I honestly curse whomever it was that decided to create wallpaper. Now, I know that it was necessary and stylish back in the day. But dear lord, why does it have to be so hard to get off? If I ever do use wallpaper in this house, I promise to do so sparingly, if only to save the poor soul who buys this house after we leave. I don't wish this horrible job on anyone!
While the job itself was pretty messy, and very time-consuming, I actually got it down to somewhat of a science. The key was actually to be "green." Initially, I tried steaming. Yuck. Took forever and dripped hot water all over our fir floors. Second, DIF. Worked a bit better, but the spray bottles were so small, I couldn't imagine using it on all of the walls I had. Then, my hero at Standard Paint, Andy, told me that what he hears works best is half white vinegar, and half hot water. I got myself one of those lovely sprayers for the garden, and set about hosing down each and every room. The key was to get the paper absolutely drenched...which meant being very patient. One of my biggest weaknesses. It was a long few days.
Now, the next step for these lovely plaster walls? Oil-based primer, wall patching, and then painting. I'm hoping to have the four bedrooms done by Easter. My professional life up until now has always required me to be deadline driven. I'm thinking that's probably not going to work with this house...but we'll see!
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