4
Can we talk about painting over wallpaper instead of stripping it?
I spent 3 days last month trying to strip old wallpaper in my hallway and gave up. Buddy of mine says just prime and paint over it, but I'm worried it'll bubble up in 6 months. Anyone tried this and had it hold up long term?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
riverh491mo ago
@paige_owens5 nailed it. Primer and seam sealing is key, just did my kitchen over wallpaper and it's holding great.
7
charles_young921mo ago
Our hallway took me 4 hours just to get half the paper off before I rage-quit and called it good enough. So I totally feel you, it's one of those jobs that sounds simple but turns into a nightmare (kind of like assembling furniture from IKEA, except stickier). I went ahead and primed over the rest with a stain-blocking primer after sanding the shiny coating, and it's been 8 months now with no bubbling. @riverh49 is right on the money about seam sealing, I used a thin layer of joint compound on the edges before priming and that extra step made all the difference. The bigger thing I've noticed is that half the time our "quick DIY solutions" actually last longer than the "proper way" because we prep better out of fear of a screw up, you know? Long story short, if you prime right and hit those seams, you'll be fine for years.
2
paige_owens51mo ago
Three days of wallpaper stripping sounds like my version of slow torture, so I totally get giving up. I painted over some seriously ugly floral wallpaper in my bathroom about two years ago and it's still holding up fine. Just make sure you use a good quality primer first and sand down any shiny spots or loose edges. The trick is to seal those seams really well so moisture can't sneak in and bubble everything later.
1