Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - Wallpaper Over Existing Wallpaper

I am planning to remodel my kitchen. I am replacing cabinets, flooring, and wallpaper. I was going to remove the wallpaper, but it was applied directly on the drywall without any prep. So removing it will cause damage. I want to know what the proper wall preparation is needed to cover the existing wallpaper. Should I leave this to a professional? What does the average wallhanger charge for wall prep and paper hanging? By the roll or area covered? My kitchen is 10 X 16 with 8 foot ceiling.

did you even TRY to remove the paper? you might be able to get all the vinyl face layer off, leaving just the backing. then you can just paint over the backing left on the wall with wallpaper primer (tinted to the background color of your paper - helps hide any slightly gapping seams) and hang your new paper. avoid your new seams falling directly on the old seams.

depending on the size of the pattern repeat in the paper you choose, you'll need 18 to 20 single rolls (sold as 9-10 double rolls). most hangers charge by the roll, maybe $15 per roll - give or take (?? it was $10 per single years ago, i really don't know what the going rate is now! sorry.... :o ), so you'd be looking at $270 - $300, plus any prep work charges.

if you've papered before, you can do it. :thumbup:

Yes, I attempted to remove a section behind my refridgerator using DIF and it pulled off some of the drywall. It was not properly prepared and primed when the original owner put the wallpaper on himself. His money saving venture will cost me. Since posting my original thread, I have had two wallpaper hangers give me an estimate. Both agreed that the wallpaper has to come down. They are more experienced in removal and they will repair any damage to the drywall and prime the walls. If anyone out there is planning to wallpaper on their own, PLEASE prep the walls properly. The time and money you save maybe your own.

so, out of curiosity, what is the going rate for paperhanging & prep work these days?

Annette, I'm in about the same boat as rufus. But I have only large patches of the backing showing, with other areas showing several layers of paper. I scraped any loose paper and sanded the rest -- it appears to be down pretty solid. But my question is whether I should prime? Won't the wetting effect of the primer possibly loosen up the paper underneath? Would I be better off just hanging over the old paper?

By the way, I always remove the old wallpaper, down to every last bit. But this time I just don't have the energy. Plus the last layer of paper seems to be on almost a cardboard like surface -- the drywall, I guess. I scraped a bit of it and dug up some white chalky stuff -- not good. Everyone I know wallpapers over old paper! So I figured I would try it. Just not sure how to proceed with the primer. (This is the same room that needs the dreaded crown molding. It's just a little spare room so I figure if the wallpaper bubbles up or whatever I will just pull it off and start over with the scraping.)

Thanks Annette! You're great. -Kelli

Won't the wetting effect of the primer possibly loosen up the paper underneath?

if you're afraid the wetting effect of the primer will loosen whatever's still up there, then you should also be worried about the moisture from the new wallpaper's adhesive doing the same thing. you need to soak what's up there with HOT tap water from a spray bottle and attempt to get it all off. if after doing that, you still can't get it off, then you KNOW any moisture from primer or adhesive won't adversely affect it, and you're safe to prime it. use a WALLPAPER PRIMER, not just regular primer. have it tinted to the background color of your paper to help hide seams.

it's only when you KNOW FOR SURE that the paper is up there REALLY WELL & FOR GOOD that you can safely paper over it.

An obvious question -- why do we have to remove all old wallpaper when our parents and grandparents didn't!? :) Seriously, they put five and six layers of paper one on top of the other, but we feel it all has to be removed. Maybe it's because we're an obsessive-compulsive, anal retentive society these days? :) I think I'm going to try to hang it without the primer, just so there's one less wetting layer. If it's a disaster, it's a disaster -- I'll yank it down and do it the right way. But I can potentially save days of scraping, which sounds good. I have a three-month-old and I'm exhausted!

i "think" in the old days, the papers were real paper - not vinyl coated or solid vinyl, like they are now. and they pasted their papers with really good adhesive. they didn't have pre-pasted paper. the adhesive on the pre-pasted paper isn't as good as the other kinds.

if you haven't spent a lot of $ on the paper, and you can afford to have the project possibly fail, go for it. but you'll have wasted your time, too, which is worth a lot. doing it right means only having to do it once.

that said - it might actually be okay. i papered over vinyl coated paper once, and it was fine. it all bubbled up something terrible, and had me completely freaked out, but by morning, it had all dried & flattened out perfectly. go figure. :rolleyes: at least you're not doing a steamy bathroom or kitchen.

if you have trouble getting your paper to adhere, it's because the existing paper is vinyl coated & your new paper's pre-pasted adhesive isn't sticky enough. you might keep some vinyl-over-vinyl adhesive at the ready (or nip the problems in the bud & just paste your paper with it to begin with), in case you need it for those areas. you'll need it anyway for the corners where you'll overlap slightly.

i truly wish you luck.

In reply to pogna66, the two quotes I received were for $760 and $695. That is for wallpaper removal, drywall repair, prime, and hanging of 16 rolls of paper and borders. They charge $18 a roll to hang plus $400+ for the removal, drywall repair , and prep. Both men are highly respectable with good references. They charge a bit more than others, but I want the job done right. I think I will go with the $760 job even though it is more costly. He can start the job sooner (anxious spouse). Both explained the importance of removing the old wallpaper. The moisture from the water based paste will loosen the old paper and when it loosens, it could bubble or bring the new paper down with it. Also, with a proper wall prep, future wallpaper removal is much easier if you decide years later to change wallpaper style. I don't need any more headaches.

In reply to pogna66...

umm......hello? it was me, Annette, who asked about the cost. :o did you mean to dis me?? ;)

anyway........wow ~ $760?! PLUS the cost of the wallpaper? that's a chunk of cash, but it sounds like you're going to end up with a very quality, professional looking job. best of luck! :thumbup:

Sorry, that was you Annette who asked. :o Yeah, I know it's a hunk of change, but there is going to be some damage to the wall and I don't have the time or expertise to do the job. If I have to pay a couple of hundred dollars more for a job well done, I am willing to pay it. We know two other wallpaper hangers who do an acceptable job and charge between $12 to $15 a roll to hang, but neither one is willing to strip and repair the walls. They predict considerable damage to remove and a couple of days to repair and prime. Besides both are on a 3-4 weeks backlog. Besides, I am going to watch closely and learn because I am going to wallpaper both bathrooms myself.

Those prices are VERY reasonable. My ballpark price from the description would be close to $900.

Annette was close on the reason why they layered in the old days. It was real paper, and they used wheat paste. Each layer was used as a liner for the next one. This was in the days of lime coat plaster, and horse-hair plaster, and not the glass smooth walls of drywall we have today.