Have you ever painted over wallpaper and how did it work out?

Question

My dad gave me a home before he died. Its a very old house where I grew up and I am not sure how much money to pour into it. I am thinking about using a can of semi gloss paint to paint this spare bedroom a very minty colored green and put some minty colored plaid curtains up over the windows with some very brightly colored border.
I am not sure about painting over the old wallpaper. Its not peelable. My parents put up drywall and they put the wallpaper on the drywall without painting 1st, so as you can imagine its stuck.
How will it look when I get done?

Answer 1

If the wallpaper is not loose you will be fine but I would not paint the wll with semi gloss Semi gloss will show every imperfection on the wall. And if it is a old house there is probably a lot even with the wallpaper on the wall. I would go to the Nearest Walmart and get a can of eggshell or satin latex wall paint . It will be washable and durable without all that shine of semi gloss. A gallon of paint at Walmart a good brand like Kilz or Dutch Boy will cost about 20.00 a gallon That will do a large room . .If the paper is a light color you should only need to do one coat of paint . I hope that this helps. Happy redecorating

Answer 2

I've painted over wallpaper many times at my job. Taking wallpaper down is less fun than putting it up and it's no fun at all to put up. So...wash the walls first, I use a quarter cup of Tide laundry detergent in about 2 gallons of water. The Tide cuts grease and dirt pretty good and you don't have to rinse it off like some other soaps. Then go ahead and paint :-)
The finished look is actually kinda nice because wallpaper has a little bit of texture to it, so that comes through and gives the walls a little texture.
Depending on the color of the wallpaper, you might need a couple coats of paint to hide any patterns in it.
I'd also consider an "eggshell" paint rather than a semi gloss, I used a semi gloss once and was a little disappointed with how glossy it actually was.
Have fun!

Primer wouldn't hurt, but I personally have never used it. I just use a good quality latex paint.

Answer 3

Is the paper still tight to the wall? If so, put a coat of primer paint over it all. It is best to have it tinted the same color as the final coat will be. Semi gloss paint will show all the imperfections in the wall if there are any (old house-there are). A flat paint hides things the best. Look for the phrase "scrubbable" if you decide for flat paint. If the paper is not tight, is pulling off in places, or bubbles up a bit after the prime coat, glue the edges down tight again or cut out pieces and fill with spackle. Really obvious seams can even be taped and spackled like new drywall seams if necessary. The right primer paint dries pretty fast, like maybe 2 hours. Don't hesitate to put up two coats of it if necessary to cover the pattern of the original paper. Be sure to put primer on any spackle work after you sand it all smooth. The result of it all should be just fine.

Answer 4

Have you tried Diff and/or a cat scratcher to remove the wallpaper?
You really should take it off. You risk making more work for yourself later. Also, as many have said, I wouldn't paint walls with semi-gloss. That is primarily for trim. It is too glossy and will look bad, showing roller/brush marks (especially if there is an exterior window in the room). I recommend an eggshell finish. It's not totally flat and doesn't reflect light nearly as much as semi.. Good luck!

Answer 5

Our residing house has like 5 layers of tangible wallPAPER in approximately each room, and as quickly as we pulled it down in one room, 0.5 of the plaster got here with it, so we desperate by no potential returned! we've papered over maximum rooms, yet we painted over wallpaper interior the hallway. It basically appears like gray wallpaper now. you may see the seams, regrettably. whether it is solid sufficient for my residing house! My MIL swears with the aid of the recent textured wallpapers that look like a faux end. The seams do no longer take place to different wallpapers can, and the end of them is rather forgiving of irregularities interior the exterior. while you at the instant are not averse to doing extra wallpaper, i think of those are a thank you to circulate by way of fact it is not an exact flower or something which will look dated.

Answer 6

Should not be a problem.

Avoid gloss or semigloss paints on your walls.

I have a victorian that someone had covered the orig wallpaper with plywood paneling. When the plywood was removed, lovely antique wallpaper appeared, but of course was damaged. I painted over it, but left one diamond shaped area unpainted and put a frame around it. It shows off an undamaged section of the orig. wallpaper and makes a nice accent in that room.

Answer 7

I have painted over wallpaper many times. If the wallpaper is in good shape, painting shouldn't be a problem. I like the color plans you have for your spare bedroom. Good luck!

Answer 8

You could sponge paint on top . We did´t this with emulsion paint . Cut a sponge in half dip in the paint and press against the wall . We were surprised how nice it turned out when we finished, and the good thing is cheep but very cheerful and everybody can help

Answer 9

My advice would be to apply a light texture first, then paint a primer before you go with the color coat.

What you are risking is the paper peeling off in places taking the paint with it. But if it's stuck, as you say, you should be fine.

Even if you don't texture, apply a coat of primer first.

Answer 10

if you dont want to take the wallpaper off, then you must wash and prime the walls first. the only way your going to run into a problem is if your wallpaper starts to peel and take the paint with it.