Started a debate with my neighbor about painting over wallpaper

My neighbor Mark said he's been painting over wallpaper for 20 years with no issues. I told him that's a bad idea because the moisture can loosen the glue and cause bubbling. He showed me his living room that's held up fine for 5 years now. Has anyone else tried this and had it fail down the road?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex30726d ago

Mark's wallpaper bubbled up on year six for me.

the_emma25d ago

So the bubble showed up that late for you too? I've been wondering if there's some kind of specific humidity trigger or temperature shift that causes it around that timeline. Did you notice any weird smell or dampness in the room before it happened, or did it just pop up out of nowhere one morning? Trying to figure out if there's a warning sign I should be looking for before mine decides to do the same thing.

miles27926d ago

Oh man, that bubbling issue is a classic pain point with that brand. I hit year five myself and thought I was in the clear, then bam, same thing happened. You gotta catch it early or it just gets worse and traps moisture behind it. What worked for me was getting a small razor blade and carefully slicing a tiny slit right at the edge of the bubble to let the air out, then pressing it flat with a credit card wrapped in a soft cloth. If there's any adhesive left on the wall, you can also get that spray-on wallpaper glue from the hardware store and inject a tiny bit under there with a syringe needle. Just be real gentle though, you don't want to tear the paper or make a bigger mess.