Do I remove the wallpaper or paint over it?

[Kim in Appalachia]

I'm trying my first poll. :)  

 

I live in an old house.  It was built in 1902.  The walls have lots of layers of wall paper.  All of them do, except where the previous owners put wall board over the old walls.  One of the walls in my bedroom is a particular problem. I'm unsure if it's the original wall, plus extra drywall (they covered a window), or if they slapped drywall over the entire wall (over 9 ft high, 15 or 16ft long).  I can see, through the wallpaper, that there are "cracks".  Those cracks could be where he piecemealed the drywall, or it could be the plaster.  If it's the plaster, then there is also some sort of drywall in the window that they covered.

 

Do I attempt to take down the paper and deal with what's underneath, or do I paint over the paper?

 

We have done both in this house.  I took paper down in the boys room, but I knew it was solid wall underneath.  We left the paper up in the living room, because the paper was all that was holding up part of the plaster.  We don't have tons of money for a remodel.  I just want it to look nicer.  I'm sick of the red striped paper.   

 

 

[umsami]

If you paint over the paper, there's a good chance you'll have to deal with at some time in the future.

 

My general advice is always remove it, but you might want to ask the people at a local hardware store or ask on some of the old house fix-up forums.  There may be an easier/better fix.  Sounds like it's not a simple answer in your case. :)

 

Found these 

 

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/oldhouse/msg02115539463.html?13

 

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,192918,00.html

 

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/wallsandtrim/f/wallpaperplaste.htm

 

 

[gingersmom]

I painted over gold foil wallpaper in a rental house and 5 years later it still looked good.

 

If you do remove just be prepared for the time and expense to fix.

[Moxie]

Tough question.  Our 'new' house has painted wallpaper in most rooms.  We have had to remove it because the seams of the wallpaper were peeling up.  So far, we've had to go the expense and mess of having 3 rooms skim coated ($600) because the walls peeled away as we took off the wallpaper (we tried EVERYTHING to remove it better--nothing worked).

 

Painting over it is kind of just delaying dealing with it, IMO.  At some point, the edges will peel up.  But, removing it might make it worse.

 

Helpful, ain't I?!?

[Kim in Appalachia]

Tough question.  Our 'new' house has painted wallpaper in most rooms.  We have had to remove it because the seams of the wallpaper were peeling up.  So far, we've had to go the expense and mess of having 3 rooms skim coated ($600) because the walls peeled away as we took off the wallpaper (we tried EVERYTHING to remove it better--nothing worked).

 

Painting over it is kind of just delaying dealing with it, IMO.  At some point, the edges will peel up.  But, removing it might make it worse.

 

Helpful, ain't I?!?

 

:laugh:  That's where I am.  My dh does not want me to remove it.  He's afraid they just stuck a piece of drywall, or even wood, over the window, so that then he will have to tape and sand.  And he does not have time for that.  

 

Most of the house is paint over paper.  The place is so old.  It's what most people in town seem to do.  But I was very happy with the results in the boys bedroom.  It came out good, but it was an enormous amount of work.  There was mold and coal dust inbetween the layers of paper (there were at least 6 layers!). 

[TianXiaXueXiao]

I voted that you take down the wall paper. If you can just peel off the top coat, you can seal the underneath layer with Zinnser Gardz or an oil primer before you paint. If it were me, I would get the top layer of paper off, seal with Gardz, sand, light skim coat, light sand, seal with Gardz again and then paint. If you opt to paint over the paper, I recommend you seal with Gardz or oil-based primer, sand, and paint. Good luck!

[Harriet Vane]

Take off the paper. Painting over it is just delaying the inevitable.

 

I lived with this type of thing for 14 years in a 115yo Victorian. I feel your pain. There is no way around this but to do it correctly.

[TeenagerMom]

I would prime over the wallpaper with an oil based primer & paint it. I am getting ready to do it in my bathroom! A professional painter recommended using the oil based primer to help seal in any stains/odors in the old wallpaper.

[Mrs Mungo]

For me, it would depend on how long we were going to be there. We have glued down seams and painted over wallpaper because we weren't going g to be there forever. However, if it was a home I intended to be in for many years, then I would remove the wallpaper and deal with any issues.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Another idea is to do some sort of textured painting.  That would possibly hide any rough spots on the paper.

 

 

We did that in our hall way, and it came out well, but I don't want that in the bedroom. 

[Kim in Appalachia]

For me, it would depend on how long we were going to be there. We have glued down seams and painted over wallpaper because we weren't going g to be there forever. However, if it was a home I intended to be in for many years, then I would remove the wallpaper and deal with any issues.

 

 

We could be here a year, or it could be 10 (or more).  Every decision is hard because we don't know how long we will be here and there is no added value for the house.  Anything we put into it, we lose. 

[Catwoman]

We could be here a year, or it could be 10 (or more). Every decision is hard because we don't know how long we will be here and there is no added value for the house. Anything we put into it, we lose.

If the paper is in good shape and you're on a strict budget, paint over it. It will look better than the wallpaper, and you won't have to worry about the walls needing to be replaced like you might if you remove all the layers of paper and find the plaster coming down with it. It also won't turn into a weeks-long project; if you paint the paper, you'll be done in a day.

