It is one of the most common questions we get asked in homes across Keighley and the Aire Valley, usually from someone staring at a papered wall and hoping to skip the stripping. The short answer is sometimes, but only if the existing paper is sound, flat and stuck down properly. The longer answer is that stripping is nearly always the better job, and this article explains how to tell which situation you are in.
Papering over an existing layer can be reasonable if the old paper is a single layer of plain, flat, uncoated paper that is firmly bonded to the wall with no lifting edges, bubbles or damp staining. Old lining paper in a Victorian terrace, for example, is often a perfectly good base if it has been there for years without moving.
You also need to be realistic about what is going on underneath. In many older houses around Keighley, Silsden and Haworth, the plaster behind the paper is lime based and may be crumbly or previously patched. That paper may be the only thing holding the surface together, and disturbing it can bring plaster down with it. In that situation, papering over a sound layer is sometimes the more sensible choice than stripping back to bare walls.
Vinyl wallpaper is the main deal breaker. It has a plastic coating that paste will not grip, so new paper will slide about while wet and then peel away as it dries. Most modern wallpapers sold in the last twenty years are vinyl or vinyl coated, so if the old paper wipes clean easily, assume it needs to come off.
Multiple layers are the other problem. Every layer of paper is only as well stuck as the weakest one beneath it, and adding more paste soaks the whole stack and softens old adhesive. We regularly find three or four layers in older Keighley properties, and the new paper pulls the lot away from the wall within weeks. Heavily embossed paper, woodchip and anaglypta also need to go, because their texture will telegraph straight through anything you hang over them.
Damp is the final warning sign. If there is any staining, blistering or a musty smell, papering over it simply traps the problem and delays the repair. Get the source sorted first, whether that is pointing, a leaking gutter or condensation.
Start by dampening a small patch with a sponge and leaving it for five minutes. If the surface darkens and softens, it is uncoated paper and paste will take. If water beads up and rolls off, it is vinyl and needs stripping.
Next, press along every seam and around the edges of the room, especially near skirting boards, windows and behind radiators where paper tends to lift. Any loose sections need to be either firmly re-pasted or removed. Then run a flat hand across the wall with your eyes closed. Any ridge, bubble or overlap you can feel will be visible under new paper, particularly with a plain or light coloured finish.
Finally, pull back a corner if you can find one. If it comes away cleanly in a sheet, stripping the room will be quick and there is little reason not to do it properly.
If the old paper passes all the tests and you decide to hang over it, wash the walls with sugar soap, fill and sand any nail holes or dents, and seal the surface with a diluted PVA or a proprietary wallpaper primer. Hang new seams at least 50 mm away from old ones so the joints do not line up. Cross lining, where lining paper is hung horizontally before the finish paper goes on vertically, gives a much flatter result and hides most minor imperfections.
If the old paper fails the tests, stripping a typical bedroom with a steamer and scraper takes a day for one decorator, longer where there are several layers or the plaster is soft. Once stripped, the wall usually needs a skim or at least filling and sanding, then sizing before lining. This is where most of the labour in a wallpapering job goes, and it is why a quote for a stripped and lined room can be double the cost of a straightforward hang.
The honest position is that in around three quarters of the homes we see, stripping is the right call. The papering over route is a legitimate shortcut in the right conditions, not a general rule, and the finish you get will only ever be as good as what is underneath.
Wet a small patch with a sponge. If the water beads and the paper does not darken or soften, it is vinyl or vinyl coated and needs stripping before you can hang anything over it.
Yes, if it is sound, flat and not vinyl, but seams and texture will show through and the paint will make it much harder to strip later. It is a reasonable short term fix rather than a proper finish.
It depends on the room size, number of layers and condition of the plaster underneath. For a typical bedroom, expect roughly a day of labour for stripping and preparation, plus any filling or skimming that is needed once the wall is exposed.
Tell us about the job. We can come out, take a look, and send a fair fixed-price quote inside 48 hours.