Can I paint over wallpaper?
by
Nancy Carver
+2
I have textured wallpaper the has some age on it and was placed over horsehair plaster. I know that would be a mess to remove so I'd like to paint over it instead. What do I need to do to the paper first. Do I need to use special paint?
5 answers
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I painted the wallpaper in my laundry room , I used sparkling to fill any holes and I primed with sw oil base primer and then painted with a latex paint .
Doris
on Oct 01, 2014
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As long as the wallpaper is well adhered to the wall, it can be painted over. I have painted over wallpaper in a bathroom and over a decorative wallpaper border in a bedroom. It is not the best way to go but in my case, nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, I tried worked at getting it off. I can also see why you would prefer to paint over yours. For my walls, I just used a latex primer (to ensure the pattern/colors in the wallpaper didn't show through the paint), and then I used regular latex interior paint. I've heard where some people use something to fill the seams so they don't show but mine were tightly butted to each other with no gaps so that was a step I was able to skip.
Shari
on Oct 01, 2014
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Shari, you're a doll. Thanks so much for your help. Never gave the seams a thought.
Nancy Carver
on Oct 02, 2014
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I've painted over wallpaper that I tried to remove that came off in dime-sized pieces. So, I just used some lightweight sheetrock mud (spackle) to smooth over the raised areas so they didn't show and, in doing, ended up giving the wall a textured look. Not heavy and not even, but a random look sometimes called a "drag". The more random it looks, the better. Some walls can handle the heavy texture but you can also do it very lightly for a good look. Practice on a scrap piece of sheetrock or wood (my garage wall is my practice area) and get the look before you start. The good thing is you can scrape it off before it gets dry and start again if you don't like it. After I painted, I used a glaze with a dry brush method to lightly brush on a darker color ever-so lightly to bring out the raised areas. Best of luck, and remember no one is going to come into your house and look as closely as you will while you're working on it.
Janice
on Oct 02, 2014
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Janice, I appreciate your sound advice. The wallpaper is very textured and I'm sure it will be a textured paint look. And you're right about people taking a close look at the walls.
Nancy Carver
on Oct 03, 2014
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