GRUMPY KRIS
1 hour ago
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Wallpaper Removal
Yesterday was delightful. Today was not. I didn't have Noah today, and so I thought I should get busy with the enormous job of removing the wallpaper from the spare bedroom so I can get it painted and finished. I began at 10:00 a.m. I worked ALL DAY! I did not finish. I got about 2/3 of the way through. My fingers are bleeding. I have broken every single nail. I have an infection in one of my fingers that I have been self treating, and now that is not so hot either. I did take twenty minutes to sit down and eat a peanut butter sandwich about 2:00. I wrapped it up at 7:00!! NINE HOURS!!!! I will NEVER wallpaper again! I don't EVER want to SEE wallpaper again! I have been wondering where in the heck my husband is? I just checked my phone. He left me a message that he "had" to go to dinner with some people from work. AT TAPS!!! I had Lucky Charms! They were "magically delicious." I am grouchy. Can you tell? I have this much left to do.
I couldn't move the armoire myself, or I would probably still be sitting back there, scraping and in near tears!! I started out using vinegar diluted in hot water. Oh the fumes!!! Then I remembered hearing that fabric softener works too. I can't say that it works any better, but it sure does smell better! Whatever wallpaper paste I used on the seams was some good stuff. That stuff is not budging. I am using a nylon scraper, and it is coming off in teeny tiny pieces. You know how sometimes when you hard boil eggs and they won't peel? That tiny papery thin membrane won't come off the egg? You try and try and usually wind up breaking the egg into pieces. Well, that is how this wallpaper is coming off. And my fingers are in pieces!! GAH!!!!! I am going to bed. Goodnight.
GRUMPY KRIS
GRUMPY KRIS
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27 comments:
I remember my mom and dad made my brother and I help them remove wallpaper when we were young (they never papered again either). I distinctly remember sobbing and sobbing with the "torture" of it all and telling my mother I wanted to live with Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater's wife at Storybook Land because she'd be a nice mom. My brother whine that his friends had parents who loved them so he was moving in with them. It's funny now, and we must have driven my parents batty. But I can't say I wouldn't react the same now, hahahahaha. Just think - you're almost done!
I feel your pain Kris and I only had one wall to remove last weekend. It took me all day! I am with you...wallpaper is a very bad thing! Get some rest, tomorrow is another day. Patty
Ugh! Removing wallpaper is the worst. I feel your pain.
Oh I am so sorry. Wall paper is such a bugger to take off. You may be too far into the process, but we used this odd shaped tool that scored the paper, sprayed it down with wall paper remover, let it set, and then began the peeling process. Still an ordeal and took some time, not to mention patience, but it really worked out well.
I would leave the rest for hubby to finish! ;)
I have never heard you grumpy before and I'm sorry to say that it cracks me up. I imagine you, with your sweet face, your kind disposition all sweaty and frazzled and it makes me laugh. Sorry. Are you scoring the paper first before using the hot water/fabric softner solution? Do I need to come out there? You are much more patient than I am. By now, I would have taken the drywall off and just replaced it. Give your poor hands a rest. You have kids right? Isn't this what they are for? Get them over there under false pretenses and put them to work!
UGHA UGHA! I hear a little fabric softner and water helps the process too. Sorry Kris:(
Let me know if that does work, because I have friends that want to remove it, and I can tell them someone actually tried it.
I hate painting and removing wallpaper. And hate is a strong word. :)) I bet you were exhausted after that. I am not brave enough to even attempt projects like that anymore. Hope today is great for you, and you ignore that wallpaper!
There are times with "grumpy" is justified and I think this is one of them!! When we bought our house in Charleston, we purchased it from a retired Army general and his wife. In retirement, they took up wallpapering. They had wallpapered every room with a different type of wallpaper. It all had to come down and it took MONTHS! It was no more wallpaper for us--EVER! Take care of that finger!!
Best,
Bonnie
Oh dear. I hope things get better. They have to; right? Karmen
Oh Kris... I am so sorry. I too HATE wallpaper (because of my first house & the hours I spent removing it from the walls). I was so thankful that our new house had NO wallpaper! You are almost done - hang in there!
OOO, Kris, if I NEVER see another piece of wallpaper, it will be great! I hate it with a passion.
I have TWO (2) wallpaper borders to remove and I am dreading it like the plaque. My daughter just worked for a week on removing wallpaper from her large laundry room and swears NEVER to use it again.
We know JUST how you feel.
bwaaaaaaaaaa
Hi Kris, sorry to hear about your mess and owies. You sound like me tho- doing it all yourself. I think they rent steamers (at those rental yards) that would've helped. I've heard they work great. Also u-tube "how to" videos have helped me allot when I needed to learn about stuff or the best way to do it. I've learned how to put in a kitchen faucet, bathroom faucet and how to change the inside parts when they started to leak. Pace yourself and don't over-do. Get your kids or hubby to help. Have a lovely weekend and give your finger a rest.
