I may have made a mistake, delving into the aforementioned room... OMG. DO NOT paint over wallpaper, or you essentially cripple the next homeowner. UGH.
Painting the wallpaper does something to the way the two layers adhere to one another. Essentially, instead of being easy- relatively easy- to peel off the top layer --> IT'S NOT. I am pulling off tiny pieces, sometimes an inch at a time. Neither water or a regular steam cleaner are helping. I am renting a wallpaper steamer on Friday, hoping that it is hotter and more concentrated. Scoring the paper hasn't helped, plus it's over horse hair plaster --> it makes marks in the plaster. Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!
Advice? Anyone????
6 comments:
I saw an installment of Sarah's House on HGTV a few days ago with the same issue, over plaster. They said their options were resheetrock or skim coat over it. The contractor was in favor of new sheetrock, but in the interest of saving money, they had it skim coated. Maybe you can find the program on Hulu. They did discuss it on air. Another comment that I remember, {because I heard it on another design show a couple of days before} was that it is impossible to remove painted over wallpaper. I'm very sorry.
Wow, thanks for the tip! I'm hopefully going to be moving into an old home soon, so this info is very much appreciated. :-)
Big bummer- our old place had wallpaper applied straight to the sheetrock- and like you we were peeling it off inch by inch- and destroying the surface's smooth texture! We gave up and I decided to applied ventian plaster over it!! Loved the results and it was super easy to use!!
PS I burnished the plaster so got my smooth surface again-- it ended up with fabulous under shades
My thoughts are with you. Had a house like that and it was a nightmare. Good luck, it will all work out for you I am sure, can't wait to see how it comes out.
I like the skim coat idea! Or an option that would be a little bit easier would be to patch skim coat wherever you have already started or where seems are showing etc. Then a couple of coats of primer, we had a room like that once. My hubby didn't even try to get the paper off. However, if you have luck with the rented steamer please do tell and post pictures. It will give the rest of us who have ever encountered this some hope! Happy Fourth of July (don't work too hard!).
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