Painting Wallpaper: Can You? SHOULD You? (Watch This First!)
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- Опубліковано 11 гру 2021
- Painting Wallpaper: Can You? SHOULD You? (Watch This First!) Thinking of painting over old wallpaper? We'll help you decide if its the right thing to do, AND show you how to do it!
If you're watching this video, chances are you've found yourself between a rock and a hard place. You've got a room that's covered in wallpaper, and its time for a change. The question is, do you invest the time and effort it will undoubtedly take the remove said wallpaper...or can you just paint over it? This is a loaded question, no doubt- but fortunately, we're here to help you decide.
As a rule of thumb, its ALMOST ALWAYS BETTER TO REMOVE the wallpaper first. Most people know this, but if you've ever had the pleasure of attempting to remove wallpaper before, then you'll know how difficult it can be (and how almost every time, it will require at least SOME remediation to get the walls back to square one again).
If you find yourself in a position in which you'd rather try your luck with painting over your wallpaper instead of removing it (gasp!), there's a few tips we can give you (like how to hide the seams) to help ensure you're successful- and if you do it right, no one will ever know there's wallpaper under there at all!
Looking for more 'infotainment' from the Refresh guys? Follow the links below for more DIY-friendly home renovation tips, as well as tons of satisfying, easy to watch videos on our other social media pages!
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Your corner painting is amazing
What I liked is that nothing is ez..always something doesn't go as planned
And to figure it out is gold...
Good job 😊
I used water based had no issues. That oil base is nasty AF to use indoors.
You guys did an amazing job. And for everyone saying it would have been easier removing the paper. Not always true lol. I’d still rather do it this way.
I am really amazed at what a steady hand you have! Great job painting between the walls and the ceiling 👌
Thank you! Cheers!
Marvellous! You have a very steady hand, you glided through painting those creases & around the frames. Well done, great job!
Thanks! All it takes is a little practice👍 we’ve also got a few tutorials on how WE like to paint on our page, like this one here 👉 Stop Making This Painting Mistake! (Why Cutting Like a 'Pro' Might Not Be The Best Way To Paint)
ua-cam.com/video/XRJogMNI3xU/v-deo.html)
I needed this video as guidance… what do you suggest to do for a room where I’ve partly removed some wallpaper and decided to just prime and paint instead..? How do I properly skim coat the areas where the papers been removed for even smooth finish with the area that hasn’t been removed ? TIA
Glad i came across your page, thanks a million. 😊
Happy to help!
I put water based paint on the wall and yep it’s bubbling underneath the paper. Lesson learned.
Sorry! 🥲
You’re cutting in 🤗🥰, I could watch all day …. Mine 😳still practicing I’m 60 and just about to start my final renovation fingers crossed.
Take care x
That’s very kind! If you’re interested we have a couple of videos on our page about our method of cutting in that might be helpful 👍
@@RefreshHomeImprovements thanks will definitely be checking them out x
Incredible, like an art! Thanks for sharing your video that I learn a lot! Great Job!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Our pleasure 😉👍
Absolutely beautiful! 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Wow, thanks! 😎
I think I'll strip the paper! Loved watching you cutting in though, try as I might, I always get a splodge!
Sounds like you got the message 👍 Thanks for the compliment, we’ve got some tips for painting the way we do here 👉 ua-cam.com/video/PSKuO30MX-E/v-deo.html
Great job! Now, I can feel confident to do my backsplash🙌
That’s awesome! Let us know how it goes 👍
Absolutely! When I do it I will get back to you. In looking at the seams, I perceive they are close together and won’t need to fill them. 🤗
This looks great!!
Thank you so much for this video. We have just done it our room and it looks amazing
Wonderful!
what is your paint topcoat mate?
the brand the selecone you used on the corner?
Fantastic job!
Thanks!
Answered all my questions - nice one.
Excellent!
Wowwwww ! This looks amazing. Any chance you guys want to come to Erie, PA 😂
I want to paint a small dining room that is wallpapered. It's been up 25+ years and am worried if I take the paper down it will cause damage to the dry wall. Had 2 bathrooms remodeled and when the contractor started to take the paper off he said it damaged the dry wall and would be easier to just put up all new dry wall. He didn't charge more to do that but maybe it easier for him to install new dry wall then to remove the old wall paper. I will have some seems to plaster over.
Thanks so much for this video. I just closed on a house that will be a rental. The wall paper in the kitchen is painted and i can clearly see the seems. I'm considering just mudding the seems then paint. I don't want to spend a lot of time on it but want it to look good.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for sharing. I have no experience painting home. I am moving into an apartment next month, there is the wallpaper on the wall, I don't like that wallpaper.
