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Vent: I tried the 'paint over wallpaper' trick in my old bathroom and it actually held up
My bathroom had this ugly, bubbly floral wallpaper from the 80s. I really didn't want to spend a whole weekend steaming and scraping, so I read online about just painting over it. I was sure it would peel or look awful. First, I smoothed down all the loose edges with a putty knife and used a heavy-duty primer, the Zinsser Cover Stain kind. I did two coats of that, letting it dry a full day between each. Then I used a basic semi-gloss bathroom paint. It's been about eight months now, through all the steam from showers, and there's not a single bubble or peel. The texture is a little weird if you run your hand over it, but you can't see it. Has anyone else tried this on a really bad wallpaper job? I'm curious if I just got lucky.
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the_ryan1mo ago
That Zinsser primer is the real hero here, it sticks to anything.
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holly_sanchez751mo ago
Absolutely same here, my kitchen had this shiny vinyl wallpaper that seemed impossible to remove. I used that exact primer too, just slapped it right on after cleaning the walls. Two coats of a good enamel paint over it and it's been solid for over a year now. The texture is definitely there but you only notice it if you're looking for it. That primer is magic in a can.
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