LaShawn has a problem. She needs your advice. Please tell her what you think by leaving a comment.
I itch my nose entirely too much, but well…
LaShawn blogs at Frazzled LaShawn. She is the mom to four boys, wife to one. She keeps her sanity through photography, blogging and LOTS of coffee.
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My name is Holly Homer & I am the Dallas mom of three boys…
Hate to break it to ya – but if you’re fantasizing about clawing down the wallpaper every time you’re in the kitchen area…it’s time to say goodbye! Lucky for you I just ran across an article in my latest issue of Real Simple that details (what they consider to be) the best way to remove wallpaper. Coincidence? I think not! Let’s call it FATE!
(Since it’s from the February issue – which isn’t out yet, I’ll have to type it here!)
Q: What is the best way to remove wallpaper?
A: Perforate the wallpaper, then use a stripping solution to loosen it.
1.Run a wall scorer or perforator (PaperTiger $8, zinser.com)over the walls, pressing lightly in a circular motion to cut thousands of tiny holes into the paper.
2. Next, saturate the wallpaper with a nontoxic stripping solution (such as Dif Concentrate $5, zinser.com). Use a garden sprayer to do the job quickly. Don’t get the solution on wood trim. If you do, wipe it right off.
3. Before the solution dries, use a metal scraper to peel away the paper. If the backing remains, repeat the previous steps.
4. Finally, wash the walls with warm water and a sponge to remove any leftover paste and you’re done!
I agree with everyone, tear it down and paint. HOWEVER if the wallpaper is attached REALLY REALLY well, and you’d like to do something easy, you could do faux painting over it. If you don’t know what faux painting is, it’s bascially like texture painting. Think of the top of a birthday cake – icing all swoopy and with peaks and valleys. BUT I would NOT do the painting where you just mix sand in the paint. We have that in our 2 bathrooms, and you can totally see the wallpaper seams and where there’s a border along the top. It is UGLY. HOWEVER going back to my first comment i think ripping the wallpaper down is the best option. But, faux painting is pretty too.
Tear. It. Down. If you hate it, why live with it? Also, I agree with Aimee above, if you are planning on moving you need to get it to where it shows at it’s best plus then you get to enjoy it before leaving. We are going through the same thing here, although we don’t plan to move for 3 more years….I’m doing tons of renovations now so I can enjoy them and not just fix it up and leave which would just be such a bummer.
Whatever you do, protect the nails! 🙂
Tear it down and paint. Not only will you be happier, but it WILL increase the value of your home to potential buyers who won’t want to mess with it for the same reason you don’t, but who hate it for the same reason you do.
I hate to break it to you, but I think you have to remove it. If only for your own sanity. Think of waking up and looking at that for 365 more mornings…
May I suggest a wallpaper removing party?