When to remove wallpaper vs when to paint over it?

Wallpaper removal job where the paper was too tight to remove so it was painted over.

It is a very common request for our customers to ask us to remove wallpaper from their home. Whether they are looking to replace the outdated aesthetics or the wallpaper is no longer adhering to the walls and has begun peeling. At Rankin Painting  we are well versed on the process for removing wallpaper. On the job in the video above our customer wanted the wallpaper removed from the walls within their home. However, upon inspecting the paper we saw that the paper was not going to come off without a fight. Ultimately the decision was made to paint over it rather than damaging the walls trying to remove it. This process was fully discussed with our customer and once it was approved we began our work. Firstly, all the seams were scraped back until the paper was tight. It is imperative that the wallpaper must be tight to the wall and any loose sections be scraped. Following that the remainder of the surfaces were inspected to find any remaining loose areas which were promptly scraped as well. Then an oil based primer was used to seal the paper to the wall and create a barrier so that it may be painted over with latex paint. It is important to know you can not paint over wallpaper with latex paint without sealing it first. This will cause the paper to bubble and create an absolute nightmare for you. Then a skim coat of joint compound was used to reface the walls and remove the texture you would see from the wallpaper. The joint compound was sanded and then finish coats of paint were applied. As you can see in the video from the skim coat to the finish coats the floors were covered with rosin paper and tarps always ensuring the customer's floors were protected.

The process of painting over wallpaper is not always recommended and is not applicable on every job. Most of the time wallpaper can be removed without having to seal and paint over it. If your home has plaster walls typically the paper, backing, and glue can be removed and treated easily. If your walls are drywall as long as the walls were primed and painted prior to wallpaper installation typically the paper will come off easily as well. All of these observations are made during our free estimates and options are discussed with our customers and then laid out within our estimate prior to us starting their project. If a project is started and we discover that the paper can't be removed or doing so is going to damage your walls then these concerns will be fully discussed with our customer as well. Our goal while completing your project is to keep you fully informed a long the way and no decision will ever be made without our customer's approval.

So with all that being said when do we remove wallpaper? We will remove wallpaper when we can insure that the paper will come off without damaging your walls. Minor damages to drywall (dings, dents, and gouges) are expected. Plaster walls with their harder surface don't typically suffer the minor damages that drywall walls do. The process for removing the wallpaper in these cases is pretty straight forward. A combination of scoring the paper, using a pump sprayer filled with hot water, a mixture of water and vinegar or wallpaper removal solution, or a steamer will be used to reactivate and loosen the glue to scrape the paper and backing off. Then we will repair any minor damages to the walls with joint compound and prime the surface. Then lastly, we apply 2 coats of finish paint of your choosing.

When do we avoid removing the wallpaper and go with the methods discussed above for painting over the wallpaper? When we inspect the paper and see that the paper is too tight to the walls. Also some designs and material of wallpaper result in a situation where the paper can't be removed successfully without damaging the walls. As stated above sometimes these discoveries are made after being on the job and can't be made without attempting removal first. In these cases our customer will be promptly notified and our initial plan of removing the paper will be changed with their approval.

If you are looking to have your wallpaper removed or are wondering how much it would cost to do so please do not hesitate to call or request a free estimate from us. Here at Rankin Painting we have over 50+ years of cumulative experience and will gladly answer any questions you have.