Painting - Interior Walls/Mobile Home

I live in a 1996 mobile home. The walls are sheet rock ( I think) covered with what looks like patterned wallpaper. This has a sheen to it but no texture. I would like to repaint. Do I have to sand? Primer probably. Then paint. I want the paint to stick but because the walls have a sheen to them I'm not sure whether the primer will be enough. Any info would be appreciated. :confused:

The proper way is to remove the wallpaper first, then paint
It's really not the best idea to paint over wallpaper
If it was applied properly it will come off
Maybe test a small area, see if the drywall comes up with it or not

Being a mobile home, it may or may not be wallpaper over sheetrock. It could be printed on a type of masonite. Or it may indeed be paper, but the rock was not properly prepared. Test a small area as suggested. If it comes off, then great. If not, then prime with a quality oil-based primer.

Don't know for sure but I always assumed that the wall paper on trailer walls was actualy the paper finish. It is only 1/4" drywall so unless it strips easily I would clean the walls and apply a bonding primer [kilz,zinser, etc] and then the finish paint. Although the drywall in the newer MH's appears like regular house drywall besides being thinner you will notice that there are no taped seams [moulding every 4'] and that it is glued to the walls.

I live in a mobile home .It's called decorative wall board.

I have the same problem. I have a mobile home from 1980. In the bathroom, the walls have wallpaper. If you strip the paper there is another layer of paper. Under this second paper layer is a chalky whiteboard. But I don't think it is sheet rock. If you wet it "the white" spreads. So I imagine it can't be painted? Or can it? Is there some sort of primer or sealer that might prepare the wall? Or is there some very thin sheeting I could put over it that is suitable to paint? I realling don't want to wallpaper or tear everything down to the studs! Any ideas out there?

Rosh

Welcome to the forums Rosh

Sounds like you had conventional wallpaper hung over the factory paper. The top [additional] paper needed removal, the vinyl print face of the drywall should not have been removed.

What needs to be done now [for paint or paper] is to first prime/seal the walls with pigmented shellac. After the primer is dry, sand lightly and apply joint compound as needed. When the walls are smooth you will need to prime again but latex primer is fine. You can then top coat with your choice of paint.

Any walls that still have the factory vinyl print face just need cleaning and shellac primer to ready them for paint.