Wallpaper Removal Round 1

The projects never end when you own a home. Even though our house was move-in ready a year ago, there are still remnants from the former owners that are not necessarily our taste. Namely: wallpaper.

For the most part, I believe most of the wallpaper in our house was tastefully chosen. I love the way the living room wallpaper reflects the golden afternoon light. The whole room is aglow, and it makes me feel so happy and content. However, if you look closely the print is super outdated, and it is in pretty poor shape.

Our bedroom wallpaper is a classic smoky blue color that is still very popular in many homes, and it is dark enough to hide any aging. But then you look closer and it has an odd texture, and there is a white border that was added on top that is...no longer white. Not to mention the off-white wallpaper accent wall and off-white trim that make the room feel dingy.

Alice's bedroom would not be so offensive, except the emerald green carpet that is paired with it. The kids' bathroom has already been (mostly) cleared of wallpaper. This project was expedited when they decided to take the wallpaper removal process into their own hands. Once the weather gets nicer I'll need to wrap up that project, so more on that later.

Today, we talk about the dining room. This wallpaper pattern was by far the most offensive to me. The pattern was a compacted version of what is currently in the living room. When I took a picture of my kids, all I could see was the wallpaper.

The pattern was far too dark and busy for the size of the room, and it really did date the house. When I say date, I do not mean in the classic way like our original pine finishes and built-ins. The picture below is one I saved from the listing.

I had the help of a couple girlfriends. It took 2 days just to get this stuff off the walls, one day of priming, 2 weeks debating on a color, and an evening of painting. Here is what I did:

•  Rough up the walls with a scoring tool. I used the "Paper Tiger".
• Get the walls damp with soapy water. I dipped a washcloth in hot, soapy water and got the walls super damp. Have plenty of towels ready so you do not damage any baseboards or wood flooring.
• Start picking at a seam and peal as much as you can at once. This paper was put on really well, and the glue was stubborn in many places. Having a flat head screwdriver was helpful in these areas, and tweezers were often a requirement. Do not let the walls dry! The glue will reset itself and you will end taking two steps back in any progress you have made.
• Once all the paper was off I washed down the walls once more with water, vinegar, and tea tree oil. While they were wet, I took a plastic ice scraper (for windshields) to the walls to get that last layer of glue off. 

Virgin walls!

• Apply paintable caulk around molding, baseboards, windows, etc. Seal it all in! We use the painter's tape trick for this, making sure to tape the wood finish really well, and do not forget to remove it while the caulk is still wet. 
• I filled any plaster cracks and nail holes with the paintable caulk and spackling compound. This probably isn't the way a contractor would fill these, but it meets our needs for now. I read blogs where they tore out all the plaster and redid it with drywall, but that was a bit beyond my capabilities and time frame.
• Apply 2 coats of primer. I am SOOO glad I did this. There were a few areas that still had glue I unknowingly missed, causing the primer to bubble. I was able to scrape that off and add another coat of primer without any repercussions. Losing a layer of paint like that would have killed me. 

Freshly primed walls.

• Two coats of paint finished the job.  

I love how you can see the "matching" living room wallpaper in these pictures. It helps me picture what the whole space will look like once I am brave enough to tackle the next room.

This is much easier on the eye.

You would not believe how much brighter the house feels now. It is amazing how much one room can affect lighting. I'm nervous and excited to get rid of that "golden" living room wallpaper.

What are some wallpaper removal tricks you've picked up? I need all the help I can get!