In that case, you’ll want to remove it, Nungesser says, because the painting over failing wallpaper will probably leave you with disappointing results. Meaning, it just won’t look very good.

When painting over wallpaper, prepping the surface is often just as crucial as the actual painting. For this reason, clean the surface well, ensuring you remove all dirt and grime.

To help you tackle the task, we asked Jeff Spillane, Benjamin Moore ’s senior manager of product training implementation, on how to avoid the potential pitfalls of painting over wallpaper ...

Painting directly over wallpaper is never ideal. But for short-term renters, those in a time crunch, or anyone worried about damaging the walls behind the paper, it is possible, says Pleasants.

Q. We have an unused bedroom with walls that are covered in some type of vinyl wallpaper from years ago. It is in good shape and very tight on the wallboard. I was wondering if I could paint over ...