I want to paint on the wall.
This video was definitely educational. Thank you
Happy to help!
Great video and great painting job! I had a contractor who decided that putting in new sheet rock would be easier than removing the wallpaper that had been there for so many years, so that’s what we did. Now I have 2 more rooms to go. One has foil wallpaper and another appears to be vinyl. Will this work for these types of wallpapers?
I appreciate you getting right to the point in your video and not wasting my time by dragging on and on like so many do nowadays.
Thanks for the kind words! We always find it interesting to hear how many different ways there are to solve a problem. In response to your question, we’re not very familiar with foil wallpaper- but theoretically it should work on any wallpaper. The solvent based primer essentially gives you a new canvas to work with (‘sealing’ the wallpaper and providing a good bonding surface for new paint). Just remember that painting over it will not get rid of any bumps/seams/imperfections in the wallpaper. The easiest way to know for sure is to test it on a small area and see for yourself👍
Great Video! Can you tell me the name of the tube thing you use after the Primer and also the brand name of the Grey Paint you use please?
Could you add texture to the paint? like sand so its not as noticeable for the seams?
Wondering if those seams need to be taped? Since its superficial maybe it wont crack?
What do u level the seams with, like what type of filler?
Looks amazing, thank you
You’re very welcome!
Would killz
mold and mildew primer work as well ???
I have an older house with old wallpaper I was thinking of just fixing the messed up parts and just painting over it and making life just a little easier.
We totally hear that 👍
Looks great. I have one small corner that has a peeling piece of wallpaper. Any advice for how to get it sticking down before I put my primer.
You can stick it down with wallpaper adhesive. But if some is falling off it might be a sign to do it right and remove all the wallpaper👍
Thanks for the great video! I’m looking for a way around removing the wallpaper so this was helpful. Question: could I spackle and sand the wallpaper seams before I put the priming paint on or should I do it like you did- after the primer and first coat.
Thanks!!
I am no expert on this but it is possible that the primer and first coat will show the imperfections clearly, and will protect the wallpaper during sanding.
I'm going to give this a try, thanks for the vid!
Awesome, let us know how it goes!
I absolutely love how this came out. I just bought a home and the entire home has wallpaper. I was wondering to do. I am very worried about how this is going to come out.
It’s almost always better just to remove the wallpaper- but don’t forget, you can test out what it will look like by priming and painting a section of your wallpaper first. Then decide if it looks good enough, or if you should remove it 👍
Same here! Whole house
@@feliciau3368 Our house also🤣
I close in two days on a wallpaper house and I’m a nervous wreck about it, but y’all make me feel a little better about it 😅🤣
@@mirandarouleau1450 don’t be, you’ve got options 👍. We’d recommend picking a smaller room with wallpaper and trying to remove it first (remember, you’re almost always better off removing it… it just sucks 😂). If it’s an absolute nightmare, at least it’s only one room and you’ll know what it would take to do the rest. At that point you can decide if you’d rather just paint it. It’s also possible the wallpaper removes more easily than you expected, so keep that in mind too 😎
Looks amazing
Thanks!
Thank you! I have wallpaper backsplash. I used a steamer and the wallpaper came right off but the backing stuck like glue to the matte paint. Wetting and scraping didn’t work and sanding helps but it will take many hours to get it off. I had the idea I could shellac it to seal it off. I found your video and that’s exactly what I will do. However since the sander is out I’ll use it to smooth those lines prepainting.
Windex and a scraper will get the backing glue right off
Is the paint your using water based? I know the primer is not.
Great job 👏
Appreciate it!
I noticed the seam of the wallpaper was showing in one shot. Is this primer heavy enough to fill in the seam or should a skim coat of sheetrock mud be applied? and if so, should it be applied before or after the primer?
never mind. i opened my mouth before i finished the vid.
😂 was just about to let you know👍 hope that answered your questions!
I m in Australia as a printer..I m going to buy Solomon base ...can u send the full details about that base...pls
I tried to get off old wallpaper and just gave up after a brutally slow process of using many different techniques to remoe about 6-7 sq ft of it. Can I use Solvent based primer to cover that area up as well, successfully? Thank you for a great video.
You could, but you’ll more than likely be able to see the areas you removed the paper still. In order to get back to where you started, you’ll probably have to prime, then skim coat the areas you removed the paper, and then prime it again. Not an enjoyable predicament to be in- but if you’ve decided removing the rest is not an option, you could give this a shot. Best of luck 👍
This video was very helpful for me!!
I recently moved into a 1920 house and every room has different wallpaper!!
Should I just do what you did?
