That’s Pinterest-ing! Removing Wallpaper is so much fun!…not

Wednesday:  That’s Pinteresting!

My kitchen space is in the midst of a refresh.  

As mentioned in Monday’s post, I inherited a floral wallpaper pattern that’s at war with my zebra upholstered chair seats and something’s gotta give.  

So how many people and hours does it take to remove wallpaper?  How about 5 men and a lady and 13.5 hours.

It began with me removing the current window treatments to ensure easy access to the lovely paper.The process started here and so far wasn’t looking so good.  This paper was not coming off!  We  scored the paper and sponged a commercial grade gel wallpaper solvent onto the wall.  It came off in pieces instead of sections…this was going to be a long day.
I decided to get my handy steamer out and it seemed to work better than the commercial solvent. Better, but not fantastic.So we went for a commercial steamer…..hoping it would do the trick
It turns out that it covered a wider area, but still didn’t improve the process as much as we hoped.Thanks to Pinterest I grabbed this great tip for removing wallpaper which worked even better than the commercial grade solvent. Get the details here.

The process moved along much quicker and better with both the steamer and new ammonia/fabric softener solution.Even with the new solution, we were still 6 hours in and no end in site, so my contractor enlisted the help of a friend to lend a hand.

And since the walls needed repair, I enlisted the help of 2 more guys to begin mudding the walls to prep them for priming and painting.After coming home from work, and seeing our lovely project, my hubby also jumped in to help.13.5 hours later, we finally did it 5 men and a lady.  And we all vowed to think twice about whether wallpaper was the way to go for future projects. 🙂

So what’s the lesson here? When wallpaper is installed have the walls sized and primed before the wallpaper installation.  The removal will be much easier.

Also if you really love the look of wallpaper, but not the process,try these tips:

• Purchase strippable wallpaper
• Consider the new reposition-able wallpaper. It’s super easy to install and remove (just peel it off)
• Texturizing or faux painting your walls can give them the look and feel of wallpaper
• Finally, stencils are also a great alternative for having the look of wallpaper without the challenges that they sometimes present.

We’ll post pictures of the newly painted walls..soon.

Have you had any wallpaper removal challenges or solutions?

Do you need help getting a jump start on a project?

Does the process seem a bit overwhelming?

Consider downloading our PROJECT STARTER TOOL KIT to help guide you in the right direction. It’s easy. Every new subscriber receives it for FREE! Look for the button on our home page and if you know someone that might also benefit, share it forward.

We also have 3 distinct design plans:

Refresh Your Space The “DIY Plan” A Total Redesign Contact us to see which plan is right for you; our one hour consultation, can help get you started in the right direction. Ricci Jackson is a Certified Interior Decorator and founder of Your Design Partner. The goal of Ydp is to meet you where you are In your design process. Reserve your appointment today by calling (217) 722-4806 or email us at rjackson@yourdesignpartner.com

 Inspiring creativity,

Ricci

Decorating or Refreshing Your Home?

Download our COMPLIMENTARY checklist and get access to our 7 Step Process to Decorate in Stages, Stay on Budget & Reduce Overwhelm.

DOWNLOAD

Thank you for requesting our checklist head over to your email to get instructions on how to access it now!

We hate spam as much as you do we promise not to share any of your information...