Old wallpaper hacks

Harrycat27

Hi all,

Looking for some money-saving advice from any DIYers out there. We have recently moved home into a lovely but very dated in terms of decor house. Now we've moved, the plan is to save up for a big remodel of the property, but it will likely be between three to five years before we can afford this. In the meantime, I don't want to keep the decor and am looking for budget friendly ways to update each room without spending thousands or even hundreds if I can help it. 

What's stumping me is the downstairs hallway, stairs and landing - all of which is covered in an embossed fleur-de-lis style wallpaper in an off-white colour. Apart from a few nicks and snags, the wallpaper is in good condition and seems still solidly stuck to the walls. I'm looking for any ideas. I know the obvious one is to strip the lot and paint the walls, but I have already done that in the living room and kitchen, and will have to do that in the bedrooms too, and in the bathroom ... so I am getting a bit tired of stripping wallpaper and if there was a way to modernise without taking it all off I would love it. I'm considering:

- Painting over the wallpaper in a bold colour
- Applying some kind of panelling, at least over half of it, to break it up?
- Wallpapering over the wallpaper in a pattern that's more to our taste ... but not sure if you can do this over embossed paper?

I'm open to any other ideas, or if you think in all honesty I am just better to strip the lot and paint it then I would appreciate that feedback also, even if it isn't what I really want to hear, haha!

Many thanks in advance!

FreeBear

Paint will probably be your safest & cheapest option. Papering over it, and the embossed pattern will show through unless you use a thick lining paper and/or the new wallpaper is thick.

Downside with painting - As the first coat soaks in, there is a real chance that the paper will bubble & lift, It should go back down as it dries. But you might need to inject a bit of paste behind the paper if it doesn't.

TELLIT01

The type of wallpaper described was often used with the intention of painting at a later date, so hopefully there won't be a problem with it lifting.  Check for any loose edges and paste them back down before you start painting.

Jeepers_Creepers

Apply thin coats, roll them out well out - should be less likely to lift 'cos less water.