Wallpaper...Terrible, Terrible Wallpaper

For starters...I do not claim to be an expert on this...but experience has given me a bit of know how in the realm of tearing down wallpaper. Moving into a house built in 1973 has given us lots (and lots and lots) of opportunities to change some *ahem* dated features.

The worst one...wallpaper. It was everywhere. The entire entryway, hallway, and kitchen. Then, upstairs in 2 rooms...and the basement bathroom. I understand...it was the thing to do...we had it in our house growing up. The bad thing, though...it's not really cool anymore. Unless it's some chic graphic print...and you know 'ours' wasn't. It was dolphins, tiny green flowers, bunnies, butterflies...need I go on?

Anyhoo...the main level of our house got a fresh coat of paint straight away...wallpaper torn down. The upstairs and basement were a whole other story. I mean...no one really sees those places, except for us, so what's the big deal? Until now. We've been on over-haul the last year...attempting to redo all the untouched spaces.

This last weekend, we made steps to finally finish the last room *yahoo!*. You can see the uggo buggo wallpaper in this post. We haven't really done anything else spectacular to the room yet. Getting the wallpaper down has been the biggest thing so far, but now I can't wait to get going!

Having torn down so much wallpaper, though, I've learned a few things.

1. You don't need fancy schmancy tools for removing it. We made the mistake of buying a special remover that you're supposed to spray on and then 'tada!' the wallpaper just magically melts off. Well...not so much. My original method has still proven to be the best.

*No gimmicks, no harsh-smelling chemicals...a spray bottle, liquid fabric softener, and hot water are all you need to get the wallpaper down. Fill the bottle about 1/3 of the way up w/ softener...then top off with hot water. Shake it up. There you have it...your own homemade remover.

*The other important tool (other than a scraper) you'll need is this little gadget (you can find it in the wallpaper aisle *perish the thought* at Lowe's, Menards, etc.). You basically run it all over the wallpaper...the little teeth rotate and score the paper so your remover can penetrate and soften the glue.

If you use these items...taking down the dreaded wallpaper should be a pretty simple task. It is time consuming, though...there's just no getting away from that...short of hiring someone...but who would want that job?!?

Hope to have more pics of the room's progress in the next couple of months. Next week...painting (ceiling included...blech).

~Hilary~