How to Paint Over a Wallpapered Plaster Wall

There's hope for unkept walls; just add paint.

It's easier to paint over a wallpapered plaster wall then it is to remove the wallpaper and then paint. Removing wallpaper is a time-consuming job, and so many homeowners decide to just paint over it. A common problem that occurs when painting over the wallpaper is the deactivation of the wallpaper adhesive. When the paper gets wet from the paint it can detach from the wall, causing bubbling. These bubbles have to be repaired and then painted over.

Things You'll Need

• Painter's plastic or drop cloth
• Utility knife
• Drywall mud, pre-mixed
• Drywall mudding knife
• Sanding block, 100-grit
• Dust brush
• Drywall primer paint
• 5-gallon bucket
• Metal paint-roller screen
• Paint brush
• Ladder
• Roller cover, 1/2-inch nap
• Roller frame, 9-inch
• Extension pole
• Interior finish paint

Instructions

1. Lay a piece of painter's plastic or a drop cloth at the base of the wall.

2. Remove all loose pieces of wallpaper by cutting them away from the wall with a utility knife.

3. Fill all holes or uneven wall surfaces with pre-mixed drywall mud. Apply the mud to the wall using a drywall mudding knife.

4. Allow the patch repairs to dry for 24 hours.

5. Sand the patch repairs with a 100-grit sanding block until they are smooth.

6. Go over the wall with a dust brush.

7. Pour a gallon of drywall primer paint into a 5-gallon bucket and hang a metal paint screen from the inner lip of the bucket.

8. Cut in the wall with a paint brush. This is done by painting a border around the wall on all four sides. Keep the paint line as straight as possible and as close to the corner edges as possible. Use a ladder to reach the upper part of the wall. Paint 4 inches into the wall to provide enough relief area for the roller to keep from touching the adjacent walls, ceiling and floor.

9. Load a 1/2-inch roller nap on a 9-inch paint roller frame with drywall primer paint. Dip the roller into the bucket of paint and roll off the extra primer using the paint screen.

10. Screw an extension pole into the handle of the roller frame.

11. Prime the entire wall with up and down strokes of the paint roller. Paint one width at a time and then reload the roller with paint from the bucket. Work from left to right.

12. Allow the primer to dry for 24 hours.

13. Inspect the wall for paper bubbles after the first coat of primer had dried.

14. Cut these paper bubbles out of the wall and fill them with drywall mud.

15. Allow the drywall to dry for 24 hours and then sand the patches.

16. Cover the patches with primer paint using the paintbrush.

17. Apply a coat of finish paint over the wall by cutting in the wall with a brush and then rolling the wall. Allow to dry and then apply a second coat.