How to Get Rid of Sponge-Painted Walls Without Painting

Preparation

• 1

  Unscrew and remove all fixtures and light plate covers.

• 2

  Dampen a sponge. Hold it against the sponge-painted wall for approximately 15 seconds. Examine the sponge. If no paint comes off on the sponge, you can wallpaper over the wall's painted surface without any further preparation. If paint comes off on the sponge, wash your walls well with soap and water before beginning your wallpapering project.

• 3

  Examine your wall for peeling or chipped paint. Sand away chipping or peeling paint with 100- to 200-grit sandpaper.

• 4

  Measure the wall from floor to ceiling. Measure the space from the floor to the bottom of any windows and from the top sill of the window to the ceiling. Write down your measurements.

• 5

  Cut a strip of wallpaper roughly 4 inches wide and as long as your wall is tall. Hold the wallpaper against the wall. Examine the design on the wallpaper and choose a spot on the wall for the wallpaper's midpoint. This is your plumb line. Mark the plumb line with a pencil and a level.

Wallpapering

• 6

  Lay the first strip of wallpaper face down on a flat surface. Apply the paste with a damp sponge. If the wallpaper is prepasted, dip the wallpaper in a tub of lukewarm water. Let the wallpaper sit in the lukewarm water for the amount of time specified in the manufacturer's instructions.

• 7

  Fold the edges of the wallpaper inward until they meet in the middle. Do not crease the paper. This is known as “booking” and helps prevent your wallpaper's seams from shrinking after you apply it. Let the wallpaper sit for five minutes.

• 8

  Unfold the first sheet of wallpaper. Align the central design, if there is one, with the plumb line on your wall. Apply the wallpaper to the wall. Smooth the wallpaper out as much as possible with your hands.

• 9

  Run a smoother across the wallpaper, starting at the bottom and continuing on to the top. Pay extra attention to smoothing the seams. Cut away any overhang at the top and bottom of your wall with a utility knife. Smooth out the freshly cut sections with the smoother.

• 10

  Hang the rest of your wallpaper strips. Align each strip's central design with the plumb line and the design present on the previous strip of wallpaper. This makes the wallpaper's seams less noticeable.

• 11

  Measure the distance from the previous sheet of wallpaper to the corner. Cut a smaller strip of paper to fit this length. Align the designs with those on the previous wallpaper strip. If you started in a corner and have reached the last corner of your project, align the design with both the first strip of wallpaper and the last.