I’m a contractor with a client who recently purchased an 1890s home in Philadelphia. Decades ago, someone wallpapered over the plaster walls—and years after that, for inexplicable reasons, painted over the wallpaper. Now the wallpaper seams are separating and some sections are peeling off. I’m seeking the least-invasive method of repair. I’ve thought about going over every­thing with a thin layer of drywall, but the drywall’s additional thickness would mean extending door and window jambs and furring out base trim. There’s no money in the budget for removing the plaster before drywalling. Can anything be done?

— Michael Manny; Philadelphia

Mike DiBlasi of Diblasi Painting Replies

Over the years, we have encountered this very same problem many times. Even in well-maintained houses, there are wayward rooms where protocol was forgotten and the painter went rogue and decided to just slap paint on everything. If I came across this particular situation, I would start with the basics. That means first and foremost creating a sound substrate to build upon. In order to accomplish this, you will need to get physical with the painted wallpaper. That means scraping every last inch of wall and removing the bits and pieces that are not adhering well to the plaster. Unfortunately, that is only the beginning of the process.

You may be tempted to stop when you no longer see peeling sections—but if you don’t remove every last bit of the wallpaper, even the parts that are still well-adhered, you will see “bubbling” whenever you wet the surface with compound or primer, because you’re reactivating the wallpaper adhesive or sizing that remains on the walls after you’ve scraped. I’ve seen inexperienced painters deal with the bubbles during a half-dozen patching, priming, and painting steps. If you don’t remove the wallpaper’s adhesive layer and sizing, the bubbles will never go away.

Therefore, when I’m faced with painted wallpaper, I accept the inevitable and resolve to take the time I’ll need to strip everything down to the plaster, removing the wallpaper and its adhesive completely. This involves sanding the facing of the wallpaper to expose the backing that’s glued to the wall, wetting down the backing to reactivate the adhesive, and scraping until it’s all gone. This is physically demanding and labor-intensive, but you can find comfort knowing all subsequent layers of paint or wallpaper will stick around for a lifetime of service.

For details of the wallpaper stripping process, see my Fine Homebuilding article, “Stripping Wallpaper” (FHB #291), which shows how to do it step by step.

— Mike DiBlasi of Diblasi Painting

From Fine Homebuilding #325

RELATED STORIES

• Preparing to Paint after Wallpaper
• Repairing Drywall After Removing Wallpaper
• Stripping Wallpaper

Need help?

Get answers you can trust from the experienced pros at FHB. Email your question to [email protected].

Fine Homebuilding Recommended Products

Fine Homebuilding receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Handy Heat Gun

This heat gun is great for drying joint compound, primer and paint when patching drywall and plaster walls. Plus it can soften adhesive, get a very cold small engine to start, and shrink heat-shrink tubing.

Buy at Amazon

8067 All-Weather Flashing Tape

Available in 2- to 12-in. widths, this is a good general-purpose flashing tape that sticks well to most things. It features a two-piece release paper, water-shedding layers, and good UV resistance.

Buy at Amazon

Affordable IR Camera

This camera is super useful for tracking down air leaks in buildings. The one-hand pistol grip arrangement frees your other hand for steadying yourself while maneuvering tricky job sites.

Buy at Amazon