once the wallpaper is down...

5 years ago

Hi! So I’ve posted here a few times about our old house Reno. Anyway, we bought it! We’re in love! We’ve hired people to help us with the bedrooms bc there was significant plaster repair needed and 120 years of wallpaper (really cool seeing all the different layers and patterns) However, on the main level we’ve been lucky in that all the wallpaper has just peeled right off. What’s left is yellow-ish, I believe the backing”(?). So, can I put kilz on the walls and then just primer and paint or do these walls also need to be skim coated after the kilz? I’m happy to hire professionals but would like to tackle some projects myself and I feel like this could be one I would want to do. I just want to do it right.

Thanks!

I’ll include some pictures of the layers of wallpaper and one of the main level rooms in questions (original brand birth and Bradbury wallpaper above the plate rail is staying)

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

kats737
5 years ago
Do you have a picture of the yellow backing you are talking about? We scraped wallpaper in our plaster bathroom, and it came off the wall pretty easily, then I primed and painted. You don't know if you need a skimcoat until you get all of the paper off. Sometimes people wallpapered to cover up wall damage, but I think a lot of it was just people giving things a trendy new look.
Erin Luke
Original Author
5 years ago
The last picture of the picture of the backing, it’s just solid. There’s one spot where the wallpaper came off with the backing and there’s almost a woven material there so I would do some joint compound there and smooth it out.
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cat_ky
5 years ago
I would remove off any wallpaper backing and get the walls done right. You will see seams, in your paint job, if it is indeed wallpaper backing. Also, you would need to use oil based primer over it, before painting, because latex primer, will make it loosen and bubble. Remove it, and do it right.
PRO
StarCraft Custom Builders
5 years ago
Test a part of the wall with the paint you intend to use. It may have the effect of removing whatever material is still on the wall, which is a sure sign from someone on high that you should remove the material before painting.

However, like cat_ky, I would remove it anyway.

Until you get down to bare plaster, you really don't know what you are dealing with, or how to prep it for painting. With bare plaster you are dealing with a known entity - we know exactly how to prime and paint it. Anything else is guesswork. Prepping, priming and painting is a lot of work to go through just to find out in a few years that you guessed wrong.
Madonna Powers
5 years ago
What a big job. Im old and dont have the time or physical ability to do all that hard work.

Have you considered wall coverings such as brick panels which come in white and all manner of colors. These panels are also paintable.

Do a wall or two in this perhaps.

I also use joint compound with a plaster application over problem walls or wallpaper. Then i painted the plaster look walls with roman plaster by Behr.

I couldnt find this hue by anyone else.

But whatever color is your preference go with that. Make it beautiful without killing yourself.