The wallpaper was put up 25-30 years ago…
Happy we could be of service! How is the wallpaper holding up? Is it peeling in the corners? We always suggest at least attempting to remove it before deciding to paint over it (sometimes it’s easier to remove than expected…sometimes 😂). If the paper is still well adhered, and you follow the steps in the video, you should be ok to give it a shot. Also, if you hate it, you could always remove the wallpaper after you’ve painted it too 😉 👍
be careful for asbestos or lead.
Great job!! ❤
Thanks!
@@RefreshHomeImprovements You are welcome 🤗
Hey great video. I suggest you invest in a wireless mic with a beltpack so people can hear you so much better. It's not too expensive to set up and your results will make your videos so much better!
Great suggestion (so much so that we did just that 😉). Hopefully you’ll notice an improvement in our newer videos 👍
Does this only work with plain, traditional wallpaper? I'm thinking specifically about the part where you scraped the seams. This old wallpaper in my living room seems to almost have a texture or weave to it.
Great question! We almost always recommend removing textured wallpaper rather than painting it. Unless you like the look of the texture with paint over it, you’ll spend more time smoothing out the texture than you would simple removing it 👍
@@RefreshHomeImprovements Here in the UK we buy textured paper to paint over, have painted over textured paper many times, no problem
How would you remove heany nicotine stains from the wallpaper before painting with the primer (Binz)? If we use the standard TSP, I'm concerned it will reactivate the glue.
That’s exactly what we did here! The oil primer also sealed and covered years of nicotine stains from this being an old cigar room. We didn’t clean it before or anything.
wow, super steady hand! no tape needed!
😉 👍
Have a manufactured home with vinyl type walk paper firmly attached it's sheet rock. No bubbles and nicely smooth but hate the pattern. Have you painted over that type of wall paper?
Can’t say we have. But the same principals should apply. Your issues may be with adhesive of the primer. Maybe do a test area first?
I am thinking of painting over the wallpaper in my son's room. The wallpaper only goes up half the wall from the floor with a border around it at the top. There is a lip around the top and bottom of the border. It is in good shape and very stuck on the wall. Do you think joint compound will leave too much of a hump if I try to mud over the top and bottom of the border seam (border is around 6" wide)? You can hardly feel the seams if running your hand around the wall, but the border seams are quite pronounced. Also, would I just prime the part of the wall that has wallpaper or the whole wall which is painted on top? Steps would be prime (oil based) , repair holes, mud seams, sand and then paint right? Any advice you can give me would be appreciated. The wallpaper is in good shape and is very glued to the wall.
Sounds like you’ve got the gist of it 👍. I would definitely try to scrape the seam after you’ve primed it (as I’ve done in this video) to remove as much of the lip as you can. After that it’s just a matter of feathering out the mud far enough so that the ‘hump’ becomes a longer raised section that is undetectable to the eye. It’s essentially the same thing as taping a butt joint in drywall. There will technically always be a raised area because of the tape, but if you feather it out far enough, you’ll never see it. I would mention that there is a limit to how big of a hump you can disguise though. So if your border is very pronounced you might try removing that section instead of painting over it. You need to decide which task you’d rather spend time doing- removing wallpaper or priming and mudding wallpaper seams. Both are laborious, but if you’re going to spend a lot of time hiding seams, it’s worth considering just removing the wallpaper instead. Of the two methods, you’ll likely get better results with removing the wallpaper altogether (but we know that sucks 😞). As for the section without wallpaper, we’d say you only need to prime it if the color change will be drastic and the priming stage gets you closer to your final color choice 👍
@@RefreshHomeImprovements Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I think I may take your advice and try removing the border and see how that goes on a small section of the wall. I don't have experience with mudding so it could turn into a big mess. Wish me luck!
Great cutting in! What’s your cutting in brush of choice. Looks great!
Thanks! For razor sharp lines, we like the Wooster Extra Firm 2.5 inch the best. The drawback of this brush is that it doesn’t leave as much paint on the wall. For a great brush that also applies a nice coat and leaves a crisp line, we go with the Corona Cortez Tynex/Orel 2.5”. We’ve got some videos on brush selection and how to paint in our playlist here (if you’re interested) 👉 ua-cam.com/play/PL66cwKx1YOgvJwRIWuZd2WopPPXAj5yBp.html
I think I would just take the wallpaper off, looked like a pain in the ass!
How many labor hours total for this process?
Thanks for the video. Do you know if the primer make the wallpaper and paint stick on for a long time or does painting over wallpaper always increase the chances of it flaking off in say 10-20 years?
