So my amazing 1930s house has original cabinets, and lots of of them. Attaching photo here so you get the general sense. Beautiful mosaic tiling underneath all the cabinets in most of the kitchen. I purchase this Wallpops! ( https://www.amazon.com/NU1421-Grand-Trellis-Stick-Wallpaper/dp/B0132HD9WS?ie=UTF8&;Version=1&entries=0 ) in a grey/white trellis design that coordinates really well with the tile (which has a grey undertone you might not be able to see in the photo), originally thinking I would reline all of the shelves as they were covered in a very old, crumbling white contact paper. (Getting that off is a b*tch, btw, oy!) Now I'm thinking it would look better to use the wallpop on the back wall of all the cabinets. Easier application, possibly a bit cheaper too, and you'll see the print better. Also it's a large print, so works better in a larger application space (vs. the smaller shelves.)

My dilemma: in removing the old contact paper, some of the paint is coming off with the shelf. It's several layers deep and I suspect the bottom layers may be lead-based paint. So I need to get that sealed up pronto.

If I only repaint the shelves vs. covering them with wallpops (or something similar), what kind of paint do I use? Low VOC? Will the offgassing still be bad and if so, for how long? Given this is kitchen/pantry area, kinda worried about fumes. Fortunately lots of windows, so I can ventilate well.

Also, before I even get started... does the wallpop pattern compete too much with tile? In my kitchen I thought it worked, questioning now, seeing screenshot next to my tile photo.

Thanks in advance for your input.