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Can I put a skim coat over painted wall paper? Login/Join 
It's not you,
it's me.
Picture of RAMIUS
posted
Here's a fun thing I just discovered. The house we moved into has textured walls that I though was "painted" on.

It turns out, upon closer inspection, the walls are papered, and the previous owner just painted over it.

My question is, to smooth out the awful wallpaper texture, can I put a skim coat over the walls, sand it smooth and then paint it?

Or am I asking for a future of cracked paint on the walls?
 
Posts: 7016 | Location: Right outside Philly | Registered: September 08, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Too old to run,
too mean to quit!
posted Hide Post
I would not do it.

Best answer, IMO and having done it, is to remove the wallpaper, then refinish the bare wall.

Is the wall of wallboard, plaster, etc??

They have stuff to help remove wallpaper, but it is still a job.


Elk

There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre. (Louis L'Amour)

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "
-Thomas Jefferson

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FBHO!!!



The Idaho Elk Hunter
 
Posts: 25642 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 16, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
It's not you,
it's me.
Picture of RAMIUS
posted Hide Post
It's over wallboard. The wallboard underneath appears to be unpainted.
 
Posts: 7016 | Location: Right outside Philly | Registered: September 08, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Too old to run,
too mean to quit!
posted Hide Post
I would try steaming the wallpaper to help loosen it. Or, perhaps using warm water and detergent solution, applied with a sponge. Let it set a little while to soak in, and it should help soften up the adhesive.

Try to avoid scraping with sharp instruments if possible. Saves repairs to the wallboard.


Elk

There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre. (Louis L'Amour)

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "
-Thomas Jefferson

"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Alexis de Tocqueville

FBHO!!!



The Idaho Elk Hunter
 
Posts: 25642 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 16, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
quarter MOA visionary
Picture of smschulz
posted Hide Post
If the wallpaper is on solid ~ I would think you could.
If it is loose on places then remove it.
Try a test section ~ how can it hurt?
 
Posts: 22898 | Location: Houston, TX | Registered: June 11, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
10mm is The
Boom of Doom
Picture of Fenris
posted Hide Post
I hate removing wall paper.

How about just covering the walls, ceiling and floor with aluminum foil to make yourself an EMP proof Faraday cage?

It would be easier and so shiny.




The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People again must learn to work, instead of living on public assistance. ~ Cicero 55 BC

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Posts: 17460 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 08, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Only the strong survive
Picture of 41
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If they didn't put sealer on the wall before installing the wall paper, it will be a real job getting the wall paper off...almost impossible without damage to the wall.


41
 
Posts: 11828 | Location: Herndon, VA | Registered: June 11, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Poacher
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Skim coating and sanding SOUNDS easy. You will want to kill yourself




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"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Teddy Roosevelt
 
Posts: 2242 | Location: Newnan, GA USA | Registered: January 24, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
It's not you,
it's me.
Picture of RAMIUS
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Poacher:
Skim coating and sanding SOUNDS easy. You will want to kill yourself


Ha! I know how much of a pain it is!

My main concern is the wall paper pulling away from the wall.
 
Posts: 7016 | Location: Right outside Philly | Registered: September 08, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I would strip the wall paper. Try a corner and see if the outer layer will strip off. This will leave a white paper base which can be removed with 1 part white vinegar and 1 part warm water. You can spray it on and let it sit for about 5 minutes,wet it again and then take a wide putty knife and scrape it off.Then clean the walls several times with the above solution Let dry and prime before painting.

If the top layer will not come off it will have to be scored with a tool before spraying to allow the solution to get behind the paper.



Wall paper is a massive pain in the butt.


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Posts: 12658 | Registered: January 17, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Get my pies
outta the oven!

Picture of PASig
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Can you overlay 1/4" drywall over all that mess?


