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[titian]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Strip, prime, and paint it will be. My first step will be borrowing a tall ladder so that I can get a good look at the border and perhaps an idea of how easily it will be removed. This may have to be a fall project; the apartment has cathedral ceilings, and all the heat rises. Or, I may cover the roosters by simply tacking some pictures over them.

Even with the giant green fowl, this place represents a big improvement in my quality of life. No more schlepping my clothes to a laundry mat. No more termites. No more crashing ceilings and waterfalls from plumbing problems above me. No more crumbling walls. No more noisy upstairs neighbors. No extra rent for having two (spayed, declawed, old) cats. For all this, maybe I'll just surrender to the roosters.

Thanks again!

[hollow_man]

I think you are being poorly advised.  As with cars, remember: It's a rental.  If you prep the wall the way you would if it were your apartment, you are doing the owner's work for him or her.  That's nice, but not necessary.

Do not strip the wallpaper.  Get a good primer that promises excellent hiding/covering, then choose a color of paint that will also hide a bit -- something like a taupe.  Or even something darker/richer.

[scheherazade]

I think you are being poorly advised.  As with cars, remember: It's a rental.  If you prep the wall the way you would if it were your apartment, you are doing the owner's work for him or her.  That's nice, but not necessary.

Do not strip the wallpaper.  Get a good primer that promises excellent hiding/covering, then choose a color of paint that will also hide a bit -- something like a taupe.  Or even something darker/richer.

And if the owner gets upset looking at all the work they would need to do to remedy it, you may lose part of your security deposit.  If you're going to make changes that are labor-intensive, do them right.

[hollow_man]

I think you are being poorly advised.  As with cars, remember: It's a rental.  If you prep the wall the way you would if it were your apartment, you are doing the owner's work for him or her.  That's nice, but not necessary.

Do not strip the wallpaper.  Get a good primer that promises excellent hiding/covering, then choose a color of paint that will also hide a bit -- something like a taupe.  Or even something darker/richer.

And if the owner gets upset looking at all the work they would need to do to remedy it, you may lose part of your security deposit.  If you're going to make changes that are labor-intensive, do them right.

OP said OP already has permission.  The work to remove painted wallpaper is practically identical to the work to remove unpainted wallpaper.

If the place requires "labor-intensive changes," and the owner expects the renter to perform them, get credit toward your rent or find another place to rent.

[scheherazade]

I think you are being poorly advised.  As with cars, remember: It's a rental.  If you prep the wall the way you would if it were your apartment, you are doing the owner's work for him or her.  That's nice, but not necessary.

Do not strip the wallpaper.  Get a good primer that promises excellent hiding/covering, then choose a color of paint that will also hide a bit -- something like a taupe.  Or even something darker/richer.

And if the owner gets upset looking at all the work they would need to do to remedy it, you may lose part of your security deposit.  If you're going to make changes that are labor-intensive, do them right.

OP said OP already has permission.  The work to remove painted wallpaper is practically identical to the work to remove unpainted wallpaper.

If the place requires "labor-intensive changes," and the owner expects the renter to perform them, get credit toward your rent or find another place to rent.

I realize the owner gave permission, but if the renter does a poor job requiring the owner to then redo it or fix it later, the owner is within his/her rights to withhold some of the security deposit.

Not liking the wallpaper doesn't equate with required labor-intensive changes.  The OP is choosing to do this, so she has to do the work.  However, if the OP leaves it in bad shape (paint will peel off the wallpaper, etc.), the it will require the owner to put in a lot of time.  Otherwise, if the OP does it the right way (which assumed by the owner and the law), the owner can leave it there for the next renters.

[hollow_man]

I think you are being poorly advised.  As with cars, remember: It's a rental.  If you prep the wall the way you would if it were your apartment, you are doing the owner's work for him or her.  That's nice, but not necessary.

Do not strip the wallpaper.  Get a good primer that promises excellent hiding/covering, then choose a color of paint that will also hide a bit -- something like a taupe.  Or even something darker/richer.

And if the owner gets upset looking at all the work they would need to do to remedy it, you may lose part of your security deposit.  If you're going to make changes that are labor-intensive, do them right.

OP said OP already has permission.  The work to remove painted wallpaper is practically identical to the work to remove unpainted wallpaper.

If the place requires "labor-intensive changes," and the owner expects the renter to perform them, get credit toward your rent or find another place to rent.

I realize the owner gave permission, but if the renter does a poor job requiring the owner to then redo it or fix it later, the owner is within his/her rights to withhold some of the security deposit.

Not liking the wallpaper doesn't equate with required labor-intensive changes.  The OP is choosing to do this, so she has to do the work.  However, if the OP leaves it in bad shape (paint will peel off the wallpaper, etc.), the it will require the owner to put in a lot of time.  Otherwise, if the OP does it the right way (which assumed by the owner and the law), the owner can leave it there for the next renters.

Just sayin' -- in my experience, even owners often don't do things right.  It seems awfully precious to ask a renter to go the extra mile.  Of course, YMMV.

