Paint Over Wallpaper

Many times you need to change the colors of the house and repaint it in a hurry due to many reasons. At such times instead of going through too much trouble to remove the already existing wall paper, you can simply paint over it. You need to have a very good primer in such cases and make sure you use good paint over wallpaper.

The primer should be tinted to a lighter shade of the paint color you want to use and applied at least twice on the wallpaper before the main paint goes over it. Many people have a misconception that when you paint over wall paper, it looks padded and the surface doesn't stay smooth. Given below is a procedure which will prove to you, painted wallpapers look as natural as walls painted without wall paper.

How to Paint Over Wallpaper

It's not advised to spend money on buying a primer as most of them work fine, but you need to make sure that the wallpaper you want to paint over is not of a very dark color. If it is, use a darker shade of paint first on the primer and then over wallpaper. Find out the answer to, can you paint over wallpaper in just a few simple steps. Read on instructions for painting over wallpaper.

Materials Needed

• Oil primer
• Drywall tools
• Drywall mud
• Paint
• Painting tools
• Plastic sheeting

Directions

Step 1: Before starting the procedure to paint over wallpaper, you need to make sure that the wallpaper is well adhered to the walls. If there are, remove the loose seams and bubbles and if there are any raised areas cut across them and flatten them with your hands. Remove all the switch plates and any other nails in the walls.

Step 2: Use a primer before you paint over vinyl wallpaper or plain wallpaper as it provides a proper base for the paint to stay. If you don't use a primer, the paint will either be very fine or lift the wallpaper to create seams and bubbles in the wall. Use a primer and paint it with two coats of a lighter shade of the desired paint and let it dry well.

Step 3: Use the primer all over the wallpaper at least twice and then all the seams and loops will be quite visible. With the paint tools remove all of them and then once the work is done pack the primer and tolls to keep them away for later. With a drywall knife, give a thin coating of drywall mud over each seam and loop and let it dry for a while.

Step 4: As you have done to the walls, similarly coat the ceiling first with the primer and then with the drywall mud to remove all the undesired seams and loops from the ceiling as well. Once you've done this evenly for the walls and ceiling, you're more than halfway through the tough job. Now all you have to do is paint over wallpaper.

Step 5: For the paint, make sure you use a dark paint for a fairly dark wall paper and lighter shades for light colored wallpapers. Preferably, use washable flat or eggshell paints to hide the wall irregularities. The ceiling can either be taped along or painted by your choice. Try to brush all the walls first and then roll the paint. Once the first coat is over, let it dry and see how the walls looks. If there are still bumps at places flatten them with paint tools or sand that area to do everything from scratch. If it is completely flawless, give it a second coat of roll paint.

With these easy tips to paint over wallpaper, I am sure you're excited to give your home a different look and color. Make your home pleasant and beautiful and play with as many colors as you want!