Have you painted over peeled wallpaper when all the paste has not been removed?
September 20th, 2006
Email the link for this page to a friend!
Full question:
My mom is tearing down wallpaper that has been on the walls of her bathroom for 35 years. She wanted me to ask if anyone has ever painted over the paste before instead of getting it off first. I’m assuming if she paints directly over it, she’ll have a textured look, instead of a smooth one.
My answer:
The books on this say that the paint composition will dissolve the wallpaper paste and cause her a mess. I have never taken the paper down and painted over the paste myself. I have, however, painted right over wallpaper (the books say you can’t do THAT, either - same reason as above). The only complaint I had was that I used a gloss paint and it did show the wallpaper seams when it dried. I hid the seams with art and quilts on the walls.
If she wants to tackle getting the paste off easy, she might want to try spraying it with fabric softener mixed with water put in a spray bottle. I never measured the exact ratio, but something like 10-1 would work - 10 parts water to 1 part fabric softener.
Your Frugal Decorating Diva,
Nancy
P.S. Want to ask Your Frugal Decorating Diva a question? Or maybe you’d like more info on this topic? Visit here.
