Vinyl on top of vinyl wallpaper?

[Arty Flinders]

Hi folks, has anyone success in putting vinyl wallpaper on top of existing vinyl wallpaper? In the room I'm working on, the original vinyl paper is sound and is painted over with vinyl silk emulsion. Regards,

[Harry Ziman]

Some vinyl papers are designed so they peel - the top layer comes off leaving the backing layers on the wall. These are suitable for papering directly on top.

[Arty Flinders]

I did a search of earlier discussions on the subject, so I know a few of the options. It's pretty clear that taking the vinyl facing off the original paper and then re-papering on the sound lining paper that remains is a favourite option. Steam stripping is also a popular method.

In the situation I've got here, the old vinyl is sound and has several coats of paint over it. The original paper is now smoothly and cleanly welded to the bottom of the ceiling coving and the top of the skirting by multiple overlapping coats of paint. Stripping the paper will damage the finish on both these adjacent moulded areas.

If the substrate was masonry and plaster walls, I'd be tempted to make a clean cut at all the intersections with a Stanley knife. As the walls are of the platerboarded, stud partition type though., I'm reluctant to weaken the face of the plasterboad by cutting into it.

So, what I'm interested to know, if anyone has experienced the like, is will vinyl wallpaper adhere to previously applied vinyl wallpaper that has been coated with vinyl silk paint? If it's possible, would it be necessary to use a special type of paste?

[RichardS]

I can't see any problem with doing that - were it plain unpainted vinyl I'd pull the top layer off, but I understand your concerns that this might not be so straightforward as it's been painted and is on top of plasterboard.

I'd size the wall first as per instructions on packets of paste (whether the new paper is ready-pasted or not), then hang the new paper as normal (ie as per instructions on the new paper)

-- Richard Sampson

email me at richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

[Arty Flinders]

Thanks , yes, sizing the walls will probably add to the likely success of the job.

[Arty Flinders]

Just for future reference for anyone who might find it useful. I put vinyl wallpaper on top of the existing, vinyl silk painted, vinyl wallpaper. The paper was easy to apply and slide into place because of the semi-glossiness and low absorbency of the existing wall surface. The paper has stuck well and the edges have rolled down smoothly and are firmly fixed. I used Solvite Extra Strong All Purpose paste.