Problem with wallpaper applied over existing wallpaper

[Sheena]

Help! Can anyone offer any advice?

My house is going on the market soon and i'm decorating at the moment. My ex, in his wisdom, committed the cardinal sin and wallpapered over wallpaper. The original wallpaper is like a very very fine woodchip but I don't think it is. The wallpaper on top is a blown vinyl. For a few years, it was fine then started to come away at the seams. I thought I was going to be able to fix it easily enough and put size on the wall where the 2nd covering of paper had come away and left it to dry overnight. I sprayed the outer paper with water to try soften it (but it didn't!) then I pasted it well and tried to stick it back down to no avail. I have so much to do before the house goes up for sale and I am really hoping that someone can offer me advice. Incidentally, the wallpaper in question is on a camb? wall mainly. I have worked non-stop for the past week and half and got on like a house on fire but this one is a real problem and I haven't a clue what to try next.

 

[Growler]

For a quick fix:
Don't wet the seams. Just ease them apart with a scraper and run a bead of painters caulk onto the wall and just push it back onto it.

 

[Sheena]

Thanks Growler for your advice. I have already managed it with pva glue and it worked a treat.

I do have another problem, same room, same wallpaper....the wallpaper has been hung in one continuous strip along the roof and down the cam wall/ceiling but when it meets the start of the slope of the wall, it is coming away from wall. Is there anything I can do to remedy this? The paper is quite hard since it has been painted (blown vinyl) and it looks like if I fix it back onto the wall, then the paper might tear as there doesn't seem to be enough paper to cover the area. Would I be better letting it tear and pasting it back onto wall? Right now, you can see that it isn't attached to the wall. I will be painting it again once I've done this. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Sheena]

This is another thank you to Growler for your advice. The PVA glue didn't work quite as well as expected as the paper started to come away from the wall again when I painted it so I took your advice and did every strip with Decorator's Caulk and it is fantastic. Took a lot of time and patience, sealing every strip of paper and sealing the seams even where it wasn't just as bad (just to be on the safe side) and have painted and it's stuck tight. Many thanks for your help. The room now looks great

 

[nok1]

you could just cut through the paper with a stanley knife and do the same thing with the caulk if your going to paint the room any way.
good luck with selling the house