Wallpaper

Never Painted/ Will Not Remove Wallpaper/To Be Painted

a. Surface Preparation:

• first, be aware that when painting wallpaper there can be problems with unacceptable texture and with lifting and bleed-through of inks and dyes; thus, doing a trial application of the paint is important
• choose a test area in an inconspicuous place, as behind a couch; be sure a seam is part of the test area
• apply to the test area, an oil-based (alkyd) or alcohol-based stain-blocking primer; wear eye protection and an appropriate respirator; use ample ventilation
• allow primer to dry over night; and apply second coat of primer to lower half of test area; allow primer to dry 6 hours
• apply intended paint to entire primed area; allow to dry two hours apply second application of the intended paint, but only to the right-hand half of the test area
• the test area thus has sections with one and two coats of paint applied over one and two coats of primer; make note of which section is which
• after drying, evaluate the test area for lack of color bleeding and lifting; and for uniformity of texture and sheen, and decide whether to proceed with painting or not; if you decide to paint without removing the wallpaper, choose the number of coats of primer and of paint that you like best
• prepare the surface by removing as much of any dirt as you can using a damp sponge, taking care to not abrade the wallpaper
• carefully reattach any lifted wallpaper (especially at seams), by inserting a small quantity of white glue, and pressing down

b. Priming:

• see recommendations above (surface preparation)
• do not leave a primer unpainted

c. Painting:

• use a quality latex wall paint in a flat or eggshell finish
• a flat finish will minimize appearance of texture and unevenness of the wall paper