Remove or cover old paper. - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Chris G · 10-30-2009, 03:57 PM

I have a retail clothing store client that keeps me busy and happy through the winter with small projects at their stores. The asked me to quote on replacing wallpaper in a couple of 5' x 5' change rooms. Wainscoting covers lower half, so were not talking about whopping square footages here folks, (just in case I get flamed for risking world peace by not calling in a pro).

The existing paper is vinyl, probably 5 years old. It's pretty secure except for a couple of tears where customers lift up a corner so they can stick tags in there and steal the clothes and say "look there's no tag on it, I bought it weeks ago, I'm not a shoplifter, waaaaaaaaaah!", (teenage girls do the darndest things).

So...can I go over top of the old paper? I assume I need to prime. Oil or latex?

If I peel off the old paper, aren't I in for a world of hurt if the drywall wasn't primed before the install? Remember this is a retail store, where work is usually of the slap and dash variety.

Anti-wingnut · 10-30-2009, 09:48 PM

I've been involved in lots of commercial wall paper jobs, but always as the super. That said, I can't think of having ever saved the old paper. Too much chance of telegraphing fabrics and delaminations. Pull the old paper, sand, prime and smooth, and install new.

JMHO

**genecarp** · 10-31-2009, 02:25 AM

I have gone over paper before, SOMETIMES, it can work out, oil prime, (latex will soak in and cause the paper to bubble.) The transference mentioned above is a concern, you have to get those existing seams sanded smooth, after oil prime, size, and go, GMOD

chris n · 10-31-2009, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anti-wingnut

I've been involved in lots of commercial wall paper jobs, but always as the super. That said, I can't think of having ever saved the old paper. Too much chance of telegraphing fabrics and delaminations. Pull the old paper, sand, prime and smooth, and install new.

JMHO

That is the only way to do it.

Chris G · 10-31-2009, 10:45 AM

Thanks guys.

You know what threw me off? When I searched the topic I got this thread:

http://www.contractortalk.com/f21/wa...removal-24098/

And I read this: "I am 100% against not removing existing paper,"

Now that I have re-read that for the 10th time. I think I understand it properly now. Double negatives with an affirmative are hard to understand. But still, I would have never not known if I hadn't asked.

girl painter · 11-03-2009, 08:55 PM

If you are goint to the trouble to oil prime in those small stall sand the smell of it all you might as well just take it down. Key is taking the face of the vinyl off first then soak the flannel with water. Should come off easy if the dry wall was painted first underneath.

Kuba · 11-06-2009, 04:39 PM

First of all... This is why people get in trouble... They want to charge $$$$ for doing something they have NO ****ING clue about... (oh its just wall paper..

- I will go to contractortalk and ask how to do this, then charge these good people a professionals wage)

Second, if you do not know how to remove paper, you SHOULDNT be offering those services...

Last.. @ painter girl... stop giving away the secrets lol.....

Ive had a bad day... I hate doing my books...

Kuba · 11-06-2009, 04:41 PM

go buy a tiger and poke holes all over the place... then dig in with a scraper...