Is this a bad idea- cartoons/ pva as wallpaper

[Cathpot]

DH is (foolishly) away. I’ve finally cracked with peeling faux Victoriana wallpaper in bathroom and have been pulling it off revealing a really rough wall underneath painted red in places and pink in others. Bathroom is being refurbished completely but realistically not for another 2 years . I’m thinking as a cheerful stopgap I’ll cover it over with pages from a Calvin and hobs book that has fallen apart. I was just going to use wall paper paste but a friend today pointed out that the paper will get damp and come off. She suggested a layer of pva on top which I can see is sensible but will I regret it in 2 years time when I have to strip it off ? Will pva be any match for a steam wallpaper stripper?

1. PVA is water soluble

2. please don't put it on a wall that somebody might one day try to paint

Thanks for replying . When we do up the bathroom it will be skimmed as walls are very rough so I am imagining I will strip the cartoons off with a steamer , then plastere will skim, then we will paint

Does that sound like an ok plan?

hot water spray and a metal scraper will do.

Steamers sometimes blow plaster.

Thank you

I think @PigletJohn was trying to say that putting something water soluble on a bathroom wall is asking for trouble.

Surely you'll just end up with a bubbly gloopy gunk on your walls once your bathroom has got steamy a couple of times?

womansplaining?

Will it get damp though? Couldn't you use wall paper paste and then add a protective layer over the top?

there's some kind of varnish used on newspaper cuttings when they're stuck to walls. It would make them very difficult to strip, though, unless in some kind of strippable paper.

Yes that’s my worry - gettting it off again. I was going to use pva watered down as a top coat and glue them with ordinary paste, the bathroom is normal levels of dampness - no water will directly hit the walls unless things go badly wrong, I will need to do something as the bad as the wallpaper is the wall under it is awful.

Sorry if you thought that was womansplaining - OP didn't seem to pick up the problem

I wouldn't personally be putting pva on walls in a room that gets damp, but do what you like!

Thank you for your input- it has made me stop and think it through. Now I’ve taken a bit more paper off I have bigger issues- areas of very shiny modern paint and some areas of dark red paint- possibly the original Victorian stuff that is powdery and comes off on my fingers- so also slightly worried about lead. I think I need to get some sort of sealer/ primer and just paint the room- joys of old houses etc. I have used a primer to go over shiny paint before that I think had a German name but I can’t remember what it was if anyone has ideas.

Zinsser

That’s it , thanks