 

Ordinarily, I'd say to do the job right the first time, but in this case, use the right primer and paint the paper this time and do the job right the next time, if you're still living in the house. :)

[MotherGoose]

If you aren't able to afford to possibly re-sheetrock or plaster or whatever the room, I'd just paint over it, knowing that eventually you'd need to take it down and do it properly. You aren't harming anything by doing that, but of course it won't look smooth the way a wall should. But if you're just tired of looking at the paper and can't afford to do anything more at this point, I'd paint.

[Farrar]

Okay, but...  have all you people who are recommending pulling this wallpaper off lived in houses that are well over a century old?  Because, let me tell you, as someone who has the original walls in her century+ old house...  there's no way in h-e-hockey sticks that you could make me pull off decades worth of old wallpaper as an exploratory measure.  There is a good chance that you will not end up with uneven walls.  You will end up with NO walls.

 

Unless I'm misunderstanding you...  there is original wall possibly under this wallpaper?  Because there was no such thing as drywall in 1902.  That's plaster.  And plaster gets crumbly after a century.  Basically...  that might be what we call "load bearing wallpaper."  When you pull the wallpaper off, the wall may not be able to take the strain and you may lose big chunks of it.  Unless you know for sure that it was properly replastered or drywalled in the last thirty years or so, I wouldn't touch it.  Not unless you plan to do a major wall renovation, which it sounds like you do not.

 

ETA: Okay, I reread...  there may be drywall over the plaster and then wallpaper on that.  Ugh.  Still, no way.  If they slapped drywall over the plaster, the plaster must be a hot mess.  And it's possible that you're still going to strain the wall and discover nastier secrets under that stuff.  I mean, if you knew you were going to live there long term, that fixing it up would pay off, etc. that would be one thing, but this is just not something I would mess with other than with a thick coat of paint.

[sbgrace]

We took paper off in one room in our old home. The wall came with it, and it was much more than we bargained/budgeted for. I painted over the rest of the paper in the home. We lived there 15 years, and I never regretted leaving the rest of that paper. I would paint.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Okay, but...  have all you people who are recommending pulling this wallpaper off lived in houses that are well over a century old?  Because, let me tell you, as someone who has the original walls in her century+ old house...  there's no way in h-e-hockey sticks that you could make me pull off decades worth of old wallpaper as an exploratory measure.  There is a good chance that you will not end up with uneven walls.  You will end up with NO walls.

 

Unless I'm misunderstanding you...  there is original wall possibly under this wallpaper?  Because there was no such thing as drywall in 1902.  That's plaster.  And plaster gets crumbly after a century.  Basically...  that might be what we call "load bearing wallpaper."  When you pull the wallpaper off, the wall may not be able to take the strain and you may lose big chunks of it.  Unless you know for sure that it was properly replastered or drywalled in the last thirty years or so, I wouldn't touch it.  Not unless you plan to do a major wall renovation, which it sounds like you do not.

 

ETA: Okay, I reread...  there may be drywall over the plaster and then wallpaper on that.  Ugh.  Still, no way.  If they slapped drywall over the plaster, the plaster must be a hot mess.  And it's possible that you're still going to strain the wall and discover nastier secrets under that stuff.  I mean, if you knew you were going to live there long term, that fixing it up would pay off, etc. that would be one thing, but this is just not something I would mess with other than with a thick coat of paint.

 

 

Yes, you get it.  When I did the boys room, the plaster was decent.  We did do a bit of sanding, and the problem is my dh does not want to do that this time.  The extra problem is that it may be a combo of plaster and drywall.  Drywall stuck inside where the window was/is.  

 

I really am torn.  The wall paper is in good shape, but I can see bad buldges coming through.  It could be cracked.  That side of the house is where the water damage had been, and it could be a real mess under there.  But still.............I would like to do it right.  I don't know.  

 

I think I will pull it off the other 2 walls.  They don't seem as bad.  It's just the one wall.  The fourth wall is a fake.  They put a wall up over the fireplace.  I have no intention of pulling that down, but thankfully, it will be easy to paint. 

 

This is my summer project.  We can't do the carpet, just the walls.  We may tackle the downstairs floor.  But for that, we will have someone come in and do it.  I believe there is decent hardwood under the carpet.  I want to rip the carpet out. We will be keeping carpet upstairs, to reduce sound, but we can't get new carpet this year.  I'm temped to just rip up the stuff anyway and live with what's underneath, but it may be painted wood floor, and if it is painted, it's lead paint.  

[Kim in Appalachia]

I'm not saying it would be easy. I'm just thinking 6 layers of old wallpaper... who knows when that was put there and what has grown on it/between it, if it off gases toxic glue. I don't know much about that kind of stuff. Just thoughts that crossed my mind. The OP did mention mold and coal dust earlier. I'd want to remove the moldy stuff.

 

 

I had pain in my chest for a week because of that junk, and it left a black greasy film on everything.  That is part of the reason we didn't remove the paper in the hall or living room.  There would be no way to contain the fall out.  It's better to leave it undisturbed.  

 

There is so much mold and coal dust in this house, the stuff in the wallpaper doesn't add that much.  There is much more inside of the walls. I can't do anything about it.