How to Redecorate Walls in Old Houses

Having an old home is a wonderful experience. The older the home is though the more difficult it can be to redecorate. The walls in old homes were built much differently than the way walls are today. Homes that are one hundred or more years old will often have walls that consist of wooden slats and mortar compound. There is no insulation in most cases. It certainly isn't like sheet rock. In most cases the walls have been wallpapered. Removing the wallpaper can be difficult.

When you're thinking about redecorating your homes walls you'll have to choose from your three basic options. You'll either paint them, wallpaper them, or use paneling. When you use paneling you can go right over top of the existing wallpaper. However, people generally remove old wallpaper before the put up new, or paint a wall.

Given the way that the walls are made in very old homes this may present you with a problem. It is not easy to remove wallpaper from walls in very old homes. Not easy at all. Why? The reason why is the way the walls are built. The first layer of wallpaper on the wall is actually sealing the wall. All of that mortar is slathered over the slats behind it.

When this is the case peeling off the old wallpaper can result in damage to the wall. This needs to be considered before you decide to remove the old wallpaper or not. The most common way to remove wallpaper is to wet it. However, wetting a very old wall can also result in wall damage. The mortar will crack and crumble easily. Once there's even one hole there's a problem.

If you don't want to have to deal with repairing the walls in your home then the option is to leave the existing wallpaper in place. You can go over top of it. Both wall paper and paint can be used to cover old and dingy wallpaper.

If you do it just right you can avoid having seams in the finish of your paint. You can also make it so that no seams from the old wallpaper show through from under the new. There are two very simple steps to take to make sure these things do not happen.

The first step is to use a utility knife to cut out all of the seams in the existing wall paper. Do this by running the blade of the knife down the inside of the seam. The outer layer will peel off in a nice long strip down the wall. Leave the under layer as it is attached to the wall. Removing it would also cause an indent.

The second step it to use a thin layer of sheetrock mud over the seam. Use a mudding knife and smooth on a thin layer. Allow it to dry and then brush with a soft cloth to remove any burrs or ridges. When you paint or wallpaper over it the seam will not show. It becomes a totally smooth surface. You can also apply mud over hole, nicks, and dents in the walls. This will ensure that your entire wall surface is all smooth and even. Your paint will go onto the walls perfectly, as will a new wallpaper. Thanks for reading and take care!