Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - Wallpaper over good wallpaper

My entire kitchen is covered in a very dull wallpaper and I'd like to re-paper it to better go with the living room and dining room that I have re-done. The wallpaper is very sound with no peeling or tears, I just don't like it.

Can I paper over it since it is in very good condition?

I haven't seen this question, only others about bad wallpaper conditions and painting over it. I thought I had read somewhere about this being OK.

Pamela

Whether your paper is good or bad, my advice is the same. Strip it first. Imagine spending $500 on wallpaper....then $500 on installation or spending 8 hours doing it yourself. Two months down the road the paper starts peeling or you see a tremendous bubble. :(

There are situations where hanging paper over paper can be accomplished, but doing it for the sake of fashion is not something a professional would recommend. Sure there are others out there that will proclaim, "Yes, I did it with no problems."

But the silent majority who have experienced that agony of removing two or multiple layers of paper should be able to attest to the wisdom of a fresh start.

Also remember your paper is probably vinyl coated. Imagine the mold/mildew invitation when you encapsulate wet adhesive between two layers of non-breathable vinyl. :eek:

Two months down the road the paper starts peeling or you see a tremendous bubble.

If her paper is as she says...In good condition,then why would it suddenly start to bubble and new paper start to peel???
If it is truly paper without a vynyl layer then there is no real difference then hanging her wallcovering over lining paper....
Im so sorry to contradict you on this matter but in some circumstances it is viable to use previously well hung paper as a lining paper,because that is all "lining paper" is...Paper!!

the silent majority who have experienced that agony of removing two or multiple layers of paper should be able to attest to the wisdom of a fresh start.

If a dry or plastered wall required cross lining before the finish paper was hung then we already have two layers of paper to strip in the future...
Thats normal!!

Pamela...Do a simple test first...Soak your existing paper with a sponge first and as is dries,check to see that the existing seams/edges stay tight to the walls...If it does and assuming your seams are not overlapped then you will be able to hang your new wallcovering over the top...Its up to you!!

Toptosher,

You are 1000% correct again. There is a big BUT in this situation though. I was assuming that the question dealt with a paper in the United States. 99.9% of papers over here are coated with vinyl, technically it's acrylic though. Though I value your advice, I would like to know your opinion about a coated paper??

The "stock" answer for uncoated papers is as you stated. It is actually preferred to hang over uncoated papers in good condition. The "stock" answer for coated papers in my opinion and the majority of my fellow paperhangers is to strip. The reason for this is based on the principle of adhesion. Adhesives stick best on porous surfaces. Coated papers have zero porosity. Ergo, the paper doesn't have the same bonding capabilities as it would over a properly prepared surface.

The other end of the spectrum holds true as well. Paper applied to un-prepped drywall has too much adhesion, therefore causing damage upon removal.

Please share your input with regard to coated papers and I will create another "sticky" thread to deal with this issue since we have had it in the past.

I have hung papers from the states,ordered by my customers via certain retailers here in the U.K a number of times...2 of them had borders applied over them at ceiling level.
As I believed them to be truly "paper" and because the instructions gave no special advice in regards to hanging borders over them.....I used regular Solvite paste.
As you know...Regular paste will not bond to a vinyl surface and Im sure my customers would have let me know had the borders I applied departed company from the paper...right??

If you say that 99.9% of U.S papers have a coating then I believe you 100%.....
My question is this...Do paper hangers in the U.S only use vinyl adhesive for borders hung over 99.9% of wallcoverings????

If indeed they do...Then I conceed that the advice that I have given to Pamela could well be.....null & void...

Oh crikey....Now you got me worrying about 2 of my previous customers....:eek:

Toptosher,

Maybe 99.9% is too high. ;) I would guess about 90%. Many of those non-coated papers are manufactured in your area too. :D

When I run into a situation with a border, I use Professional Vinyl Over Vinyl adhesive. This is an adhesive originally designed for commercial wallpaper installers. Their hanging method differers from us residential types. Their modus operandi is to always hang paper over paper. So, Professional made an adhesive to suit their needs. This adhesive is a thick creamy adhesive that is not water soluble and sticks like crazy.

Since it was specifically designed to adhere to vinyl coated papers, that is what I use in your situation, a border over vinyl paper. I have had zero failure with this method. I have seen many failures when regular adhesive is used. This is especially prevalent in kitchens and bathrooms where moisture can do it evil work. VOV adhesive will laugh at moisture.

There are also some renegade hangers that differ from me. Things I have seen or heard:
1. Using a PRIMER to hang border.
2. Double-cut inlaying of borders.
3. Strange primer/glue/specialty adhesive home-brewed glues.
Many say their way is "best", but realizing special methods are needed in a vinyl over vinyl situation is half the battle.

I thank you for your informed response and respect your opinion. One other item I can add (maybe you have seen different??) is strikethrough on true paper over paper situations. I do agree with you that papering over a true non-coated paper is actually better than stripping. One must use judgment though. Ink can telegraph through the top layer and cause all sorts of problems. I have seen/heard not only the bottom pattern appearing through the top wallpaper, but actual ink bleedthrough that stains the topcoat. :eek: This seems to be more evident when hanging over colors with shades of red in them.

Unless you have other observations, I will combine this into a new sticky thread called "Can I paper over my wallpaper?". I will explain the good/bad of vinyls and non-coated papers. Thanks for your help and further clarification!