Can I paint over vinyl wallpaper?

Question

I have really cruddy wallpaper in my room, my mother said it was vinyl (not sure though). I'm really wanting to repaint it, but we're unsure as to whether you can paint over it or not. I'm pretty sure there's just plaster underneath and I don't think I can paint that.

So, can I paint over top the vinyl? Or do I need any special paint to do so?

Answer 1

Hello!

God, if it is vinyl wallpaper, it's normally a nightmare. If you painted over it, it would take SEVERAL coats of really decent paint, with a proper undercoat paint underneath.  It's also a complete pain to strip off the walls, and if there's only plaster underneath, you may have to re-fill some of the gaps.  Painting is definitely the best option in my opinion!

Hope that this helps!

Fluropink

Answer 2

You should NEVER paint over wallpaper. If you really want to, all you need to do is buy a high adhesive primer.  Be aware that all the seams will show, and that later removal of the wallpaper will be 10X more difficult than removing it now.

Let your Mom know about the problems.

Answer 3

Strip off the paper you can paint it but it wont last