Not sure we really have the answer to that question. Painting the wallpaper shouldn’t really hurt or help the adhesion in the long run.
@@RefreshHomeImprovements Yeah i guess its a tricky question, but yeah it probably will stick with the primer... Thanks for the reply
Did you use an oil based paint on the wall too or a water based paint like latex?
oil based primer with a latex top coat 👍
just in time! this may solve my issue, where my wallpaper is pretty caked on, but I wonder how long this will last? Do you risk having the wallpaper start peeling off eventually? What if I textured on top of wallpaper, then primed, then painted? this is great!
If you follow the steps in this video, your wallpaper wont being peeling any faster than it would on its own. HOWEVER, if you’re going to go through all that effort to texture, prime and paint your wallpaper, we’d ask, would it really be that much harder to just remove it? When in doubt you’re always better to remove it first. If you can’t, or simply dont want to invest the time, seal the wallpaper with a solvent based primer and it essentially becomes a blank canvas (albeit a wallpapered canvas 😂).
I wonder what would happen if you did a textured finish over the wallpaper instead of just smooth like say a knockdown finish to hide the seams better?
We imagine it would be even better (since the seams/texture of the wall paper is the biggest obstacle you face when painting over it) 👍
@@RefreshHomeImprovements so the paper was textured? I would have thought you couldn’t make a textured paper become flat just by painting it?
After you use the solvent based primer can you use regular paint ?
Yep, you can 👍
Can you please tell me each of the products you used? is the gray paint a oil base or flat?
Sure! The white paint we used first is an alkyd based primer by Zinsser caller B-I-N 2, it’s designed to seal stains and block odours (be warned it has a very strong odour of its own while painting). The top coat we used is Benjamin Moore Aura in a matte finish (you definitely don’t need to go with such an expensive top coat here- we wanted to colour match a farrow and ball colour, and you get a better depth of colour with aura). We used Benjamin Moore advance in a pearl finish on the wainscoting 👍
@@RefreshHomeImprovements I've heard good things about zinsser. Is it similar to kilz, and I have one room where the wallpaper was actually adhered to plywood in areas instead of plaster. Thinking of doing this method but worried about having spots that are paper and spots that are bare plaster as it may look uneven. Ever done this before? I figured a good sand on the remaining uneven areas some zinsser or kills and paint would at least make it decent
Nice job!!! Is that Oil base primer that you used?
We used B-I-N here which I believe is a shellac-based primer by Zinsser 👍
Did you use flat paint or semi gloss?. Guy at Lowes sold me a 50.00 can of flat paint for my kitchen. Said it would be a 1 and done coat no primer needed. He lied it looks hideous.
I was going to return it for semi gloss but after watching your video I think I need to go over this coat of yellow with primer. I didn't know there was wall paper underneath until I started removing smoke detector and wall covers
Would this work in a camper? Thanks for the video very helpful
theoretically 👍 If the wallpaper is still stuck to the walls, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Couple of questions. Is it best to mud the seams before primer, after or after painting. Secondly, should i use tape also or is just using the mud enough? Thanks!
Drywall tape can’t hurt but it would make a bigger bump and probably it’s necessary. Defintely fill after oil based primer. The moisture in the compound could cause bubbling without primer first
@@RefreshHomeImprovements thanks so much!
It turned out so pretty, what color blue did you use
The colour is called Down Pipe No. 26 by Farrow and Ball (this is a colour match in Benjamin Moore Aura though 👍).
Nice job. Was your primer water or oil based?
We recommend using a solvent/oil based primer for this application 👍
which color, used for paint that, wall i like ,the color ,which paint brand, thanks
The color is called ‘Down Pipe No. 26’ by Farrow and Ball (this is a colour match in Benjamin Moore Aura though 👍)
What color did you go with on the walls?
Hello , where can i buy the primer in that brand? Any local store?
You’ll find it in any big box store (and most hardware stores too)👍
The question is what kind do you use to make it scratch resistant. That's the issue I've found. Anything scratched the paint off
Interesting! Did you prime with a solvent based primer first? That stuff is generally a ‘reset’ button for any surface. New paint seems to love bonding to it, in our experience.
So what primer do I use? What paint do I use.
Oil base primer or water base primer? What paint can I use? Oil or water? For wall paper
Oil based for the primer for sure! Then you should be good to go with whatever you’d like👍
@@RefreshHomeImprovements when you say whatever paint I like , can it be waterbase or what does it have to be oil base finish too?
