Old wall paper on a very high wall

12/6/2019 at 3:04:52 PM

Good evening I think the best option would be to remove the wall paper have the wall skim and then paint to give u that beautiful picture of a wall

12/6/2019 at 3:24:53 PM

as tedious as is may be, the old wallpaper taken down would be the best solution

12/6/2019 at 3:27:13 PM

Your best bet would be to remove the existing wallpaper. If you paint or wallpaper over existing wallpaper, you run the risk of it not properly adhering or failing over time.

Removing the wallpaper may be more work for re-application, but it is the proper way to move forward and get a flawless new wall.

12/6/2019 at 4:25:26 PM

It is better to remove the existing and then apply new.

There is higher probability of delamination of the original wallpaper if you paper over top of it. You may get blisters.

12/6/2019 at 6:02:14 PM

Hello, What a great question. Wallpaper is a crazy thing especially when you try and remove it. If it is an older home sometimes this task is not very easy to achieve. We would recommend the best quality finish would be to remove the top layer and then with water on the hotter side wash off all the glue. Depending on the quality of the wall prior to the wallpaper being applied this may leave you with a great result to either paint or re apply some new wallpaper . you must make sure all the glue and paper backing is removed in either case. there are some great new wallpapers out and this is again becoming a popular trend in the design world as an accent, not the entire room. regardless to what you decide the wall will need to be repaired and primed if it has damage.

As per painting over. we have done this in a office building to cut costs and have been successful only because the wallpaper was completely flat with no pattern. the only thing you see is the seams and how drastic would depend on the quality of the original install.

Hope this helps you. please feel free to touch base again if you require more design info.

Blocks Design Management. Lawrence.

12/6/2019 at 6:59:57 PM

Hi, if you remove the wall paper you might have to repair the some parts of the wall.

If you paint the wall paper you will have lines where the 2 paper meets.

12/6/2019 at 11:22:24 PM

I suggest using drywall compound and going over it with a couple of coats sand it prime it and paint it it'll look like new drywall if it's done correctly. I recommend you calling a trusted Pro drywall taper in your local area

12/7/2019 at 8:45:23 AM

Hi Salma

Yes you can paint over most wall papers, not all. You must test the wall with a good quality primer first ( BM Fresh Start ) is pretty good. Apply to about a 1 sq. meter area. Most wall papers will rise/blister when drying but then will flatten out once dry. If it doesn't flatten out , it must be removed. Once it flattens out you must skim coat the wall with compound to hide all joints and patterns. I am a Restoration Specialist and have done this many times.

Good luck.

12/8/2019 at 11:20:12 PM

Hi Salma,

It's always best to remove it completely with a steamer. It comes off very easily. Hopefully the wall height isnt too challenging for you.

You may need to skim coat it afterward, but this process yields the best results.

Applying layers of paint or new wall paper is sub par as the base layer of wall paper could still peel / bubble down the road.

Best of luck.

Derek