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Whether you skim coat the entire wall or just a portion depends on the extent of the damage. If you only have small sections of gouges, a targeted skim coat will do the trick. However, if the surface feels uneven across larger areas, a full skim coat produces a smoother, more uniform result and helps prevent a patchy-looking paint finish.

Many types of peel-and-stick wallpaper can hold up to environments with some level of moisture, such as bathrooms—especially peel-and-stick wallpapers made of vinyl or polyester. However, if you’re considering wallpapering a bathroom that sees a lot of moisture, like a kids’ bathroom or a full bathroom with a steamy shower and inadequate ventilation, even the highest quality wallpapers will peel.

Wallpaper lasts an average of around 15 years, but there is some variance. The type of wallpaper matters, as vinyl wallpaper tends to last the longest—sometimes 20 years or more—while a peel-and-stick wallpaper, which is the easiest to install for DIYers, will usually only last for around five years. Exposure to high humidity, smoke, and UV rays from sunlight can also limit the lifespan of your wallpaper, as can heavy traffic in the installation area.

It’s best to remove wallpaper rather than paint over it. You should only paint over wallpaper if removing it would damage the wall, the surface is relatively smooth, or there are minimal problem areas—such as slight peeling and lifted seams—that you can fix easily. Painting over wallpaper can save time, but it can create more problems if the wallpaper is in poor condition and you don’t properly prep the area for painting. Depending on the state of the wallpaper, color, and textures could show through, and moisture from the paint could loosen the adhesive, causing unsightly bubbling.