Wallpaper was very popular in the 70’ & 80’s. In many cases it has stuck around that long. In fact, I had some amazingly tacky floral patterns when I purchased my current home 15 years ago that I couldn’t wait to get rid of. Wallpaper has come a long way since those days. But interior design trends have progressed as well.
At Absolute Painting & Power Washing we receive phone calls from our customers in the Portland, OR area asking us all the time: Does our professional staff paint over existing wallpaper or just remove it?
In the majority of situations we suggest completely removing the wallpaper and getting down to the original drywall. Painting directly over wallpaper may cause it to have bubbles and can seal it even tighter in most cases. This will only add cost to the existing interior painting that was the original project.
Many homeowners attempt to remove it themselves and discover very quickly…
That wallpaper on certain sections of the wall will peel off quite easily and not so much on others. There are several factors that can contribute to this scenario: The type of glue that was used. There is more than one layer of wallpaper. What type of wallpaper that is on the wall, etc.
Inevitably, this will lead to wasting valuable resources such as time and money. Not to mention that it can be very frustrating when you tear or puncture a hole in your wall trying to remove the wallpaper. Both of these combined can cause a person become quite irritated.
Hiring a professional painting contractor that has experience in removing wallpaper is usually your best bet. Not only will you not have to deal with the tedious work that is removing wallpaper, you can use the time better. By say working with an interior designer if you chose to hire one, to assist you with color consults and the like.
Let’s say you are set on removing the wallpaper yourself; going to save a little money.
You can rent or purchase a steamer; this will help warm up the glue. Once the glue beneath the wallpaper is warm you may be able to scrape off the wallpaper. There are also hand tools that punch holes through the wallpaper so that a chemical can be applied. Then the chemical should seep through the holes to loosen the glue so that the wallpaper can, once again, be scraped off.
In some older homes, as mentioned before, there may be several layers of wallpaper to be removed. You may get the top layers off but the original layer is still stuck to the drywall. It may be possible to apply some hot water to this original layer of wallpaper and let it set for a few minutes then gently scrape it off.
As a professional painting contractor that has been in business in the Portland, OR area since 1995, I cannot stress enough that there is a possibility of doing damage to the existing drywall while you are attempting to remove the wallpaper. The main contributors to the damages can be: lack of experience with the proper tools, over application of the chemicals that are designed for interior walls, or prolonged exposure to the chemicals. Did I mention punching the wall? It can happen.
In some cases you will need to have the drywall skim coated and textured over after the paper is gone. This can be done by a company that specializes in professional remodeling and construction.
After you have removed all layers of wallpaper and the walls are repaired to your satisfaction you will need to apply a primer coat. Usually a stain blocking primer is required to seal in the glue residue. If you have to have a new texture applied you will need to apply another coat of latex primer to seal the new texture.
Now you are ready to have your walls painted by professional painters. After all this is one of the professional services that Absolute Painting & Power Washing has to offer. Whether you would like assistance with color choices, interior design, or remodeling and construction, we would be honored to assist you with your project. With 17 years of painting experience in the Portland, OR area “We guarantee you’ll be a satisfied customer!” Visit the testimonial page on our website. Absolute Painting & Power Washing is confident that we can help shape your home or business into your reality.
We can also remove the wallpaper if you like.
