When Is It Actually OK To Paint Over Wallpaper?

The wallpaper adorning your walls has come to its end. You’ve spent hours searching for ways to update your walls, and you may be wondering whether it’s OK to paint over wallpaper. The answer is as long as you’ve cleaned, repaired, and primed the area, you can go ahead and paint over the wallpaper. Some wallpaper is harder to peel off. If that’s the case for you, it’s better to learn how to paint over it instead of removing it.

Prep With the Right Gear

Grab the right gear before you start prepping. You’re going to work around different things, so it’s best to have the right tools to help protect yourself and your home. While at the store, make sure to pick up goggles to avoid getting paint into your eyes, and get a pack of good-quality face masks to prevent inhaling fumes. Make sure to wear long sleeves.

Find the Correct Primer

Shopping for the primer will be tricky, so inspect the wallpaper first to get an idea of what primer to buy. If you notice that the wallpaper is older, there may be a dangerous chemical hidden underneath called “sizing.”

Contractors used the sizing compound to block moisture from adhesives that touched the plaster. Once contractors used the sizing compound with the paint, it created creases, and the wallpaper fell off. If you paint right away, keep in mind that the glue shows through the paint. When glue shows through the wallpaper, this indicates that you need an oil or shellac-based primer.

Prepare the Walls

When prepping any space, ensure that you don’t get water on the surface, as it can create more problems later. Instead, use a damp cloth to remove dust and dirt from the wallpaper. Don’t forget to clear away cobwebs when working on corners.

Fix the Walls

If you find holes, cracks, or anything else wrong with the walls, get them fixed. By repairing things before painting, you avoid the home looking destroyed. If there are any loose pieces of wallpaper, trim them away to prevent them from looking like peeled paint.

Always Prime Before Painting

Now, you can prime your walls—or sit back and hire an interior house painting contractor Cumming, GA to prime everything for you. If you want to learn more about when to paint over wallpaper, contact your local painting servicer—they’re enthusiastic about every renovation project and want to team up with you. Questions like these are always welcome, and you should never shy away from asking.

It’s hard to believe, but you can paint over wallpaper, as long as you prime it correctly first. For additional help on painting your walls, hire Bear Mountain Custom Painting. Our painting team is a gold mine of knowledge waiting for your questions. Contact us and learn if you can paint over your wallpaper.