My Country Farmhouse – Wall Paper Removal SUCKS

Alright – I knew it wouldn’t be fun (since I did my entire first house – yes, every room) but this one bedroom is insane. I thought there were only 3 layers of wall paper, which is of course, more than enough to have to remove. But as I began work today it appears there are 5 – 6 layers of paper. And underneath all of that is a wall that is starting to crumble… ugh…

I had to make the executive decision to stop the work and consider a full gut job (removing all the walls – lathe and plaster) and installing new drywall. And since all 4 closets in the house are unfortunately doing the same and crumbling – they will have to be drywalled as well. Unfortunate hit to the budget but it will be well worth it in the long run.

So instead of removing wall paper I decided to shop my house and move furniture around. Why not right! What else am I going to do in a lock down? I moved the grey accent chair and marble table from the back room upstairs into my bedroom to create a lovely little seating area. But now I am completely torn on whether or not I like the look. I do have OCD and when things aren’t perfectly symmetrical … well, it drive’s me crazy. Here is a picture of the bay window with seating area. Perhaps you can figure out what the heck is missing. A second chair? It’s a tight bay window… (note: the wall by the chair is where I was stripping the wall paper off today)

I remember seeing an image of a kitchen with two windows like my own kitchen that had a neat custom made plate rack running down between the two frames and thought it was a brilliant idea. I had my cutting boards hanging there since I moved in to keep them off the countertops (since I’m lacking space there). I watched a couple ‘how-to’ clips on making your own plate racks / art ledges and got straight to work.

I used 1″ x 4″ wood I had left over from another project (no idea what that was) and 1″ x 2″ I used on the garden planter boxes. Using a mitre box, saw, wood glue and brad nailer I was able to complete 3 ledges at 19″ wide. I used leftover trim paint from the other rooms to paint them white which will eventually match the trim paint that will be on the windows. Several screws and a mini level later the task was complete. And I have to say I’m pretty happy with the outcome. It’s a great use of space. Twinkle lights and a giant M complete the look.

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Since the closets all have to be gutted I continued the demolition on the dining room closet. When I moved in I had this glorious idea to turn that closet into a china cabinet. Strip wall paper, add a coat of paint and some shelves and be done with it… Ya right! The walls began to crumble so I carefully swept everything into the closet closed the door and walked away. I will continue working on this closet for the time being – get it 100% ready for some new drywall. Here is the progress:

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Well, hopefully no one has wall paper to strip – and if you do – I feel you… Terribly daunting task when the paper is hundreds of years old. But if you do, the final result can be so rewarding. I know it was for me at my first house on Alma St (see earliest blogs). One layer is MUCH easier to peel.

Stay safe, stay warm and stay productive.

🙂