PaintingMania

Can you paint over wallpaper?

You can, but removing it is almost always the better outcome. Paint over wallpaper only when the paper is firmly stuck down everywhere and removal would damage the wall behind it — which is a real risk on unprimed drywall. Use a shellac-based primer.

VerdictOnly under specific conditions
Primershellac-based primer
Coats2standard

Short version

  • You can, but removing it is almost always the better outcome.
  • Prepare it: glue down every loose seam and edge, skim any texture flat, then seal the whole surface before any water-based paint touches it.
  • Prime with a shellac-based primer.
  • Most common failure: bubbling and lifting seams, and visible paper texture and seam lines through the finish.

How to prepare the surface

Glue down every loose seam and edge, skim any texture flat, then seal the whole surface before any water-based paint touches it.

Then prime with a shellac-based primer. Priming is not optional on this substrate — it is the step that decides whether the finish is still attached in two years.

What to watch out for

Water-based paint re-wets wallpaper adhesive, which is why the paper bubbles and lifts hours after it looked fine. Sealing first is what prevents that.

How this job usually fails

Bubbling and lifting seams, and visible paper texture and seam lines through the finish.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the primer because the existing surface "looks fine" — adhesion is decided by the substrate, not by appearance.
  • Recoating on "dry to touch" rather than the recoat time on the product's data sheet.
  • Using wall paint on a surface that gets handled or walked on.
  • Sanding or scraping a pre-1978 surface without checking the lead rules first.

Sources

  1. Sherwin-Williams. Product technical data sheets (accessed 2026-08-17).
  2. US Environmental Protection Agency. Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (accessed 2026-08-17).
  3. US Environmental Protection Agency. Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home (accessed 2026-08-17).

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Last reviewed: · The PaintingMania editorial team · Wallpaper removal