Painting Over Wallpaper in Tipton

You can paint over wallpaper in some situations, but it is often a false shortcut. Paint is wet, and when it soaks into the paper it can soften the paste behind it. That is when bubbles, lifting seams and peeling edges appear, sometimes straight away and sometimes a few days later as the paint dries and shrinks.

It has the best chance of working when the paper is plain, firmly stuck everywhere with no loose seams or corners, and not a vinyl or washable type, because paint does not grip shiny vinyl well. Even then, the texture and joins of the paper usually show through the paint, which can make a room look tired rather than freshly decorated. Woodchip and textured papers are a particular challenge, because paint highlights every lump.

In Tipton, many older houses around Coseley and Dudley Port have several layers of paper built up over the years, sometimes painted over already. In those cases, stripping back to the plaster, filling and lining the wall gives a smooth, lasting finish, and lining paper is designed to be painted. We will always look at the wall and tell you honestly which route makes sense.