Peel it, prep it, paint it. If they have to do some repairs, that can be addressed, too. No big deal by a real painter.

I think you may have overlooked the beginning of my post. The painter is not going to do this. I'm taking on this job.

The painter said if you peel it off it will rip off the paper on the sheetrook (she tried and that's what happened) since it was never primed or painted.

And altho I said the landlord will pay and money is no object (within reason), perhaps I didn't say that right...lol.

She will pay for materials to fix it but she's not going to spend a lot of money....like for the painter to get paid labor to glue seams, etc. I am the labor...lol.

And btw, my landlord is not cheap. It's just that she has not increased my rent since 2002 so I do all I can to save her on maintenance. It's just "the way we roll"...lol.

And I thought maybe it would be cheaper to put something over it then having to buy all the materials it would require to prep the vinyl surface (seam glue, primer, paint). And if not cheaper, then at least easier for me.

I see that Lowe's sells 8' x 7.5' PCV beadboard for about $22 for 3 boards (not sure on price since description says 1 board in pkg but Q&A says 3/pkg...need to find out) and people used it in bathroom without having to paint it.

bonnie

You cannot be the labor if you don't know the basics of doing this work (not meant as an insult, either). Putting up sheets of beadboard (or whatever) presents other challenges.

Once again...this is easy stuff for a pro. There are a couple ways to do it, which a pro will know. If the current painter doesn't want to take it on (because they don't get paid enough or know enough), find another and pay them yourself (or a portion) to do it. How about getting a quote, at least?

This post was edited by homebound on Mon, Apr 21, 14 at 11:59

Painting over wallpaper would look awful. You'll notice all the seams, any peeling edges as well. You can strip it, but yes, the paper on the sheetrock will tear in places (a lot of them!) Removing wallpaper can be slow, tedious work if the surface was never primed first. Once you get all the paper off, you will need to use wall putty to fill in and smooth out all the places where the wallboard paper came off. This is where it is critical, bad puttying sticks out like a sore thumb. Not to discourage you, it is do-able, we've done it more than we'd like to recall, but my husband is experienced in sheetrocking and puttying.

Research wallpaper removal...there are a lot of posts online where people share their techniques to minimize drywall damage. A steamer might also make the job easier and minimize wall damage.

The painter did not want to do this because it is a PITA job...of course when she showed you...it caused damage; it sounds as if she did nothing to mitigate it so it became a job she did not have to do.

Removal and repair will be tedious, somewhat messy, but totally doable for someone who researches. Also research drywall repair techniques after removal of wallpaper. Once the wallpaper and paste is off, buy a small piece of drywall; replicate the damage you see on your walls, and practice repairs with drywall compound, types of trowels or blades for the kind of damage, sandpaper/sanding blocks/sponges, and spray texture (recommend for ease of use) if your walls have any kind of texture to them. Remember building up thin layers of compound (dry each layer before you add another) instead of one thick layer works best for repairing any deep damage.

You can do this if you research and practice. I taught myself after waiting years for my husband to find someone to repair the walls of our large de-papered family room. I got fed up with his procrastination again and just started...no one can tell what was de-papered/repaired and what wasn't. Patience, diligence, and persnicketiness are important.

Remove the wallpaper. Google for guides, videos, etc. to remove wallpaper from drywall. After you've got it removed, hire a drywall guy to make the repairs. Since it's a small room, it shouldn't be too expensive. Then paint it yourself.

There is a primer called Gardz - it is especially good for fixing up dammaged drywall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardz Info