Our bathroom has a small wallpaper border along the top of the walls. Would it be easier to just prime over it and then paint or is their an easy way to remove it? It’s an old house and the border was up there when we moved in so I’m not sure how old it is.
What is TSP?
Sheila,
As a professional painter for 25 yrs. I would make the following suggestion. It would be more advisable to remove the border entirely before priming. Yes, it might be easier but you will run the risk of having the edge (on the bottom) show even after it’s painted. Also, if you prime over it, even with a oil primer, you might run the risk of having the border material bubble up underneath. Depending on what the border is made of,(usually a paper-paper/fiber material) you can
"score" it with a heavy grit sandpaper or a cheap wallpaper scorer from a hardware store. saturate the border with water , let it sit a couple min. and use a putty knife to scrape it off. Remember to rinse the area to remove any adhesive residue. Then prime, paint and enjoy!! TSP
is Tri-sodium Phosphate and is used usually for cleaning purposes i.e.
dirt, grease , etc.Please use rubber gloves when using this as it might
irritate the skin.
January 1st, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Just remove it. I it usually dosnt look to good painted over . And it isnt that hard to take down most of the time. Get a bucket of hot water with some liquid dawn soap and sponge your border. Find a seam you can pick with a Knife or flathead screwdriver and pull. Good luck.
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January 1st, 2010 at 3:39 pm
I would remove the border because it would look like you painted over a border even with being primed. Put some fabric softener and hot water(50/50) in a spray bottle and wet down the wall paper. You can work it in with a damp sponge. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and try to start peeling the edge. Spray solution between paper and wall as you peel it away. Wash wall with TSP after border is removed.
References :
January 1st, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Sheila,
As a professional painter for 25 yrs. I would make the following suggestion. It would be more advisable to remove the border entirely before priming. Yes, it might be easier but you will run the risk of having the edge (on the bottom) show even after it’s painted. Also, if you prime over it, even with a oil primer, you might run the risk of having the border material bubble up underneath. Depending on what the border is made of,(usually a paper-paper/fiber material) you can
"score" it with a heavy grit sandpaper or a cheap wallpaper scorer from a hardware store. saturate the border with water , let it sit a couple min. and use a putty knife to scrape it off. Remember to rinse the area to remove any adhesive residue. Then prime, paint and enjoy!! TSP
is Tri-sodium Phosphate and is used usually for cleaning purposes i.e.
dirt, grease , etc.Please use rubber gloves when using this as it might
irritate the skin.
References :
The information I gave was from experiences I have run into before.
January 1st, 2010 at 4:25 pm
you need to remove the paper because if you paint over it would show later after painting.Is very easy to remove the wallpaper use a heat gun to remove the paper
References :
January 1st, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Peel off what you can of the border, then spray it with water, let it soak in for a few minutes, then using a putty knife or drywall applicator and being VERY careful not to gouge the wall, scrape off the rest of the border, respraying as necessary.
When you are done go to the paint section of walmart and buy some STP, wash all the walls before painting as there will be paint "scum" on the walls and latex paint will come out all streaky and wont stick to the wall if you dont do this.
Using soap to clean the walls will also leave a residue behind as will common household cleaners.
Washing the walls if you dont apply the paint properly will just wash the paint off.
Make sure there is no gritty paste pebbles left behind from the border.
Good luck !
References :