[infopri]

Wasteland, there is value for the OP to do it right for her own enjoyment.  As a paint man's daughter, I can tell you that she will enjoy her home much more if she does the job right, by stripping, priming, and painting.  Depending on the glue that was used and the paper itself, and the color and quality of the paint she uses (even with primer), the roosters may eventually bleed through.  (Trust me.)  Also, depending on the condition of the glue, the wallpaper could begin to peel from the wall, taking all of the OP's nice fresh paint with it.

Titian, you now know the "right" way to do it.  Now the question becomes, how important is it to you that it be done right, so that it will look good and last a long time?  If you expect to move again in a year, you might decide that it's not worth doing the job right.  But if you expect to be there for the foreseeable future, it would probably be worth the time and energy.

[hollow_man]

Everybody's got to do their own math to ration their available time...

[aandsdean]

Painted wallpaper--especially if it's uncoated painted wallpaper--is much harder to remove than unpainted wallpaper.

The paint glues the wallpaper to the wall.  And paint is not so susceptible to the ministrations of wallpaper remover.

Like sadgoat, I have hundreds of square feet of expertise on this matter.

Either leave it alone or do it right.

[normative_]

Titian, good luck with your project!  It's definitely the right decision. And congratulations on escaping the slums!

Unless you have a seriously raised pattern of roosters, you won't have any problems with removal. You can even take a bucket and a huge sponge. (Spraying the spray bottle I found got painfully repetitive). I've just done the same with about 700 square floor feet of house, and it's gone from looking slumlike (though not as slumlike as the dwelling from which you've escaped) to fabulous.

What shocked me though, was how much I like oil-based paints. They take 24 hours to dry instead of 4, but they often covered in a single coat. Meanwhile, I needed 3 coats of the water-soluble paints in some areas. It reminded me...you get what you pay for. I'd also put that on to the list of 'might as well do it right'. And they'll mix any colour in the world for you at the counter.

In this place, the a$$klown who decorated before me actually had plaster on top of wallpaper, in addition to paint (occasionally). And he had in some places pasted the wallpaper on to wet plaster.

Nothing to do but score with a knife, wet down repeatedly and then scrape off, replaster and sand. Ugly.

I seriously hope you don't get that.

[sad_goat]

Eat The Rich.

[degal]

I wanted to chime in:  removing the wallpaper before painting is extremely sensible (and a kindness to future occupants who may want to make changes). 

You mentioned covering the roosters with pictures.  That leads me to the solution I was going to suggest:  I have purchased borders in the same or wider width as the offending border and used coordinating thumbtacks to secure it.  That way it was easy for me to change on a whim, and I didn't have to strip wallpaper.

For What It's Worth

[hollow_man]

I will modify my advice:  The way I would proceed might depend on the structure in question.  If it's an historic building, or even just well-built, then it probably deserves better treatment.  (Whether I, as a renter, would want to be the one to do it is another question.)  In any case, "an apartment on a farm" evoked for me images of a trailer parked in a field.  Honestly, the next tornado is going to take that thing out anyway, so I wouldn't sweat it.

Everyone who rents has at some point done more work than a renter should have to do. Then you move a couple of times in quick succession, and you realize it's not worth it.  (Then you buy, and it's a whole other world of hassles, but that's a different story.)

[titian]

Wow, such debate. Just when I thought the thread was dead.

This is half of the top part of a small barn that was built into the side of a hill. The top part is level with part of the lawn and a concrete patio. Cathedral ceilings, stained wooden beams, and a large renovated kitchen. I may end up using some of the kitchen cabinetry to store clothes since closet space is limited. Windows with deep sills that are perfect for the napping cats. Large shade trees. So, not a trailer. If I found affordable land with a well, I'd sure consider it though. Renting with pets is very difficult in this area and housing prices are far beyond my reach unless I starting playing and winning the lotto. Or sign up for a millionaire dating service and bag a rich husband. Hmm...

Although it appears that this is where the 1980's died in terms of the wallpaper, the place is very nice overall. I do intend to be there for a while. On occasion I have done minor things to improve where I live, and it has usually been the deal that I take the supplies out of my rent and just put in my time. For me it has been worth it, and I am anal OCD detail-oriented enough to do a good job. You are right, wasteland, the cost/benefit ratio of such things is always something to keep in mind. I did no improvements of any kind in my current dump because the property manager is a moron, and I worked a double load this past spring.

I am starting to like the suggestion by degal of tacking a border over a border. This will be up high enough that small clear thumbtacks should work nicely. That would do until it cools off enough to even consider the work. I do fear plaster/wallpaper/paint combo layers (ye gads, normative, what a mess), and looking at things up close will make the decision for me.

I like working with my hands, painting, and refinishing. Going to Lowes and looking at shelving units, lumber, ceramic tiles and wood flooring just about borders on lust for me. So. Good. Someday when I do own my own home, boy do I have plans. Inside and out. None of these plans involve having wallpaper of any kind : )

[aandsdean]

(SNIP)
I like working with my hands, painting, and refinishing. Going to Lowes and looking at shelving units, lumber, ceramic tiles and wood flooring just about borders on lust for me. So. Good. Someday when I do own my own home, boy do I have plans. Inside and out. None of these plans involve having wallpaper of any kind : )

Man, if I weren't already married....