Taboo here too. I had to take down some when we moved in. That is a project. Renting one of those steamer does help. Good luck. I can never for the life of me figure out why some don't use sizing first, it's like 2 bucks. oooops, you didn't put this up did you. Keep us posted and off to bed with you.
Dear Grumpy: Oh, my. I just read what Holly had to say. Are you going to take that from her? I am soooooo sorry you have such an awful task at hand. I, too, hate removing wallpaper. I always used water as hot as I could stand it (spritz with a spray bottle, first) and scrap with the scraper. Do you have any good music to play while you work? You should make hubby pay for a manicure! xo, Cheryl
Hi Kris, I'm so sorry you had such a hard day yesterday; if I lived nearby I'd come help for sure. I'm an expert at removing the stuff. Like you though, after our last house and removing it so we could paint, I swore I'd never put it up again. Can't believe that it is coming back in style-but not in my life. I hope your fingers are better today and that it is coming off easier. I've also used a steam iron with the steam going on it to help.
Hugs to you.
Noreen
Ahh wallpaper...been here many times when we've redone homes...hate it! There is a solution that Lowes carries that you spray it on and let it sit then peel it off. A scraper works well too. Also steaming it works or hot water with the sponges, but the solution is good...it's been awhile so I'm trying to recall the name...I was to say Diff for some reason but it may be that I'm tired! LOL Ask at Lowes they'll know what I mean. Good luck, let me know how it turns out :-) Hope you feel better perhaps some hot tea could help? ;-)
Blessings,
Jill
Ouch.
That does not sound fun at all.
Why'd you work so hard to remove it? You couldn't paint over it???
Hope you are resting up!!!!
ps Glen Ivy's not closed this week. Shelbie called when i was over there today and they said the brea one is closed but not corona.
Oh Kris this sounds like such a pain...I have been there and done that but it has been MANY years ago. I would NEVER wall paper again either. We had an enormous bedroom in our old house that had cathedral ceilings and it was wallpapered ALL over...it was horrible. I almost didn't want to buy the house based on that wallpaper, haha. We lived there 3 years before we even started trying to take it off. We did everything everyone mentioned here from the scoring it first, to the hot water, softener, AND rented a steamer wall paper remover...all of this dangling from a ladder. FINALLY after tears, bloody injuries, and a desire to just throw in the towel and live with a room with various degrees of paper still hanging on it, my hubby called and had it professionally done....Now if you can believe this, it was TOTALLY off in less than hour. I honestly couldn't believe it. They had steamers and some kind of solution. It cost us around 250 dollars. Of course that was years ago. All of this to say....you have my sympathy. It is a bear of a job. Looks like you have got the majority of it off though. Take a break. Get that finger healed first. Good luck over there. Eventually it will be done and you will have a beautiful room. I can remember just sitting in mine when it was eventually re-painted just enjoying it. OH, I almost forgot. We had to put new texture on the wall too as they had taken it off to wallpaper as well. We did that ourselves with a rented machine. Actually I guess my brother did it for me. (the same one who did all the work over here before we moved in)What a job! I think you had every right to be a little grumpy btw, haha. Hope today is a better day! HUGS
Hi Kris,
I am a new follower of your blog! I love hearing all about your chickens and reading your recipes! I think those headbands are adorable and may just need to order one!
I just created my own blog!
Stop by sometime :)
Casey
http://caseypinkpolkadots.blogspot.com/
Oh so sorry Kris...I hope things are going better today. We had wall paper at our first house and I swore never to put it up again! I used a little tool that made holes first before you spray the water on...I'm with Holly though...I would have opted for new dry wall!!
Oh dear.. poor you.. bet hubby is in a bit of hot water too. I also detest wallpaper. It peels and curls up and is hideous to get off. Give me paint anytime. But sweetie.. hire someone to do this for you.
((hugs)), Teresa :-)
There's nothing worse than wallpaper removal. I swore I would never do it again, and then about five years ago, I decided to wallpaper my small kitchen in red gingham checks. I loved it for about 2 years, and then it started to drive me crazy. So there I was again, having to remove wallpaper. Luckily it wasn't glued quite as much as some older papers, but still it was so time-cosuming. This time, I'm definitely done with wallpaper. It's paint from here on out for me!
OH I have had walls like this in the past...neverending, fingernail splitting awfulness! Hope it comes off soon!
What a pain!!! I use to do some of that when I was a painting contractor and it gets old fast. I just used wallpaper stripper and it worked pretty good. But there is always some that is just a bugger!
YUK! I feel for you girl. Removing wallpaper is no fun at all. As for the Lucky Charms, why couldn't they magically remove your wallpaper?
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