Sometimes when we are in the process of choosing to paint and wallpaper the interior of our homes, it becomes necessary to choose from certain rooms — to keep using wallpaper in the room, or to try to remove the wallpaper before painting it.
Some say that this choice is not necessary and that there are methods we can employ to paint over wallpaper.
Of course, the idea of not having to remove the wallpaper prior to removing it is undoubtedly ideal because the process of removing wallpaper is tedious enough that if it is possible to avoid doing it, it will save many hours that can be spent doing other things.
With this being the case, let’s look at and consider if you can paint over wallpaper?
What Is Lurking Under Your Wallpaper?
Depending on the age of your home and how much renovation has been done to it, there may be more than one layer of wallpaper there, so you have to consider if you will have a troublesome task ahead of you if you want to remove the wallpaper.
A thing to bear in mind is how long you are planning on living in the home — if you are going to be in the home where you are living for a long period of time or if you are instead thinking that you will be moving in the next couple of years or even sooner.
If you aren’t looking to move any time soon, you might want to reconsider if you’re going to paint over your wallpaper as it might be better, in the long run, to remove the wallpaper prior to painting the walls fully.
If, on the other hand, you don’t have long term aspirations for living in your home, it may be just as well that you paint over the wallpaper — it is possible to do it if you take certain precautions first.
Preparing To Paint Wallpaper
Start by caulking (with clear caulk) the place where the wallpaper meets up with the ceiling and the floor to keep the wallpaper from coming up after you have painted it.
Next, you will use spackle (if the surface of the wallpaper is unusually textured) to get the surface that you’ll be painting sufficiently smooth.
Sand the walls such that the primer that you will be applying will also go on smoothly.
The Painting Process
You will then want to use an oil-based primer to prime the surface and have it ready for the paint, whether one or two coats will ultimately be applied.
There are water-based primers out there, but those are the primers you want to avoid when you are painting over wallpaper as the combination of water and wallpaper is asking for a messy disaster.
This is because using a water-based primer is, in a sense, a way that you’ll be able to get the wallpaper off of the wall, as the water will loosen the glue and release the wallpaper from the wall.
Lastly, you will, of course, need to take your oil-based paint of choice and apply the first coat and then give it time to dry.
One of the mistakes people make when painting is not to let the paint dry prior to painting the second coat.
When you do this, the paint roller will not only improperly put the second coat of paint on. It will most likely pull up parts of the first coat that did not dry thoroughly.
At PaintPro, we never compromise on quality and following through with the “little details” is what sets us apart. Lets us know how we can help, and we’ll work up a customized estimate for your Austin painting needs. For more information on interior painting services in Austin, call us today — 512-774-4508 or by e-mail — contact@paintpro.co
