Painting wallpaper

Now that I think I've worked this forum thingy out I'll put this in the right place :-

We just bought a '62 brick veneer home and all but 2 rooms have wallpaper. We WILL take it off walls in bathroom and loo but the rest is in such good condtition we were going to paint over it.
So have I got this right. Sugar soap it, spak fill joins etc, use an acrylic based undercoat and paint with a textured roller (sorry but how is this different from a normal roller?)
Would we need to lightly sand the paper before using gap filler or undercoat?
What are the chances of the paper lifting once painted?
I'm of the mind that if it hasn't budged yet, it very well may never.
Any further suggestions would be great.
Cheers

I would remove the wallpaper everywhere as long term wise it's worth doing the job properly.

The moisture of the wet acrylic paint may soften the wallpaper glue and cause problems later on. If you are not going to remove it and paint over it then DON"T use a water based undercoat but oil based to seal in the wallpaper.


Peter.

Hi

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Originally Posted by honey_bee

use an acrylic based undercoat and paint with a textured roller (sorry but how is this different from a normal roller?)

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It would be wiser to use an oil based sealer in the bathroom, especially on the ceiling where moisture tends to "gather". If you choose to do the ceiling in an oil based sealer then you may as well do the walls. A better result overall. BTDT (been there done that :) )

A textured roller is usually made of some form of plastic. It can be a little like a "steel wool pad" (sort of) with a more open "weave". There are different types to produce different textured finishes. I would NOT recommend a textured finish in a wet area like a bathroom if mould starts to appear, then it will be all the more difficult to remove from the textured finish.

First of all (IMHO) DON'T PAINT OVER WALLPAPER :oo:

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Would we need to lightly sand the paper before using gap filler or undercoat?

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If you ignore my advice above then absolutely DO NOT sand or put any scratches or "cuts" in the wallpaper. This would lead to the wallpaper absorbing any available moisture from the paint causing problems with the paint AND encouraging the wallpaper to lose its adhesion to the wall. At the very least you will most likely get bubbles appearing in the wallpaper at the worst the wallpaper will start pealing off all by itself - taking the new paint with it. :oo:

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What are the chances of the paper lifting once painted?

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There is EVERY chance it WILL lift :o

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I'm of the mind that if it hasn't budged yet, it very well may never.

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It *may*not IF you don't touch it, however it is most likely to "budge" if you do paint it.

Don't forget, paint is only as stable as the surface on which it is applied. There is far less chance of the plaster coming of than there is of the wallpaper coming off.

If you do decide to remove the wallpaper, and I know it is not really an easy job, I offer the following tip if the wallpaper is not a vinyl paper and will readily absorb water.

When I removed my wallpaper (many years ago) the (wallpaper) steamer method was waaaay TOO slow and almost ineffective. I covered the skirting and carpet near the wall with some plastic and brought in the garden hose :oo: :D

Using a fine spray I could then THOROUGHLY soak the wallpaper and as the water ran down the wall (over the wallpaper) it was absorbed. This made the whole wallpaper VERY moist and soft and it could be very easily scraped from the wall. Obviously you need to do this with care, but it worked very well for me. :2tsup:

HTH
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I rented a house once where they had painted the wallpaper, looked to be a cheapish type water based paint. There was no probs with it in the three years I lived there, only with my grotty kids:rolleyes:. Washed alright when marks had to be removed. I didnt mind the look of it actually because the wallpaper was an embossed type.

Donna

AHH very interesting. Hadn't thought of the wet paint-wet glue thing. I can see how that could create a disaster.:oo:
Would using that much water to remove the paper do any damage to the wall surface? What types of walls were used back then?
I really don't know much about all of this but we really do want the best long term result and are quite prepared to do it ourselves.

Thanks for replies!:)

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Originally Posted by honey_bee

Would using that much water to remove the paper do any damage to the wall surface? What types of walls were used back then?

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My house was built in the late 50's and they used normal plasterboard, being a half inch layer of plaster covered on both sides with thin but strong cardboard.

Whilst it can be wetted it should not get soaking wet, so I would use a wallpaper removing (steam) machine. It may take longer but IMO is a better alternative to soaking with a hose.


Peter.

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Originally Posted by Sturdee

My house was built in the late 50's and they used normal plasterboard, being a half inch layer of plaster covered on both sides with thin but strong cardboard.

Whilst it can be wetted it should not get soaking wet, so I would use a wallpaper removing (steam) machine. It may take longer but IMO is a better alternative to soaking with a hose.


Peter.

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Agreed :2tsup: My suggested hose method is not really suitable for plasterboard/gyprock walls.

Thanks Folks, :2tsup:
will take it all on board. Hopefully when we get started we will do before and after shots!
Cheers :D

Hello again.
Took the advice on board and have so far removed the wallpaper from the bathroom and loo.
Came off a lot easier than I thought. Pulled off the vinyl layer which left behind the brown backing paper, used a squirt bottle filled with hot water and diswashing liquid, let it soak in a bit and peeled off with a paint scraper.
In the process of washing walls down with sugar soap and will then set about prepping to paint!!
Very satisfying job I must admit!! :U