 
Posts: 33770 | Location: Pennsylvania | Registered: November 12, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
"Member"
Picture of cas
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Poacher:
Skim coating and sanding SOUNDS easy. You will want to kill yourself


Yeah... I thinking tearing the walls out and starting from scratch would even be easier. lol


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Posts: 21097 | Location: 18th & Fairfax  | Registered: May 17, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Certified All Positions
Picture of arcwelder
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quote:
Originally posted by wcb6092:
I would strip the wall paper. Try a corner and see if the outer layer will strip off. This will leave a white paper base which can be removed with 1 part white vinegar and 1 part warm water. You can spray it on and let it sit for about 5 minutes,wet it again and then take a wide putty knife and scrape it off.Then clean the walls several times with the above solution Let dry and prime before painting.

If the top layer will not come off it will have to be scored with a tool before spraying to allow the solution to get behind the paper.



Wall paper is a massive pain in the butt.


Do NOT skim coat over wallpaper. Only Nazi Pedophile Vegans would do such a thing. Or slumlords. Painting over wallpaper is bad, but oh, the horror of other hatchetry.

The fellow I quoted has the right idea, and the right tool.

Strip the wallpaper. It's the right thing to do. Could skimming over wallpaper go fine? Maybe, and sure, only your immortal soul will be damned. OR, it goes badly, and you've got an awful mess that you did to yourself which is more work than stripping the wallpaper and doing it the right way.


Arc.
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Posts: 27000 | Location: On fire, off the shoulder of Orion | Registered: June 09, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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After you strip off the wallpaper prime with oil based kilz. It will provide a solid surface to build off of and the sheetrock mud will not soften the paper and cause bubbling. It must be the oil based though.
 
Posts: 512 | Location: Pearland, Tx | Registered: June 22, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Just for the
hell of it
Picture of comet24
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I hate wallpaper. Had to remove it before and it sucks but sometimes isn't that bad. Never painted wallpaper though.

I've had luck with the spray type removers. Spray on wait a little and peel/scrap off with a finishing knife. May have to spray more then once. The tool wcb6092 posted can help but I would try without first. Although with painted paper it seems it will be harder to get it loose.

Go slow and find out what works.


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Posts: 16391 | Registered: March 27, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
paradox in a box
Picture of frayedends
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The best luck I had removing wallpaper was pulling off what I could and wetting it with a sponge (keep a 5 gallon bucket of water with you), then scraping with a taping knife. Get the paper good and wet and it will come off. Just keep a towel handy to wipe up. You'll want to remove all of the glue because if you don't get it off then it will gum up when you go paint.




These go to eleven.
 
Posts: 12423 | Location: Westminster, MA | Registered: November 14, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Now and Zen
Picture of clubleaf206
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Many years ago the wallpaper was painted over, the guy who did it probably did two coats over a primer coat. Here's what the wallpaper looked like. Its the inside of a closet that nobody ever sees, so I guess mom had the painter pass on it.


Yeah, I know, apparently it was all the rage 61 years ago.

And, as it looks today.



I'll add, though, that the wallpaper was not textured. Just, well, you know, out of style.


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Posts: 12178 | Location: The untamed wilds of Kansas | Registered: August 25, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
10mm is The
Boom of Doom
Picture of Fenris
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I feel for you. We bought a new house. Three bathrooms have wall paper. I'm dreading the day the wife says that it must come down.




The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People again must learn to work, instead of living on public assistance. ~ Cicero 55 BC

The Dhimocrats love America like ticks love a hound.
 
Posts: 17460 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 08, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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Buy a clothing steamer. beats hell out of a wallpaper steamer. It has a tank, a hose, and the attachment perfect for steaming off the paper. A photo of the perforation tool has already been posted.

Don't paint over it. You will be sorry.
 
Posts: 17139 | Location: Lexington, KY | Registered: October 15, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I too would not skim or paint over it, I would remove it. I think the wallpaper that was on their actually looks good....it looks retro......
 
Posts: 21335 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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