How do I paint the area that never was painted in 20 years?

Lydia
by Lydia

It has torn wallpaper too.

wall area never painted . rest of kitchen is pink .

paper is torn.

what to do??? inexpensively

  11 answers
  • Bonnie Sereda- Blair Bonnie Sereda- Blair on Apr 05, 2019

    Prime with an oil base primer. After that you can use latex or oil paint.

    If you run your hand over the wall and you feel imperfections you will see them. So sand them down smooth before any painting.p


  • Gathered In The Kitchen Gathered In The Kitchen on Apr 05, 2019

    Are you painting over wallpaper? If so, I would suggest sanding down any rough spots or areas that the wallpaper has torn like you said. Use spackle to fill in any areas with a putty knife and then re-sand with a fine grit sandpaper.

    Definitely prime the area before painting or use a paint that also has a primer in it.

  • Kelli L. Milligan Kelli L. Milligan on Apr 05, 2019

    Remove the wallpaper for a better job, looks like old paper, should come off easily with wallpaper remover with hot water and spray on with bug sprayer or spray bottle .Scrape off with wide putty knife, then wash down wall. Prime, then paint.


  • Little karen Little karen on Apr 05, 2019

    The paper is old sheet rock paper. Put a thin layer of sheet rock mud over it and sand. You will have to have the patch area a little larger to fill in properly. Prime the area and paint.

  • Bonnie Bonnie on Apr 05, 2019

    Little karen is right. That's not wallpaper, it's the paper that covers the drywall/sheetrock. Here's a link that describes how to repair and prep it for painting:

    https://homeguides.sfgate.com/fix-torn-drywall-facing-36949.html

  • Raven 9751 Raven 9751 on Apr 05, 2019

    Bonnie has the right link and answer. The only way to go.

  • Kelly Kelly on Apr 05, 2019

    Trim back the torn paper, use sheetrock mud and patch and sand. Mix some sheetrock mud with your primer and mix really well. This will help texture the bare sheetrock. You can use this mixture to paint the whole room. It will make your walls look like new. Paint with your chosen color for the next coat. It will look great.

  • Em Em on Apr 05, 2019

    Peel the loose paper back or trim with a utility knife so you don't rip a much bigger slice. Cover with spackling or joint compound, sand and / or smooth edges well with a damp rag. Use a primer on the sheet rock since it will absorb your top coat and gobble it up wasting expensive paint. Give the whole wall two coats and don't try to spread the paint thin to cover.

  • Oberlinmom Oberlinmom on Apr 05, 2019

    The other area you want to look at is the part that has been painted. Layers of old paint have probably changed the texture of the wall. Possibly created an edge between the painted and unpainted areas. You'll want to sand and feather out the edges. When you prime the unpainted area, it may need several coats to create a surface close to the other old painted surface.

  • William William on Apr 07, 2019

    Bonnie has it. Easy DIY. That is what I have always done. Peel any loose paper. Thin layer of no shrink drywall patching compound. Sand smooth, prime, and paint.

  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Apr 08, 2019

    Do NOT peel the paper! Use a utility knife to cut all the loose areas away, being careful not to cut deeply into the drywall. If you peel the paper, you could end up pulling a whole bunch more off that you want up there.


    Take the outlet cover off before you begin so you can repair around that also.


    Then, proceed as others have said. I would suggest you use a sanding block, not just sandpaper in your hand, so the wall ends up as flat as possible. I would also suggest you get a pack of drywall sanding mesh screen rather than sandpaper. They do a fabulous job and it's much quicker than using sandpaper. You'll find them in the paint department alongside sandpaper most likely, unless they're with drywall mud.