When you buy or lease a house, apartment or living space, there are no guarantees that it’s going to be the all-round perfect place for you in every single way. Some elements can always change to suit you better because you were not the original owner of the house. You might have something else in mind. This might be changing out the windows to double-panel when they were single originally. Or this might include changing the doorknobs out for vintage ones. In some cases, it can include the installation of a security system.
It’s usually minor changes that make a house feel more like your home or gives it an element that it didn’t have before you moved in. Wallpaper is one of the overall most common changes owners and tenants want to make in their new home: There’s absolutely no rule that says you have to like the wallpaper the previous owners have installed, and new owners would usually prefer to replace it.
Paint Over Wallpaper or Remove It?
If you want to change out the wallpaper in a home you’ve contracted to lease or signed to purchase, here’s how to approach it – and the answer on whether or not you can paint over wallpaper or remove it. Remember, prior to painting the wallpaper you need to prepare it with a product like Guardz.
Can You Paint Over Wallpaper?
Sure, you can just paint right over the wallpaper if you’ve leased or purchased a home and you’ve decided that you don’t like the existing coverage on the walls.
But the actual question is this: Should you paint straight over the wallpaper?
The answer to the second question is a definitive no. While a lot of people might choose to do this, and might even see it if you are a home renovator or real estate agent looking at properties. There are far more drawbacks associated with painting straight over wallpaper than there are with not doing it.
Paint can trap dust and other impurities.
The existing wallpaper in your chosen home or apartment can be assumed to have been there for a while: When you move into a house, you can guess that the wallpaper has been there for at least a few years, and sometimes a few decades in older homes. Peeling, yellowed or faded wallpaper can be a sign that your wallpaper has been there for longer than it should.
If you were to paint right over this, it’s likely that you’re going to trap previous dust, debris and other impurities under the paint. This can cause an uneven surface, peeling paint and a paint-job that looks like it was only half-way done. This can show in a few weeks to a few years of doing it.
When wallpaper peels, so will your paint.
Painting over wallpaper has one more huge drawback that’s enough to give anyone a good reason to avoid doing it. Your paint is only as strong as the wallpaper finish you painted over. Instead of painting the wall for a long-lasting paint finish, you’ve painted the one thing that was likely going to peel off anyone: The wallpaper.
When the wallpaper peels off, your paint is going to come off with it. That’s not the way to do it.
Superb Painting Omaha, NE
Superb Painting is a locally owned professional painting and staining business specializing in both residential and commercial interior and exterior painting, cabinet refinishing, trim, decks, fencing, drywall repair, concrete sealing and more. Contact us today for a FREE Estimate.