I’ll be in my powder room. For a long time.
The bad news? It’s about 120 degrees in a small bathroom with no windows and a steamer.
The good news? I think I’ve lost ten pounds since last night.
(In water weight, but who’s counting….)
I’ll be back.
PS—The steamer and a plastic putty knife were the magic combination!
We've all been there and it isn't fun. I've been seeing beautiful wallpaper popping up again lately and all I can think is....no, I won't do it. Even though it's lovely.
ReplyDeleteTake breaks and have a Diet Coke. :)
Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I know how tedious that job can be! Just think of how happy you will feel when it's all done. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. Had to do that with my old master bath that had three layers of wallpaper under two layers of paint and a border that I swear was cemented on. Only to find that the builder didn't finish the drywall before he put the wallpaper on. Huh?! You deserve a mani/pedi after this project!
ReplyDeleteAt least you have plenty of time to decide what you want to do ten years from now when the paper is down:)
ReplyDeleteI've been there...it's SO tedious!! I still have one room of wallpaper to go and I've been procrastinating for the same reasons!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! You may need a cold beverage today. Love your shirt, GO CATS!!
ReplyDeleteI feel this way during many projects! My mother was in town this weekend and she went on and on about wallpaper and she will NEVER have it again. I think she had bad memories of removing it back in the day. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Just think of the amazing things you'll be able to do with the bathroom once the wallpaper is off. It's worth it in the end!
ReplyDeleteOh my. Good luck...can't wait to see your "afters"!
ReplyDeleteHow you will manage with 5 kids and 2 under 1 year is a mystery to me! Good luck! Also, what steamer did you purchase and where, since you seem to like it. I have some wallpaper-removal in my future - ugh! Thanks ;)
ReplyDeleteWe have this one: http://www.lowes.com/pd_40627-97-0282018_0__?productId=3033147&Ntt=wallpaper+steamer&pl=1¤tURL=&facetInfo=
DeleteThanks for sharing ;)
Deletebless your heart!! I do not envy you. But look on the bright side once its off-your done! and you can paint it & change it to any color your heart desires & when you get tired of that-you can paint it again. :-)
ReplyDeleteI hear you girl! After peeling wall paper off EVERY bedroom in my house (that's 5), two bathrooms,the family room and kitchen I will NEVER wall paper anything again! Bring on the paint.... stencils, frog tape.... whatever. Me and wallpaper will never speak to one another again!
ReplyDeleteomg emily - im so sorry! i dont know if this helps AT ALL, but my mom went around undoing all of her wallpaper and she found that putting fabric softener on it helped undo it.
ReplyDeleteThat was me exactly (including the UK t-shirt!) a couple months ago. 1980s wallpaper is evil! I hope that you didn't have any wall damage like I did underneath. My wallpaper removal nightmare: http://jennnash.typepad.com/blog/2012/10/renovation-begins.html
ReplyDeleteHang in there Emily! In a couple of weeks time, it will just be a bad memory, a little bit a day will get you there! I know the ending will be beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIn a former home the "add on" bathroom paper had been pasted to unprimed sheetrock. The paper would not come off without damage to the sheetrock. I finally gave up and painted the paper. I do hope you have better luck than I did. Can't wait to see the update!
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel your pain. In one of our previous homes, every wall was covered in wallpaper! It took me months to remove it all, that is why I cringe at the wallpaper trend, because one day someone will be removing it! One room had wallpaper and then a border, which the previous owners glued to the wall with rubber cement! I had to gouge the wall to remove it, then plaster and re-sand. It was awful, all while chasing a busy 1 year old! But I lived to tell the tale! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I have been there. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI've stripped wallpaper in five rooms in my house so far, only four more to go! A friend gave me a tip that really helped me. If you mix Downy fabric softener with water, like 1/3 fabric softener to 2/3 water and spray the wall before you start steaming it really helps. It's like that wallpaper removing spray, but it smells way better! It worked really well. I'm sure you've already discovered that holding the steamer in place long enough is the key too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI tried the fabric softener solution and it didn't seem to help with our paper. In fact, I kind of felt like the smell was going to suffocate me :) The steamer has seemed to work all by itself. I didn't even score the paper first. I think it all depends on how the paper was originally applied...
DeleteOh, I'm glad to hear this combination is working. I have many 4 rooms of wall paper to strip in my house. I did the stairs and hallway with the chemical spray and it took FOREVER! I think I will be buying a steamer this weeken. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteOh brother. We've got a wallpapered powder room that we have to do this to soon as well. (What is it with people and putting crazy patterned wallpaper in tiny powder rooms?!) So *not* looking forward to it. Remember to step out into the fresh air and breathe once in a while!
ReplyDeleteOh girl I feel your pain -it'll all be worth it when you're done. You're motivating me to do something about our powder room - thanks for the steamer tip!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Hahaha. NO! Hope it starts to peel off quickly!
ReplyDeleteOh my! Best of luck!!!
ReplyDeleteLet's make something positive about this situation- lost some water weight and you are wearing a UK shirt. That's a super plus!
ReplyDeleteIt's awful isn't it? Worth it in the end. Glad you found a solution that works for you!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I have been in your shoes and it is not fun. I guess you could say it is very meditative having all of the repetitive motion? Just trying to help....It will look amazing when you are finished!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
carrie@neatsmart.com
Oh I feel your pain! I've been there. Small powder room. Steamer. No windows. But it'll be worth the effort. You'll be thankful you put the time into the project!!
