Can you paint over dark wallpaper

moved into new house . The bedroom has dark blue wallpaper.i think the Sheetrock underneath i wallpaper is bad condition. Afraid to take wallpaper off. Can I paint over wallpaper?
  6 answers
  • Marilyn Highley Marilyn Highley on Oct 06, 2013
    Is it possible to paint over wallpaper? Yes. Is it a good idea to paint over wallpaper? Probably not, but sometimes people are lucky and it works. If the wallpaper is in bad shape, painting over it will not hide the problems. It will probably take at least 2 coats, and the lumps, bumps, and irregularities will still show.
  • Diane Diane on Oct 08, 2013
    I have painted over wallpaper that was in good shape with no issues at all but recently decided to remove the wallpaper in my bath since there were a few loose corners. Plan on a lot of hours of work from removing the paper to skim coating all of the Sheetrock ..several coats..sanding, priming and finally painting. I have since discovered a wonderful product that seals the wallpaper and makes sure it does not release after painting. It is zinser Gardz. Remove any spots that are loose. You can spackle to smooth these out, then roll on the Gardz. It goes on clear, then you paint. Plan on using it also if you decide to remove paper and repair walls. Sorry just quick details but you can probably find detailed videos on you tube. Good luck whichever way you go.
  • Why do you think the sheetrock is bad? . You can also do another fix if the sheetrock is damaged from abuse and the wall paper is peeling~ that is to texturize the walls with light joint compound and a large putty knife and smooth on the joint compound which can be lightly applied just to give an orange peel texture or a wavy ruffled texture or any design you wave with the putty knife. I did this in a house that wall paper remover person literally tore the paper off the sheetrock, what a mess, so I textured the walls and painted it taupe/tan and it came out beautiful. There are options but wallpapering over damaged sheetrock is usually not done so I would investigate to make sure there is no serious issues going on.
  • Pauletteholdermiller2729 Pauletteholdermiller2729 on Oct 08, 2013
    I'm on a budget and i really need the price down. This wallpaper is from the 90's.i hate this room. You can't match any colors with it.if i could decorate where it looks nice i would keep wallpaper.any ideas.its a very dark green with a small red pin stripe in it. To me it's looks terrible.the room is not that large at all. Thanks for the help.
    • Postcards From the Ridge Postcards From the Ridge on Oct 08, 2013
      @Pauletteholdermiller2729 You should try to remove it if possible. It might not be a difficult as you think. Test it in an inconspicuous area with wallpaper remover. If it won't come down, you can paint it if you follow the right steps. If the paper has any texture or raised pattern, it will still be visible. If not, you can sand the seams if they overlap, or if there is a gap there then you can fill it in with spackling. Sand the spackling after it dries, then prime all of it with an acrylic primer (Benjamin Moore Aqua Lock), let that dry, then probably 2 coats of a flat or eggshell finish in your color of choice. Good luck!
  • Have you ever tried to remove wallpaper that is painted over? It is BRUTAL!!! I agree with Postcards From the Ridge. Try to remove a piece of wallpaper first. Try a corner or behind the bed where it won't be noticeably. Painting over the wallpaper would be a short-term solution but long-term when you want to change the design up again, you may wish you had removed the wallpaper and deal with the sheet rock issue instead.
  • Sue Sanders Sue Sanders on May 30, 2015
    If you first paint wallpaper with primer to block the color then when dry paint in the color you have chosen it should be okay.