Painting over vinyl wallpaper

[ando]

I have been asked to paint over vinyl wallpaper ,I tryed to convince them to strip it then line and emulsion but they didn't want to remove the paper,can anyone advise if I can go straight on with the emulsion(soft sheen)or if I should use a sealer like zinsser 123 as it is quite old and there are a few stains and marks on the paper,any advice would be great

 

[curlyzoo2002]

paint with emulsion and if any stains touch up with oil based gloss let it dry then touch up with emulsion then apply a final coat

 

[dcdec]

Its really bad practice but if you can't walk away from the job tell the client you offer no guarantee of the end results.
It would be a good idea to seal the paper, gardz could work or maybe cover stain. Either of these should help to minimise bubbling, seams lifting and you might even find that the paint cracks after application. Personally i'd walk away and let someone else take a chance, some customers are just too stupid they're not worth the hassle, they're bound to throw accusations around if the job goes tits up

 

[kbdiy]

It might not be 'best practice' but I had no problems when I cheated in my lounge by emulsion painting over vinyl paper. Not something I would usually do but needed a quick result. 2 coats and you would never know the difference.