the zen of wallpaper

for some reason, i had it in my mind the project would be kind of fun. and quick. and easy. turns out i was a bit off the mark and scraping wallpaper from a 100 year-old wall is not all i imagined it would be. i bought all of the recommended supplies, and pictured myself spraying it down, and peeling large sheets of old paper right off, only to find a fresh new wall underneath, just waiting for me to repaint with a shiny new coat of gloss.

reality looked quite different and was filled with surprises.

surprise #1: i climbed up on my step ladder, only to discover it needed one more step in order for me to reach the top of the wall. decided i could do it on my toes and with a bit of balance. had to spray above my head, leading to some collateral dripping damage.

surprise #2: the paper and glue were so old that it would only peel off in tiny shreds, no matter how much extreme wallpaper toxic liquid gel neon remover stuff i sprayed on it, and no matter how long a time i left it on there, soaking in and ‘working its magic’

surprise #3: the aforementioned stuff was making me a bit sick and dizzy but i couldn’t open the windows as it was below zero-ish outside

surprise #4: noticed my fingernails had begun to shred from picking/scraping with them and toxic gel sticking to them

surprise #5: found things under the old paper, such as nails, staples, cracks, unexplained cryptic pencil marks, and more tiny pieces of wallpaper

surprise #6: sticky paper dropped to floor and stuck to my shoes, leaving a trail throughout my entire house, vacuum jammed with paper bits and dust and had to be taken apart

surprise #7: after hours and hours of this, i actually found myself beginning to enjoy the task: fueled by coffee, toxic gel scent, music, and sheer will, i fell into a peaceful, relaxing rhythm, in spite of myself, i became a bit addicted to the process. kind of like basket weaving or meditation for some?

surprise #8: due to the use of the scraper, shredder, finger nails, gel, and putty knife to get it all off, the wall below is now destroyed and will have to be restored before putting my new shiny paint on. i imagine it will be quite fun and peaceful.

Discover more from I didn't have my glasses on....

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

15 responses »

moviewriternyu on February 10, 2013 at 4:32 pm said:

I need to re-wallpaper The House on the Hill, but I know it’s too big of a project for me. I was “lucky” last year when a hurricane damaged my roof and caused leaking in my study. The insurance paid for them to re-do the walls. I had the contractor remove the hideous wallpaper I’d inherited with the house, and I just had him pain the walls instead.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- ksbeth on February 10, 2013 at 4:43 pm said:
  
  nice when a hurricane seems lucky compared to having to remove wallpaper, i totally agree.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
  - moviewriternyu on February 10, 2013 at 4:44 pm said:
    
    Luck is what you make it. :D
    
    LikeLike
    
    Reply ↓
  - ksbeth on February 10, 2013 at 4:46 pm said:
    
    absolutely.
    
    LikeLike
    
    Reply ↓
Bob Knapke on February 10, 2013 at 4:38 pm said:

Been there too Beth, Restored a mid1800’s Victorian a few years back.
The cryptic pencil marks are probably measurements
by previous craftspeople such as us, lol

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- ksbeth on February 10, 2013 at 4:45 pm said:
  
  damn bob, i was hoping the pencil marks were something a bit more exciting than that, i am going to choose to believe they are )
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
happyzinny on February 10, 2013 at 5:34 pm said:

Such a time-consuming messy job, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Love the Oscar Wilde quote!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- ksbeth on February 10, 2013 at 5:40 pm said:
  
  zin – i agree and cannot wait until it’s painted – hopefully i’ve won the battle, but fear the wallpaper may have won )
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
portholio on February 10, 2013 at 7:32 pm said:

All I can say is that I’m so sorry, I can only imagine! And I love the Oscar Wilde quote.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- ksbeth on February 10, 2013 at 9:21 pm said:
  
  no worries porthole, i’m sure there are many more remodel adventures ahead –
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
genext13 on February 19, 2013 at 10:49 am said:

I had to remove wallpaper in several rooms of my house when we moved in years ago. I found it just as easy to use warm water as it was to use the ~~brain altering~~ toxic gel. Some areas/rooms went easy, some were really difficult. My bathroom had a chair rail guard that tore off the texture and I had to put more up. That is a real challenge. I had also removed the popcorn from all the ceilings so I used the texture from recoating my ceilings to coat the bathroom. That looks way cooler than the standard knockdown texture.
Good luck!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
Valerie on February 20, 2013 at 9:04 pm said:

Oh no! :P Well, it’s an adventure, nonetheless, and you’ll be so pleased when you’ve finished. <3

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- ksbeth on February 21, 2013 at 5:55 am said:
  
  thanks valerie, that’s what i keep counting on – b
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
reocochran on June 10, 2014 at 6:30 pm said:

This was better than watching the movie, “The Money Pit,” Beth! Hilarious and so, so totally true! It is a nightmare, sometimes to wallpaper! Smiles, Robin
P.S. lessons learned along the way in life, just scrape and paint, skip wallpaper! (I actually read that you can paint borders like a ribbon, without a straight line, so I did this in one of my bathrooms, used two colors of lavender on the walls, combing with an actual comb to make it look like barn siding and then a creamy peach ribbon along the top, with violets handpainted on. Very easily done, no paste, etc! Fun, too! You can paint over it when you get tired of it!)

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- ksbeth on June 10, 2014 at 8:17 pm said:
  
  thanks robin, and what a fantastic idea! that’s my kind of decorating )
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  
  Reply ↓