7 Techniques And Tips For Painting Over Wallpaper in Ottawa, Ontario

Sometimes you decide that you want to paint a particular interior room only to find that there’s wallpaper in the room already.

Granted, sometimes it’s just better to remove the wallpaper before you paint, and if you’re able to do so, it’s probably a good idea — but it’s not always feasible.

With that being the case, here are seven techniques and tips for painting over wallpaper in Ottawa, Ontario.

1. Make Sure The Wallpaper Is Clean

The first thing you should do when you’re looking to paint over wallpaper is to make sure that the wallpaper you’re painting is clean.

This might seem like a fairly trivial matter, but depending on what kind of stains and grime you may have layered on top of your wallpaper, it might very well be a lot more difficult to paint.

The best thing for you to do in this case is to fully clean the wallpaper and then ensure that it is dry before you continue with the painting project.

2. Check For Damage In The Wallpaper

It’s fundamentally important that you check the wallpaper for any damage that may have occurred in the time since the wallpaper was first applied to the wall.

If you weren’t the person to apply the wallpaper and you bought the house, it might be difficult to ascertain how long it has been applied but it is nevertheless a good idea to see what damage there is and where.

There are different kinds of damage to your wallpaper but ones that involve the wallpaper peeling of course need more immediate attention.

3. Don’t Skip The Primer

One of the important steps of just about any project including painting the walls is to make sure that the surface that you are painting is as smooth as possible.

This is just as much the case when you have wallpaper on the wall — depending on what kind of wallpaper it is, it may have a surface that is unconducive to paint.

Additionally, just the process of painting over wallpaper means that you should ideally seal in the wallpaper so that you don’t get an issue where the paint soaks through the wallpaper.

4. Use Only Oil Based Paint

There are many different kinds of paint but when you’re painting over your wallpaper, you’re going to want to stick to oil based paint.

The reason this is the case is that if you use other kinds of paint you run the chance that you’ll get the paint into the wallpaper instead of over it.

5. Wear A Mask And Thick Gloves

In terms of protection, it’s a good idea to get a face mask as well as thick gloves while you are painting over the wallpaper on the walls.

The mask is for protecting yourself from dust and the like, and the gloves will help you with some of the rough textures you will encounter during the process of painting.

6. Use Tape For Molding

There are a few things you can do to help yourself during the painting process regarding the molding in your home and one of the best ones involves painter’s tape.

Painter’s tape will help to protect the molding from the paint you’ll be applying to the wallpaper.

7. Two Coats Will Likely Be Necessary

Lastly, remember that the process of painting over wallpaper may be different but in some ways, you will be doing things similarly to painting your typical wall.

This means that in all likelihood, you will need two coats of paint to properly get the work done — and this means applying a coat of paint over the already dried first coat of paint.

If you need help choosing the type of paint and painting over wallpaper in your home in Ottawa, Ontario, our team at Millers’ Painting Company can help.

We offer free paint consultancy alongside high-quality residential and commercial painting services in Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, and Westboro areas of Ottawa, Ontario.

To get started with us, book a FREE estimate or call us on 613-979-5435

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