Thanks for the content✊🏾 solvent primer✅ is the shellac base zinsser okay to use or any other Home Depot brand!?!? Does the paint need to be solvent based also!?Thanks bruh
That would be totally fine- you just don’t want to use a water based primer initially (the water could cause the adhesive in the wallpaper to fail and start peeling). Once its primed with a solvent based primer, its ‘sealed’ and you should be able to paint over it with any type of paint you choose 👍
@@RefreshHomeImprovements my man i appreciate cha 🙏🏾
How long does it take an oil-based primer to dry
Depends on the brand but you can typically coat it after a few hours👍
Any other primer can i use sir?
You can use any solvent based primer. You might be able to get away with a water based primer, but we’d recommend testing it in a small area before you cover the whole wall 👍
Would this work if you can’t paint in home and you want to can I just put in plain wallpaper and then paint over it?
hmm, not sure we understand your question?
What color paint did you use?
The color is called ‘Down Pipe No. 26’ by Farrow and Ball (this is a colour match in Benjamin Moore Aura though 👍)
Holy Moly!! This looks amazing!! Is it possible to cover wallpaper with a lighter color than what you used?
Sure! The primer selection is probably more important than the top coat colour in terms of coverage- but you should be able to cover it with any colour (might just take a few coats). Keep in mind that if the wallpaper has a sheen or texture, those things are harder to conceal than colour alone 👍
I have been painting over wallpaper for nearly 50 years, have never used a primer neither was one recommended use a vinyl silk or matt , usually 2 coats [Dulux or Crown paint]
Good to know, thanks! 👍
What would you suggest if your wallpaper has text?
Solvent based primers (like B-I-N) usually have high hiding capabilities to cover stains etc. which should give you as good a chance as possible to prevent the text from showing through. It might require two coats, but when in doubt always follow the directions on the can 👍
Would you suggest to clean the walls first if so what would you use?
I read that using a cup of white vinegar with water on a rag to clean the wallpaper first
@@brendabrown-williams2861 thank tou
What is the name of the final color?
The color is called ‘Down Pipe No. 26’ by Farrow and Ball (this is a colour match in Benjamin Moore Aura though 👍)
Could someone tell me what he was doing at 3:03 ?
We are caulking the casing/wall transition so there’s no cracks👍
Moral of this video: Remove wallpaper.
You’re not wrong 😂
No close up of the patched seams? lol
There’s nothing to see. It just looks like the rest of the dark walls👍
This looks absolutely amazing but something tells me they could have had the wall paper removed and then had it painted and probably spent about the same amount of money
It's certainly a possibility! Sometimes you get lucky, and the wallpaper comes off more easily than expected- but sometimes you get the opposite, and end up having to skim coat the whole room anyways (we've had both many times). We just want to make sure people know they have options 👍
Sometimes you can but not always. Sometimes trying to remove correctly the wallpaper will cause to damage the sheet rock and create new imperfections to the wall, that requires more and more time
Thats all great if the paper is not a mess
I recently moved into a university dorm and they have Wallpapers which are terrible and dirty I wanted to paint them but they all say to me that if I do it they will come off...
It wont if you follow the steps in this video (assuming it’s not falling off already)👍 The key is using a solvent based primer (not water based).
I am the worst painter ever! I tried to paint with a roller and brush, and it came out blotchy, then I tried to paint with a textured roller. That didn't work, now Ihave painted the bathroom door blue and I am putting white blotches on it. So now that it is a design, I have to paint the wallpaper. I forgot I am suppose to use primer..
Oh no! Sorry to hear that 😕
Oh wow how can he do that without tapes😮?
👍 Learn our secrets here 👉 ua-cam.com/video/PSKuO30MX-E/v-deo.html
1:20 solvent based primer
5:42 hmmm
🤔 ?
It looks good because you used a dark color to hide everything. As a professional contractor I don’t recommend doing this 😂
You bring up a very good point 👍. We typically dont recommend doing this either (as stated in the video)- we just wanted to point out that you CAN do it (and if you’re going to, how to give you the best chance at success). Thanks for the input
@@RefreshHomeImprovements Does look good though 👍🏻
Why wouldn’t you recommend doing it? Just curious
👍👍🌹🌹
😉
BIN is $75 a gallon right about now...
doesn’t have to be BIN, just make sure its an oil/solvent based primer 👍
Just slap it with oil based paint ...lol
Noooooo
It looks good from a distance, but if you look close up they look like shit.
Not necessarily. We know what you mean, but it depends on the wallpaper and the room 👍
The primer is a shellac, its HARSH on your eyes, nose, everything! You need a better mask for sure!
👍
Color too dark. Otherwise great job. What a hideous amount of work
😂 and that’s WITHOUT removing the wallpaper 🤯
Would like to hire you to paint the inside of my very old house!
👍😉