Ugh! Yuck ! Pew! Ack!
That's all I've got to say about that!
That being wallpaper removal.
And not just any wallpaper, but this lovely stuff.
I've been slowly, and I mean slooowwwly, trying my best to remove the ohsobeautiful wallpaper I inherited here in the rooms I inhabit.
(There are 5 rooms I'm currently removing the paper from, by the way. I'll be having a pity party fairly soon, and you'll all be invited.)
Seriously, was this pattern ever popular?
Well, it's not for me, that's all I can say.
Anyhoo, I have grand plans for this bathroom.
Can I just tell you - I HATE removing wallpaper.
And I also hate it when builders feel it isn't necessary to prime the walls before putting the paper up.
You know what happens when the walls aren't prepped properly, don't you?
That's right - you must resign yourself to the fact that drywall patching will be in your very near future.
&*!*#^$$**$!#*%$(!!
(Sorry, but I had to get that out of my system before I could move on!)
So, today I've been ripping that wallpaper out.
And before you think I've got so far in one day, let me clarify by saying that it's taken me weeks to get to this point.
I thought I'd just leave it until I had time to do it all at once, but I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that I just couldn't make myself keep looking at that every day.
So what did I do? I tore off the top layer (thank the lord it was strippable), and I stared at the yellow backing for several more weeks!
I thought that since every time I went in that bathroom, I was doing this.............. ripping off bits of paper a little at a time......
That I may as well take the rest of it off. So I did.
And now I'm removing all of that yellow liner.
I've torn some degree of wallpaper out of all 5 of the rooms just to see how much trouble it was going to be. I can assure you that in this room in particualr, the wallpaper hanger used at least 15 extra gallons of glue. I know this for a fact because I am currently stuck to the wall.
So just to show you that I am really working hard today, I've gone from this:
To this:
And now I must peel myself off the wall and get back to the other side of the bathroom:
I'm gettin' there....
(do not adujt your color -that is the ugly yellow backing paper soaked in stripper)
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TIP: Now, for those of you with wallpaper stripping in your future, here's a great homemade solution I discovered purely out of frustration. I tried EVERY solution I found in the stores and on the internet. Nothing seemed to be the right thing for these walls, so I came up with my own remedy that seems to be working great to remove all that glue gunk.
(If you've already removed some paper and still have glue buil-up in the wall, this also works for that.)
Mixture:
1 gallon of water
1 teaspoon of Dawn dish detergent
1/4 cup of Goo Gone (or any brand of adhesive remover)
A Chemical Sprayer
Be sure to mix with warm water. It'll help to pull the glue off the walls better.
You can get a chemical sprayer at Walmart or Big Lots for about $10, and it's well worth it.
Put it in a gallon jug and shake it well.
Then pour that into the sprayer.
Turn off the breaker to the room, cover your switches and outlets, and then spray the walls really good.
IMPORTANT:
Let it sit and work for about 15-20 minutes so that it has time to loosen the glue from the wall.
If it has dried when you are ready to remove it, simply spray it again with a light coat of the mixture.
Scrape the paper off with a flat blade or an old credit card.
*Score the top layer first so that the solution can get below the top surface.
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Well, it's back to work for me!
What easy solutions have you come up with to remove wallpaper?
