About three years ago, I decided that our half bathroom needed a redo. So I watched several YouTube videos and searched Pinterest to figure out the best way to paint over wallpaper. I knew that I didn’t want to strip the wallpaper because it was pasted on top of the sheetrock which hadn’t been primed or painted before the builder added the wallpaper.

There are several primers on the market that are recommended like: B-I-N Shellac Based Primer and Sherwin Williams White Pigmented Shellac Primer. I decided on the Sherwin Williams brand because there is a store near my house and I’ve had really good results with their paints before.

Like I said, I read several articles on Pinterest, watched a few HandyMan Videos and I was really inspired to begin this project. After I got home from the store with everything that I needed, I got intimidated and started asking questions like “What if it doesn’t work?”, “What if I don’t like it?” and “What if I mess everything up”?.

Needless to say, I let this project go on the back burner for two years and then one Saturday morning, I said “Let’s Do This”!

I found the Sherwin Williams White Pigmented Shellac Primer that I’d purchased two years ago and left out in our garage. As I opened the can it was one big gloopy mess (like taffy). I wished that I had taken a picture but I just didn’t think about it at the moment. My husband and I couldn’t even stir it to mix it up.

We transferred the primer into a bigger bucket. He had a mixer tool that you attach to your drill and we stirred and stirred until we finally got enough to cover the one wall in the half bathroom.

I must warn you that if you use this primer, be sure and paint in a well ventilated area or use a fan (or wear a mask) because this stuff stinks. It actually went over the wallpaper easily. We had to do two coats of the primer to be sure that we got all the wallpaper covered and you couldn’t see any of the stripes.

We left the fan on, kept the door opened all night long and it still smelled the next morning!

First thing is to Prepare the Walls

1. Clean the walls - I used Pine Sol, water and a large sponge.

2. Repair or glue any spots of wallpaper that may be loose or torn.

3. If you have any holes in the wall (from nails or picture hangers), be sure and used spackling compound to fill in and let this dry completely. I love using the pink kind of spackling, so that I know that when it turns white…..it’s dry.

4. Take your time applying the first coat of primer and be sure to cover the entire wall with an even coat. Follow the manufacturers instructions regarding drying time between coats. You don’t have to apply a second coat of primer if you feel that your first coat was good.

5. The last step is to paint the walls in the color of your choice.

Adding the Finishing Touches!

I had some leftover paint from my craft room redo and we painted the walls the next day. The wall does have a very flat finish which you really can’t tell from the photographs. If you are wanting a more shiny finish, you might want to use a Satin or Gloss Finish.

We purchased a new toilet roll holder (did you know that they are bigger than they use to be) and a hand towel holder. My husband got them installed. I hung a few pieces of my artwork and I’m really impressed with how it turned out.

Now that this job is completed, it’s time to tackle our bathroom and kitchen!!! (Gotta love those borders from 20 years ago!)

I really can’t decide if I want to put up new wallpaper or just paint over it. Both rooms is a lot of wallpaper!!!

What do you think I should do?