Painting Over Wallpaper? What You Should Know
Removing wallpaper can be a big job, especially if you have a lot to remove. If you have paintable wallpaper, you can paint right over the top of it. Painting over wallpaper may seem like a mistake, but if it's made for this, you can do it without having to do the extra step of removing the wallpaper, and removing the glue behind the wallpaper so you can paint the wall. If you are going to be painting over wallpaper, there are a few things you should know. Read on for helpful information.
Wash Your Wallpaper
You should still wash the wallpaper walls so you can remove as much of the dirt and dust that is on the walls. If you don't wipe down the walls, the paint may not adhere properly to the wallpaper. Wash your walls with just warm water and a rag, sponge or a mop. Allow the water to dry from the walls before you attempt to paint them. Wet walls will not allow the paint to adhere to the walls either.
Make Repairs To Your Walls
If you have any damage to your walls or to the wallpaper, you should make any necessary repairs to the walls. If you don't, paint is not going to cover the damage, especially if it's a lot of damage to the walls. If you have textured wallpaper, and you are missing any part of the wallpaper, you may need to add more wallpaper to the walls to give it a more cohesive look. Make the necessary repairs so the paint doesn't highlight the damage in any way.
Apply A Thin First Coat
Apply a thin first coating to your wallpaper using a roller and a paintbrush to cut in around the walls. If you have a lot of texture, you may need to use a thicker roller to roll on the paint and get in between textured lines. Apply the first coat and allow it to dry thoroughly and then apply a second coating to the walls. If needed, use a third coat to your walls to fill in any light areas.
If you have wallpaper on your walls and you do not want to remove the wallpaper, you can paint over it if it's a paintable wallpaper. Be sure to clean it as you would your regular walls, make repairs and paint the wallpaper. Skip removing the wallpaper and paint over it instead. Hire a professional painter to help you with this job from a place like Alpha Pro Painting Inc..
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