weekend project: wallpaper…enough said.

Another weekend project has bit the dust. What a great feeling to cross a task off the list! This was a great, full weekend project, that was definitely worth the work. Wallpaper is making a come back but not in the fashion as this lovely before picture with hundreds of palm trees and a drab, dim area.

First thing was first, tackling the wallpaper. If you haven’t removed wallpaper before, avoid it like the plague! I have had the joy of taking off wallpaper in the past, so I knew  a couple of tricks and the time commitment it may have. There are numerous ways to go about this, you can use a steamer or chemicals, soak with water, or hope for the best and not need to use anything and dry strip it. It also depends on the quality of the paper and how well it was administered.Taking off wallpaper isn’t a hard task but you must have patience! Luckily for me, this was a cheaper paper and was not placed on with a lot of glue. I knew the paper wasn’t the best quality and wasn’t administered the best because the corners were coming up on their own and I could tear a couple of sections off with out a problem. I decided to use the steaming method and simply did it by running the hot water in the shower, shutting all vents and the door for a couple of minutes and repeat.This was simple to do because the room itself is not that big. However, for a “normal” sized room and better quality wallpaper, you will have to use an actual steamer.

Once you have decided on your method, start in one area of the room, preferably a corner and work your way around. Wallpaper tends to come off in layers and when you get close to having it all off it is hard to tell where you started and where you ended. Once the wallpaper seems to be all off the walls, you will then need to wash the walls with warm water until all paste substance is gone. You may have to do this a couple of times. If you do not get all glue off the walls, your paint will not adhere to the walls. Let the walls dry and ventilate the room.

Once the walls are all dry, you are free to do whatever your heart’s desire. I did a refreshing, bright, grey coat of paint with white accents and pops of color. It is now a tiny oasis.