The original wallpaper in the half bath was hideous so my finacee tried to remove it only to find an even WORSE wallpaper underneath. It's now gone from "swinger suave" to looking like something my great grandmother would have picked out. Now we've only been able to remove a portion of THAT wallpaper because I think it's become molecularly bonded to the sheet rock over all these years.

The Goal:
Cover up the walls in the half bath with, pretty much ANYTHING at this point.

The Problem:
I feel I lack the skill to wallpaper over other wallpaper successfully and we don't have the budget to get some contractors in to do this for us. So I want to find some easy and inexpensive decorating ideas that will keep our guest from thinking that faded 3-foot sunflowers was part of some decorating motif.

Thanks.

We did try to score and use remover on the old paper. Now we have half-walls of paper with all these little track marks all over them that jump out like little teeth. Were there is no paper the walls have a paper bag like texture.

Answer 1

My niece bought an old house and had the same problem with layers and layers of wallpaper. She bought Venetian Plaster and did her walls. They look fantastic. She said it was simple to do and she isn't the handy type. The kind she bought came in different colors so there wasn't any painting involved. I found this website that gives you different methods, directions and pictures.

http://www.behr.com/behrx/expert/activity.jsp?aid=616&subnav=interior&leftNav=noSteps

Good Luck

Answer 2

find a fabric that you like, liquid starch which is pre-mixed, or buy the kind you have to mix yourself, and follow the package instructions. Put the starch in a tub, large bowl or wallpaper trough. Measure and cut the first strip that you will hang. It should be the width of the cloth, and the length of the wall, adding a couple of inches to the length, in case needed. If the material has a particular pattern, you might need to add even more in the length so that the pattern can be aligned properly. Dip the fabric into the starch, but don’t squeeze the liquid out, as squeezing wrinkles the fabric. One way to get some of the dripping liquid out is to have someone hold the piece of cloth over the tub while you place your hands together with one hand on each side of the fabric. Run your hands down the fabric, go back to the top and do it again, repeating the step for the width of the fabric. Place the fabric on the wall and smooth out with a straight edge, like a plastic putty knife. A sponge will also help you smooth any wrinkles or bubbles out of the cloth, while absorbing some of the liquid. After the first piece is on, repeat the steps to hang the next piece, and so forth. It’s helpful to continue to wipe the bottoms of the previous pieces every few minutes, since this is where the liquid will naturally accumulate. Since starch doesn’t generally ruin many surfaces, you can easily wipe off drips on woodwork with a wet washcloth. When you’re ready to launder the wall fabric, or you just want to change the look for a new season, just pick at the fabric in a corner until it will raise up, then pull the piece from the wall. Launder, re-dip and re-hang when ready. After you’ve cut a few different types of cloth to fit your walls, you can change the look of the room in under a day.

Answer 3

I would try sheet rock mud or texture paint, with the mud layer it on thin and let the first layer dry very well, and apply the next layer then take an old stiff brush (paint or scrub) and dab at the mud while it is wet just lightly tho' don't want the mud to come off completely-this will give a bumpy type look and that will hide where the wallpaper doesn't come off and if it still shows add more mud! Good luck!

Answer 4

I had the same problem in a couple of the rooms of the house i bought last year. there was at least 3 (maybe even more) layers of grotesque wallpaper in the dining room and one of the bedrooms. after trying unsuccessfully to remove (parts of the original plaster walls were actually coming off with the wallpaper!) we decided to cover over the wallpaper. after removing as much of the loose, peeling wallpaper as we could, we then washed it thoroughly with TSP and applied a textured paint over it. this paint is a BEHR product (carried at HD) and you can give it whatever surface texture you like. you can make it look like stucco or plaster by using either a brush or a putty knife. its simple to apply. you can paint it whatever color you want after it drys and cures. it totally hides imperfections, minor gouges, and uneven layers of old wallpaper. Note: if the wallpaper has a glossy or vinyl surface, you should lightly sand it first and then apply a good quality primer before putting on the textured paint.
you can buy a gallon of this product for around 20-25 dollars. its enough to do a couple of big walls.

Answer 5

You can also get "texture" paint rollers. These don't actually create a physical texture, like stucco, but they can simulate wallpaper. You'd roll on one color paint in the normal fashion, and when that's dry, use the "texture" roller and a slightly different hue of the same color. Just go over the wall once with this one, and the first coat shows through the second, creating a 'noire," 3-D effect or wallpaper look. Overall, it should be cheaper than wallpaper.

Answer 6

If you cannot remove all of the wallpaper, sand down as much as you can and put a skim coat of drywall mud or joint compound over it. The application is key here because you can make it look like stucco, fresco or stone depending on how you apply it and paint it afterward. I did it in a small bathroom leaving it rather rough and sanding afterward to knock down the high spots and then painted it with a burnt sienna and a burnt umber wash over that. The result was a wall that looked like stone. It is pretty easy to do, doesn't cost much and looks great.

You could also cover the walls with beadboard that you could then paint or stain.

Answer 7

There is a textured heavy wallpaper that covers up EVERYTHING and is really quite easy to hang up. Anaglypta...or something like that. Many textures are available from victorian to contemporary. I helped a friend put it up over old wallpaper and paneling and we were not experienced paper hangers! It is very forgiving! It is meant to be painted after it is up and dry. It is available at most home-improvement stores.

Answer 8

If the wallpaper that's left will take it and not fall off, I've give it a VERY thin coat of sheetrock mud just to cover up old seams. Then texture and paint how ever you like.

It's not that hard. Good luck.

Answer 9

go to a paint store..not the big box stores like Lowes or Walmart ...and get a special paint to cover the wallpaper then you can paint any color you like as long as that OLD wallpaper is really tight. the clerks at a true paint store can give great suggestions on products....

Answer 10

Consider putting up fabric, you can adhere right onto an existing surface. Dip the fabric into liquid starch and apply to the wall, trim as you would regular wallpaper. The best part is, when your ready to replace or remove it, it comes down very easily. Check out the DIY site for more help.