Remove painted wallpaper or replace drywall?

Question

My own personal residence has wallpaper that's been painted over in the master bathroom.  It's pretty glossy and water resistant.  We've been there for 10 years and there's no sign of peeling yet.  If I try to peel a small corner then practically nothing comes up and it just a shredded paper mess.

I've done drywall before.  I'm not an expert at it though and it will probably take me 2-3 times longer than a pro.  I've never done ceramic tiling before, but I'm sure I can figure it out.  The bathroom is about 26 years old anyway and could use an update.

We will be moving to a new house in about 2 months and will convert this to a rental property.  Should I invest the time and effort in a full bathroom demo or just peel the wallpaper off one tiny strip at a time?

Bryan Williamson · Answer

So I'd say peel as much as you can. Then seal and skim coat it. You'd be surprised how easy it really comes off. It seems the best is a 1 1/2" stiff knife. Get a sanding stone to keep the blade sharp. Bring plenty of elbow grease.

Matt M. · Answer

I wouldn't do anything. If you are converting it into a rental, then who cares? Why put money into something that tenants will eventually trash???

Nicholas Reece · Answer

I once spent weeks trying all types of methods of wallpaper removal on a kitchen/dining room remodel.  Weeks.  By the time I was done, there were still a few little shreds of paper that came through some of my texture and painting.  When it came time to remodel the bathroom, I tore it down to studs.  I can't say one was less work than the other.  I got a better finish out of the new, of course, but I'd say, if I were in your shoes, why not just prime, texture, and repaint the walls to your liking?  Texture and paint is just a veneer anyway.  We moved into another house as our primary and rent the old one.  I noticed that the old owners textured and painted over old drywall in the kitchen.  We've been here two years, thrown numerous parties and I can say I'm the only person that ever noticed.  So...months later, what did you end up doing?

Eddy Dumire · Answer

@Gail Kaitschuck I've heard about the fabric softener and will definitely give it a try if I go the peeling route.  The wallpaper seams aren't good at all, so painting over them won't help with that at all.

@Max Tanenbaum good summary of the time vs cost aspects of the debate.  I certainly don't have a lot of time.  What I do happen to have is 7 sheets of drywall in my garage that were left over from my last renovation so that starts to shift the balance in favor of ripping it out.  My house will also need to appeal to the higher end rental market.  It's definitely a class A area that should command about $2400 per month.

But... This is a master bath that has two rooms (one with a shower/toilet and the other with a jetted tub and two vanities).  Once I get started, I'm going to have to commit to the whole thing.  The floors, shower, and the tub surround are all tiled in the same boring off-white ceramic squares.  Its really tough to decide which way to go.

Peeling wall paper and painting:

16 hours + $200 in supplies -- still outdated bathroom

Full bathroom renovation:

2 weeks (evenings and weekends) + $$ thousands -- brand new bathroom

Max T. · Answer

You will save on materials (drywall) by peeling it off. I've done it in small places using a wet sponge and spackle knife to scrape, but it's never easy.

You will save on labor/time by removing the drywall and replacing it. That will also give you an opportunity to add insulation (often a good idea in older homes).

With all that being said, just because a bathroom is 26 years old does not mean it needs to be demoed. Simply replacing a vanity here, toilet, there, fixture, there, coat of paint goes a long way. Then again, if you are competing at the top of the market your prospective tenants are going to want everything nicely tiled.

Gail K. · Answer

I just did this in one of our rental bathrooms where wallpaper had been painted over a bright pink by a former tenant.

Buy some inexpensive liquid fabric softener at the dollar store...along with a spray bottle.   Make a mixture of water and fabric softener in the spray bottle.  Peel a bit of the wallpaper, spray, wait a bit, peel more.  Scrape with a putty knife (a wide one is good).  The fabric softener is great at helping to remove the wallpaper.

My first attempt at skim coating was lousy.

Another option in houses with good (not cheap) wallpaper is to skip all the removal and use an oil based primer over the wall paper, then paint (latex is fine).  If you use water base primer it can get under the edges of the wallpaper and sometimes cause it to bubble up; the oil base seals it better.

Gail

Eddy Dumire · Answer

@Bryan Williamson I've heard about the peel-what-you-can-skim-coat-the-rest strategy too.  Have you ever done this?  I'm just wondering if it holds up over time.  It may be an option.

Bryan Williamson · Answer

only if that's what you decide to do

Remove painted wallpaper or replace drywall?

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