Best primer for painting over wallpaper?

purplebutterfly

We're moving into a new house with horrible patterned wallpaper and we want to paint over it.  Is Zinsser 3-in-1 Wallpaper Cover Up my best choice?  

(Stripping the paper isn't currently an option as it will bring the plaster off and we can't afford to re-plaster just yet)

thanks in advance

sevenhills

It's a strange question. If you are painting over textured wallpaper, then the pattern will still be visible.

purplebutterfly

It's not textured, it just has an awful blue and brown floral pattern and 
i don't want it to show through pale emulsion

neilmcl

When you mention Zinsser 3 in 1 wallpaper cover up do you mean Bulls Eye 1-2-3?

Personally I'd get some cheap, flat matt emulsion and give it a couple of coats.

Jeepers_Creepers

If all you are trying to do is paint over it, then a good quality emulsion should do that job fine.

I guess there could possibly be issues if it's a 'metallic' finish?

I think I'd try a coat of Dulux matt white emulsion, and see how that goes. Chances are it'll obliterate it well enough for the colour of your choice to go over.

purplebutterfly

@neilmcl no, the Bulls Eye is a different product.  This is a specific product designed for wallpaper https://www.toolstation.com/zinsser-3-in-1-wallpaper-cover-up-paint/p25972

Jeepers_Creepers

purplebutterfly said:

@neilmcl no, the Bulls Eye is a different product.  This is a specific product designed for wallpaper https://www.toolstation.com/zinsser-3-in-1-wallpaper-cover-up-paint/p25972

Zinsser is good stuff in general, and that product seems to be specific for your needs - it would be churlish not to :-)

neilmcl

Jeepers_Creepers said:

purplebutterfly said:

@neilmcl no, the Bulls Eye is a different product.  This is a specific product designed for wallpaper https://www.toolstation.com/zinsser-3-in-1-wallpaper-cover-up-paint/p25972

Zinsser is good stuff in general, and that product seems to be specific for your needs - it would be churlish not to :-)

Although unnecessarily expensive to do so, not to mention not very MSE, when the same can be achieved with a few coats of cheap white emulsion.

purplebutterfly

neilmcl said:

Although unnecessarily expensive to do so, not to mention not very MSE, when the same can be achieved with a few coats of cheap white emulsion.

Is it the same though?  That's what I am interested in. 
 
Everything I have read suggests that multiple coats of emulsion is going to a) make the wallpaper bubble and b) cause more problems when we eventually need to remove the wallpaper.

It's a 1920's house and it is the original plaster underneath the wallpaper so I don't want to store up even more trouble for the future by soaking it through with loads of emulsion.  The Zinsser primer is supposed to prevent moisture absorption into the plaster. 

If it was a plasterboard new-build wall I'd not even consider a primer but I'm dealing with a building that needs a bit of extra care. 

Spending additional money now to prevent expensive issues in the future seems pretty money saving to me. 

neilmcl

A couple of extra coats of emulsion vs one or more coats of the zinnser is going to make no difference to the underlying plaster. Do you have any reason to think the plaster is in such a bad state if you strip the wallpaper?

Jeepers_Creepers

My original answer regarding Zinsser above was actually longer. It went on to suggest that you might want to use the Zin in important areas - living spaces, etc, but could try matt emulsion in, say, bedrooms and see how it goes.

Then I thought, 'what if the water content of the emulsion reactivates the 'paper paste and causes raised bubbles - not only would the paper be in tatters, but my reputation too'. So I deleted the extra bit...

PurpButt (you don't mind if I abbreviate to that, do you?), if it were me, I would simply matt emulsion over it and see. But then, I'm Scottish.