A good prep work
– Almost all painting jobs depend on good preparation if you want a good-looking end result. Painting over a wallpapered wall is no exception.
Says Magnus Warén, former professional painter at Anza. His initial tip is to first check the wall and remove any dust. Tear off all the wallpaper if it is poorly fitted to avoid the risk of air bubbles when painting.
– An important question to ask yourself is which wallpaper is on the wall. Different types of wallpaper require different preparations,” says Magnus.
Here we have focused on some of the most common wallpaper variations.
Paint over vinyl wallpaper
If the wallpaper is in good condition and has no imperfections, first wash the wall with a detergent. Then paint twice and the job is done.
Paint over vinyl wallpaper with texture
Do you want to keep the structure? Then just paint directly over the wallpaper. Otherwise, tear down the layer of texture, leaving only the underlying paper wallpaper. Make sure it’s in place and prime with wallpaper primer or a similar product. They are available in different varieties from most paint suppliers and are designed to bind the surface before wall paint is applied. Any blisters that occur usually disappear when the paint dries. If not – cut them off, spackle and paint the repaired surfaces with wallpaper primer. Then paint the entire wall 1-2 times with wall paint.
Paint over textile fabric
Check that the wallpaper is firmly attached and prime with wallpaper primer. Then paint with wall paint 1-2 times.
Paint over a paper wallpaper
If the wallpaper fits well, start by priming with wallpaper primer or a similar product. Any blisters that occur usually disappear when the paint dries. If not – cut them off, spackle and paint the repaired surfaces with wallpaper primer. Then make 1-2 final strokes with the wall paint.
Painting over non-woven wallpaper
Non woven is a slightly thicker wallpaper than paper wallpaper, but is painted in the same way (see above).
