Some wallpaper is not easily removed and painting over the wallpaper is the best solution.
Painting over wallpaper is usually not suggested because the wallpaper may end up coming loose from the wall at a later time.
If you have a situation in which painting over wallpaper is required, follow the instructions below to learn how to paint over wallpaper properly.
Is Painting the Right Choice?
Before deciding to paint over your wallpaper, consider if it is the best choice for your home.
Painting over the wallpaper might be the best option if you have older wallpaper where the wallpaper has bonded to the wall since removing the paper will damage the wall.
If your wallpaper is in perfect condition without any bubbles or separation, then your wallpaper might be a good candidate for being painted.
Heavily textured wallpaper will likely need to be removed if you do not like the texture since it will likely show through the paint. You can test paint a small corner of your wallpaper to see if you like the texture when painted.
photo courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bg_new.pngCheck the Condition
Make sure your wallpaper is glued to your wall very well.
If your wallpaper has bubbles or edges that are coming up, do not paint over it since the paint will often make the problems worse.
If you only have a few edges coming up a little, then proceed to the next step.
Repair Edges and Seams
Remove any of the wallpaper edges or seams that are coming up.
Sand your wall and wallpaper very well in these areas to minimize the transition between the wall and wallpaper.
Make sure if you run your finger over the area that it feels completely flat.
Clean the wall with a damp towel to remove all the dust.
Primer
Paint your wall with a quality oil based primer, such as Zinsser, Kilz, or Zap, and let dry.
Oil based primer is best because water based primer can be absorbed by the wallpaper and cause it to separate from the wall.
You can have your primer tinted to be close to the color of your paint if you wish.
Check and Prime Again
After the primer has dried, check your wallpaper's seams again to make sure that they still are stuck well to your wall.
If the wall is not as smooth as you would like, sand the wallpaper seams again and make sure the wallpaper is free of dust.
Use paint primer again on those areas and let dry.
Texture
Texture your walls to help make the wall's imperfections and wallpaper seams less noticeable.
You can add texture to your paint or primer before painting, apply a spray texture from a spray gun or in a spray can, or texture using a brush and texturing material.
Materials used to create texture soak up a lot of paint, so you will probably want to use primer on the walls again before painting.
Paint
Now that your walls are properly prepared, you can paint your walls as usual.
To minimize imperfections, select a matte or flat paint. If you need the paint to be a bit more cleanable for a home with pets or kids, select an eggshell finish.