ReplyDeleteJen
athomeinthenorthwestblog.com
I did a lot of wallpaper accents in our house last year but made sure to do a primer first in hopes that some day it might help the next person take it down. Because that will not be me!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. Everyone who has done this is probably chuckling over the memories of spending days peeling. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. We have an entire bonus room to do this winter and it was put right over new drywall so it is a real pain to remove. If we weren't so frugal we would hire someone to do it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I've been putting off taking down wallpaper in my bathroom for a year and a half now. I'll have to face it some day....
ReplyDeleteBeen there, done that. I cringe at the memories. I removed wall paper from 3 bathrooms. Ugly, stuck on for dear life, 1980's wall paper. I remember how happy it would make me when a large section of paper came off at once! Isn't that sad? The steamer is the only way to do it. You certainly get a good facial in the process. Good luck, girl. You will have a great reason to celebrate with a very large glass of wine when it's complete.
ReplyDeleteOh it's tough, but you will be happy when it's done. Truly, I've done it, and that's why I will NEVER have wallpaper in my house again. Never. And that is sad too, because there are so many really cool wallpapers out there. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteOh I feel for you and have been there many a time! Hope it's coming along!
ReplyDeleteThree houses of ugly wallpaper experience later, I'd concentrate on stripping the paper off in two layers.
ReplyDeleteThen apply DIF gel rather than steam, I don't think it damages the drywall as much AND it helps remove the glue. If you don't get the glue off, it will cause the paint to crackle (can't think of a better word).
I've had some paper come down in beautiful complete, sheets but leave every bit of the glue behind and it's just as hard to remove it as paper...I've had to have all of those walls skim-coated.
I remember doing that and it wasn't fun, at all. I feel your pain
ReplyDeleteI've never removed wall paper & it always looks like a nightmare, hoping your making good headway today
ReplyDeleteWe passed on buying a great house because it had wallpaper in EVERY ROOM! Think of all of the money you are saving by doing it yourself.
ReplyDeleteAnd your pores will be so clean!
ReplyDeletethis duke fan even has sympathy for you! it will be so worth it in a few weeks (hopefully) when this is all but a memory. have you decided on a color yet?
ReplyDeleteOMG Ive been there, and vowed never to put up wallpaper again. It is pure torture, and I wish I were there to help you, since I know it is drudgery! Good luck, and hope you still don't want it finished for company soon? Here's hoping for big strips coming down in one piece- that is like euphoria about now!
ReplyDeletexo Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com
Oh no! :) Hope you can get in the zone and knock it out! Big, long strips!!
ReplyDeletePsst. Here's a magic solution that worked for me: 1 part plain liquid fabric softer (the cheap stuff is best), 3 parts water and mix in a spray bottle.
ReplyDeleteIt smells super soapy, so I recommend wearing a paper mask.
There's a post on my old blog about the fun experience I had ;) (http://alovelything.com/2008/04/how-to-remove-wallpaper-fast-easy/)
Are you going to texture before you paint? Good luck!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I can feel your pain. I remember doing this long ago in my room growing up. It was traumatic. You can do it, strong warrior! Oh, and love the foyer lighting.
ReplyDeleteFor this reason alone, I vowed to never have wallpaper in another room. When we bought our new place, the powder room was the only one with wallpaper, thank goodness!!! We had it removed, repaired the walls, painted, and will never have to go through that drudgery again.
ReplyDeleteYou can do it! You have already proven how patient you are by living with all that wallpaper for so long! Way to save some money girl!! ~ Kim
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteSince you're one of my very favorite blogs, I had to share with you this post I just read lately from Emily on WhatEmilyDoes.com
http://whatemilydoes.com/hands-down-best-way-to-remove-wallpaper/
...she swears by it, so I wanted to help the process go as quickly as possible for you too! :)
I always said I would never buy a house with wallpaper. Never say never! We moved into a house 2 1/2 years ago that had wallpaper.....ugh! I spent over a month in the kitchen removing wallpaper that had been put up on unpainted drywall....what a nightmare. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteOMG...I did this with my sons room but then I discovered BOUNTY LIQUID FABRIC SOFTENER!! Mix half fabric softener and half water in a spray bottle and spray the wallpaper really good. Walk away for a little while and when you get back it just peels away!! And your room smells amazing!! I do two areas at a time. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have (poorly attached) wallpaper in my living that has been painted over. There is no texture on the wallpaper. Any idea how to remove that, or if this process will work for that?
ReplyDeleteAhhhh! Sounds awful!! Good luck, girl.
ReplyDeletebeen there & done that...i feel for ya. make sure to drink lots of water & come up for air. i got super nauseous removing wallpaper from a bedroom once upon a time!
ReplyDeleteHA! I hate wallpaper. We wallpapered the plaster in our dining room when we moved in 12 years ago. Now I hate it, but I'm beginning to think it would be easier to rip the walls down and start over. :( Have fun!
ReplyDeleteDang girl.....you are killing me....5 kids and you have time for this???? I just need to get in my car and drive to Charlotte. You need serious help.
ReplyDeleteEek! I say no time pressure. Make yourself do four square feet a day, because that looks awful.
ReplyDeleteCamille
Oh Emily...this pain is still raw on my mind. Over the summer I got the bright idea to start stripping the wallpaper off our main entry/hallway walls that goes from our first floor entry up to the 2nd floor. Little did we know that there were SEVEN layers of wallpaper on the walls and THREE on the ceilings! We're talking tall ceilings in an 1860 home. Once we got all the paper off then we had to scrape the old brown-ish "goo" off of all the plaster(& lathe) walls. Needless to say, since we do all the work ourselves and we both teach full time, its still a project in the works. Im trying to decide what to do from here-mud & sand then paint? Or wallpaper(an evil word around here now:))
ReplyDeleteSee part of the saga here:
http://www.handbagsnpigtails.com/2012/07/war-zone.html