Putting Wallpaper over Wallpaper

[Jodi1980]

I want to put up new wallpaper in my bathroom. The wallpaper there now is in very good condition. My handyman wants to peel off the old paper and has told me that it is time consuming. I pay him by the hour so I think he just wants to make more money. Can't I just clean and paint over the old paper and then put up new paper?

 

[dzneelvr]

Not a recommended idea.
Although the wallpaper may look "great" , it can contain, dirt, air bubbles, moisture pockets, old glue spots, etc. that will keep you from getting the best "lay" of the new paper.
It shouldn't take that long to do--get an idea from someone who has had the same square footage done and then tell your handyman the time frame you are expecting.

In the long run, you'll be glad you got the old stuff off !! (and if it's in such good shape, why not just keep it up and change some of the coordinating colors and bathroom fixtures instead)

 

[ByTheSea]

I agree, not a good idea. Maybe you want to try to do it yourself if you want to save a bit of money? It's putsy but in the long run you will be happy you took the time and effort.

 

[LucyStorm]

Ok, hate to be the dissenter here, but I have done this in several houses. The key is that the old wall paper is well adhered to the wall with no peeling. Then you have a couple of options. You can prime with something like Zinsser's primer and then paper or you can hang wall paper liner and then paper. I go with the primer if the wall is in good shape. I haven't had a problem yet doing this, but the trick is in the preparation.

 

[Regina]

We had a problem with this at our second house. The previous owners had anywhere from 2 to 3 layers of wallpaper up, and a lot of it had started to peel away from the walls. They used contact paper on the walls in one bathroom. That was a real dream to remove.

I also recommend taking wallpaper down. Subsequent layers can loosen the underlying layer, particularly if it's not 100% perfectly adhered to the wall.

If he does remove it, make sure that he sizes the wall before putting up the new paper. It will make removing the paper much easier in the future.

 

[goofy4tink]

Take it off. If you don't want to pay the guy to do it, just do it yourself. It's no big deal to do. Messy, yes. But in the long run you'll be glad you did.