Tripod member joshuaglenn asks:
How do you feel — morally — about painting over wallpaper? I used to do a lot of interior painting for a living and I always fumed when I had to scrape wallpaper that had been painted over. But recently I moved into a place with really ugly wallpaper. I don't plan to stay long, but I HAVE to make the walls a solid color. I don't feel like scraping — why should I do all that work for free? My landlady said I could paint over the wallpaper, but she won't pay me to scrape. What should I do?

Handy Girl Karen suggests:
I don't really have a moral stance on that one. Unless the place has some kind of value — historical, emotional, financial, whatever — I'd say practical considerations override. Besides, in your case your landlady has taken away your responsibility toward the moral high ground by telling you what she's willing (or not willing) to spring for.

As far as actually painting the wallpaper goes, there are several great water-based primers on the market that are made to paint over difficult finishes, like gloss, satin, or dusty surfaces. They seal and help prevent a major problem in painting over wallpaper, which is moisture getting under the paper, causing bubbling and loosening from the wall. Professional paint stores definitely carry stuff like this, and there's usually a knowledgeable person there to answer questions. Cheap mega-hardware stores might also have something, but if you don't know what you're looking for, you could be wandering the paint aisles all day, wishing you'd just stripped that wallpaper.

More Handy Girls Answers | Ask the Handy Girls