I have one wall on which the wall paper is looking a bit grubby. I want to paint it with a near off-white straw colour paint. The wallpaper looks like ordinary wallpaper with no plastic-type coating so should absorb paint well.

I painted the same wallpaper on a different wall about 5 years ago using 2 coats of TOA Timbershield Acrylic paint (leftover from repainting doors and wood surfaces) with no preparation and the results were good. However the finish is slightly shiny like silk or semi-matt.

I would like a less shiny matt flat finish.

I will be buying my paint in Homepro and from my previous paint buying experience there nobody has a clue about the differences between terms like "undercoat' 'sealer' 'primer' 'emulsion' 'acrylic' 'oil-based' 'matt finish' 'silk finish' 'glossy finish'.

I have checked some help sites on google but the paint recommendations seem a bit extreme as they recommend TSP washing, oil-based primer sealer followed by oil based paint.

I would have thought that 2 or 3 coats of emulsion (vinyl?) paint would have sufficed.

Any advice on what to use for a matt flat finish, and more importantly what to specifically ask for at Homepro?

Thanks

Homepro has its uses but I agree re the help available from the pait section staff. If I need help I go to the Jotun store (full Jotun shop, not just a section). Very knowlegable and helpful, most of their sales are large piles of paints to house builders. Jotun is also known for high-quality apints, including specialty items such as boat bottom paint.

If you take my advise you have to remove the all wallpaper first for the 100% result. To let under it, it's a half solution.

And when you make a new wall color first may use "primer" paint (they say it in HomePro).

Regards.

If you are satisfied that the wallpaper is sound then any acrylic based emulsion paint will brighten it up for you. If you want the best then I would suggest "Dulux" matt emulsion.

2 coats should do it and cover well .... But .... leave to dry as per directions on the container, between coats. Putting the second coat on before the first is completely dry AND chemically cured, is a total waste of effort and paint.

I never add water to thin emulsion paint but if you must; follow the directions and not the local "colour man's" advice.

paper is likely to bubble up and look bad, not difficult to remove it, but a lot harder once you paint over it

Depending on how big the wall is you could find sand the seems and paint but a hot steamer if you could rent one can remove the wall paper very easy. The glue is the biggest pain to get fully removed.

Believe it or not I went to Homepro and the salesman seemed to know a bit about paint, unlike my previous experience.

I cut a test strip from part of wall paper and discovered that the paper IS actually plastic coated. Maybe this means there will be less chance of bubbling once I have painted over?

Maybe washing the walls down with a soapy solution should be sufficient to prepare the surface for painting with Vinyl paint?

I think stripping the wall will be a major effort and not one I want to undertake myself.

Thanks for the comments.

Don't worry too much about any bubbles as they should go away after the paint is dry. If not you can prick the bubbles and stick a bit of PVA underneath and touch up

Just use the best quality emulsion if going over a water based silk finish - and it means you will be finished quickly