Unpopular opinion: Everyone paints over old wallpaper and it's a huge mistake

I see it all the time in the houses I clean. The paint bubbles and peels within a year. You have to strip it first, even if it's a pain. Anyone else dealt with a wallpaper removal nightmare?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunag3026d ago

Ugh, my parents did this in their kitchen... looked fine for maybe eight months. Then the seams started showing through and a whole strip just gave up behind the fridge. What kind of wallpaper is the absolute worst to deal with under paint? The shiny vinyl stuff seems like it would never stick.

harperg7625d ago

Oh man, the absolute worst is that old flocked wallpaper. It's like trying to paint over velvet. The paint soaks in weird, the texture shows through every coat, and if you try to remove it first, you're left with a gluey, fuzzy mess that nothing will stick to. That vinyl might be slick, but at least it's a solid surface. Flocked paper is a nightmare in a can.

the_emery24d ago

It's the same with cheap furniture, a shiny surface hides a TERRIBLE base that fails the second you try to change it.