Walls and Ceilings - Wall board over wallpaper

I've got 2 good sized rooms that currently have wallpaper hung on them. I'm sure these walls have never been painted and there's a good chance they were just taped before the original wall paper was done.

I would like to paint these walls, (don't want to paint the wallpaper) and my prior experience in the home is that the wallboard winds up in poor shape after stripping the wallpaper. I was thinking that I would rip out all of the drywall, down to the studs, when some one suggested that I just hang 1/4" over the existing walls so you would save the effort and mess of tearing out the existing wall board.

This seems to make sense to me is there anything wrong with this approach? I was concerned about eletrical outlets and switch boxes.

Thanks
Mike

OK. Calmly rethink what your saying. Instead of tearing it all down then re-hanging it, finishing, then painting how bout this. Go in soak the wallpaper with hot water and vinegar(yes it works). This removal method is very easy on the wallboard. Now instead of finishing all that new rock u wanna buy, just touch up and skim out the existing rough places. Want it to really look good? Might I suggest glazing and sanding the entire wall before you paint. Now in the end all you will buy this way is maybe vinegar and a bucket of mud. Retail price=$15 Around here that would have gotten you two sheets of 1/4 board... Worst case, an area or two is maybe bowed or badly damared or moldy or what ever, just remove as much as you really have to and patch it back up.. I assure you this route will be much cheaper and easier. Not sure how to go about it just post. Good Luck!

And get one of those wallpaper piercers that makes tiny holes so the water and vinegar solutions get to the whole thing.

1975, just hang the 1/4" board over it. Believe me you will save your sanity. And it will be less work. You will need to find the studs so you can make a mark on the ground. This way you will know where the studs are when you start to hang. You will want to go with some screws longer than 1 1/4". I'd use 1 1/2" or 1 5/8". Less time, less mess, more sanity. Good Luck

I pretty much agree with boardslinger, if the drywall was just taped finished & then had wallpaper applied directly on it w/o a primer, it'll be a motherbear to get off without totally trashing the drywall.

If you overlay the rooms, you will indeed need to recut some trim, and you'll have to go with longer screws for your switchcovers & such, but IMO it's a quick, easier solution in alot of cases.

Now if you get lucky & the wall was primed, then that old paper will come off in sheets, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. :)

Thanks for the adivce. I probalby use the 1/4 rock method.

I've remove alot of wallpaper in the place already and the results have been less than desireable. (vinegar and steel wool work wonders when its plaster)

I still have some concerns about the electircal recepticals and how to deal with walls were the new sheetrock would but against walls that I'm not going to do anything to.

Any advice.

There's spacers & longer screws to deal with the elec boxes.

If you butting into a painted plaster or sheetrock wall, and it's a flat paint, just wipe it down & tape & mud the corner, gloss or semi-gloss paint will need a little scuffing up with sandpaper, but that will hold mud also. You could also just cut it pretty tight & run quarter-round. Keep in mind, baseboards & any crown moulding will need to be removed & recut. Not a big deal & I'd still vote for that over stripping wallpaper off an unprimed wall. ;)