Home Improvement

[pdub]

We've lived in this house for nearly two years, and I've never seen the wallpaper in the kitchen. So a couple of days ago, my wife sat me in a chair in there to give me a haircut. I sat real still and stared at the wall for however long it took. It was epiphany, a revelation.

Decor is the ass-last thing on my list. Whatever. It's just a wall. We've got lots of walls . They all keep the weather out. That's what a house is for.

My wife Sue Unit said right away when we moved in, that was ugly wallpaper in the kitchen. We should do something about it. I said, phhhhht, do you realize how big of a job that is? It ain't hurting a thing. It's the guy-approach. For nearly two years, I never even SAW the wallpaper.

Sitting in that chair getting a haircut I had to stare at that wall. I totally forgot everything I ever knew or learned about home improvement. Suddenly, and I mean like a strong wind or the tide coming in....that's the ugliest wallpaper ever made by man. With flowers and diamond patterns, it looks like Great-Grandma's hand-me down puffy couch.

Why is that in our house? That stuff's gotta go.

So last night we started tearing the wallpaper off the wall. We'll remove it and then paint the wall.

Great leapin' lizards and tons of debris and aftermath....we're in it now. What the hay was I thinking? This will take months of hours. No, this is no small job. Caused only by a thought. What was I thinking?

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Home Improvement

What was I thinking?

That either the wallpaper or you had to go?

[67prostreet]

Re: Home Improvement

Simple fix. Never look at it unless your drunk. Everything looks better threw beer goggles.

[pdub]

Re: Home Improvement

What was I thinking?

That either the wallpaper or you had to go?

No, it was an internal rationalization that the wallpaper was ugly. I was safe before that - Staring at that wall changed my mind about the wall that doesn't mater....

Never mind I've apparently lost my inborn male numbness to decor....it's worse than that. Now we're in the middle of a "can't stop" mess that Tim Allen never saw on the show.

Folks, don't try this at home. Better yet, never look at the wall. Just walk past it and know it keep the weather out.

[milner351]

Re: Home Improvement

Don't EVEN get me started on home improvement - in the last 10 years I've spent way more time working on houses than cars.

Nearly every room in our current house had wall paper when we moved in..... none left now.

Steam is your friend! Rent a steamer - it will make the removal of this hideous aftermath of LSD induced interior decorators of old a distant memory sooner than any other method I've tried. Stay away from the "paint roller of torture" this maybe a tool the rental place tries to give you with the steamer - it's literally a roller with spikes sticking out of it all over... the porcupine of paint rollers... it's designed to "perforate" the paper to allow the steam to get in behind it easier and break it loose .... the problem is - it will just as easily perforate your wall! I ended up putting a skim coat of mud on the entire wall after I tried that damned thing - never again.

Once you're done taking the paper down - you still have to clean the wall - as if you were cleaning surgical tools for your own operation - I'd suggest TSP or simple green - you need something strong that will remove every remnant of the old paste and leave a good clean surface - then primer - then paint. I'm a HUGE fan of Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore.... not a big fan of the big box store house brands - if you're spending the time and effort to do it yourself - it's worth using good materials - IMHO.

Enjoy the finished product - it's the only thing that makes all the effort worth it.

Now I'm off to paint the baby's room! ;)

[DanStokes]

Re: Home Improvement

We have discovered a new tool for this type of thing. After something like 35 years I've learned that all these tasks you mentioned can be accomplished with a telephone! "Hey, Courtney - when can you"...... Works great.

Dan

[pdub]

Re: Home Improvement

It's totally disproportionate - how long it must have taken the (fill in the blank) people to paste that stuff to the wall, versus how long it will take to eliminate it. Horror movie.

Maynerd G. Crebbs would scream, "WORK???!!?!?!?!??"

There's no law on the books to make ruining a room with wallpaper to be a crime. There should be, with all the laws we have already. Somebody's got to clean up that mess. Well, look here at somebody.

[antmnte]

Re: Home Improvement

Just remember, stop there! Or you could be opening a whole can of worms that wont be closed for years.
Dont move on to another room just stop. Im warning you, ;D and I think you are older than me.Tell her you are still tired
from doing the wall paper.Ive gotten off of jobs for years with this excuse.

[pdub]

Re: Home Improvement

Just remember, stop there! Or you could be opening a whole can of worms that wont be closed for years.
Dont move on to another room just stop. Im warning you, ;D and I think you are older than me.Tell her you are still tired
from doing the wall paper.Ive gotten off of jobs for years with this excuse.

Fortunately the only room the former owners ruined with wallpaper is the kitchen.

No, this won't be a career. But it'll feel like one before I'm through.

I haven't done a web search for "Wallpaper Criminals," but there must be a site out there for that somewhere. It's a legitimate subject.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: Home Improvement

Tonight I was putting the finishing touches on a tile repair above the bathtub..... no biggie huh? ask anyone, you can't just do "a tile repair" (well, I could but that's a discussion for another day). I admit, it looks nice - heated floor, granite counters, new cabinets, new drywall, paint..... the ONLY thing we didn't touch was the tub.... ??? ??? you know, I'm supposed to get smarter with age - this bathroom is proof that is NOT the case, otherwise I'd have siliconed the leaks and said "finished!!!"

[olbuddybob]

Re: Home Improvement

I like to do home improvement jobs, but when it comes to paint and wall paper we have a rule at my house. If someone wants paint or wall paper, they know where the tools are. I hate any type of painting or decorating. If it isn't a bar sign or car junk, I don't like it.

[sedandelivery55]

Re: Home Improvement

My suggestion is to go to a barber next time, you'll save a hell of a lot of money. ;D I'm still in the middle of painting the living room, dining room, hall bath and the hall, and I started 3 weeks ago. I started to just paint the walls and ended up doing ceilings and installing cove molding in every room. I get an occasional friday when the family is gone to do it and I've had to work the last two fridays, thankfully.

[Ron Ward]

Re: Home Improvement

I made $17.34 worth of home improvements this evening...

I bought some Shiner Bock and put it in the fridge!



Ron

[ksj1]

Re: Home Improvement

We are redoing the basement.Found some newspaper used as shelf liner dated 1971. ;D This is the last time as I doubt I'll be around 39 years from now ;D

[yellomalibu]

Re: Home Improvement

I hate wall paper, but removing it is usually not too bad if you're patient.

If you can grab a corner and peel the outer layer off in big pieces, do that. Then spray the paper remaining paper / adhesive remnants with a fine mist of water until it's saturated. With a flat scraper, the paper comes off easily, and if you're careful you can get most of the glue off, too. It will look something like this: http://www.handymanhowto.com/wp-cont...-removal-4.png There will be some glue residue left, which a (firm) wipe down will take care of. I use a hand towel and a bucket of water with some simple green or purple stuff in the water. Rinse the glue off the towel often.

If you can't grab a corner and peel the outer layer off, you need to use one of those specialty tools they sell that perforate the paper. It looks like this: http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto...40290_Full.jpg
Go nuts with the thing. then spray the fine mist of water on the areas you've perforated. Give the water time to spread underneath and release the glue... then commence to peeling, scraping, and washing.

I've seen houses that were wall papered from when they were new. Often the finishers (plaster or drywall) didn't do as thorough of a job as if it were going to be painted, because wall paper covers most flaws that show through paint. How are you at smoothing walls?

Have fun. ;D