Let’s talk about what we’d like to accomplish before this baby comes for a second. In our first house when we were preparing for Clara’s arrival, over those nine months we tackled a few rooms that were still on our redo list (mainly the full bathroom and the nursery) since so much of the house was already done (our kitchen reno was all finished, the hardwood floors had been redone, we had opened up some walls and closed off others, etc). This time around, there’s a baby on the way but this house is much less finished than our first one was, so our goals before baby are more about getting it to a nice blank slate than a fully finished after.
You see, I’m a mom on a mission. And that mission is to get rid of all of the old wallpaper, old carpeting, and blue trim before this baby comes. So that means chipping away at seven spaces over the next six months:
- de-blue-trim-ifying and de-wallpapering the dining room
- finishing Project No More Graph Paper in the kitchen
- stripping the blue wallpaper in the sink/tub area of our bathroom
- ripping up the old carpet runner on the stairs (our new runners finally came after being on backorder, woot!)
- painting the blue trim in the office
- removing the old carpeting on the steps that lead from the garage into the kitchen (don’t even know if we’ve shown those…)
Of course we also have other updates on our radar that we mentioned in this post last Friday – like adding built-ins to the bedroom, amping up the office, packing in a few guest room updates, and creating a nursery of course! But man I’ll be a happy momma to slowly but surely send the blue trim, the peeling wallpaper, and those old stair runners packing. Out with the old, and in with the new, baby! Or should I say out with the old and in with the new baby? Somehow they both work.
And we actually get to cross off that second bullet already, thanks to a few days of the serious wallpaper battle that I waged on the kitchen graph paper wallpaper. Ahh, look at that clean wallpaper-less wall, complete with a big ol’ intercom. Can I get a hootie hoo?
Every time I tackle wallpaper I try out a different wallpaper removal method just to see what works better (I’m like Anderson Cooper with this hard-hitting investigative journalism) so you can read about how boiling water worked here, and how a steamer worked here (spoiler alert: so far the steamer is in the lead). And this time my method of choice was warm tap water and Dr Bronner’s soap. I hear that soap can help cut the glue from the wallpaper a bit more than plain water can. Some people swear by a Downy + water mixture, but since my tummy is so easily rebellious these days (morning sickness tends to go until about the half-way point of pregnancy for me) and my nose is turned up to “bloodhound mode”, I opted for a less fragrant soap that still cuts grease/tackiness : Dr. Bronner’s.
I just added about seven squirts of Dr Bronner’s to my wonky spray bottle (remember when I nearly melted it with boiling water here?) and filled the rest of the bottle with hot water from the tap (so it wasn’t boiling, but it wasn’t lukewarm either). Then I sprayed down this entire wall, let it soak in for about three minutes, and got to work peeling like a madwoman.
This is my third attempt at wallpaper removal and my third attempt without a scoring tool. Going into this I assumed I’d try one out one of these times, but thanks to many large sheets coming off like this, I’ve actually become afraid of a scoring tool since it seems like it could create a lot more work for me (peeling off ten million scored pieces instead of one big sheet).
So the best removal methods certainly seem to depend on a multitude of factors (how stuck your wallpaper is, what glue was used, what prep work was done to the wall under it before it was papered, and how old it is, how many layers there are, etc). My recommendation would be to try peeling it without scoring first, and if it just won’t budge you can then move onto scoring things to get through the paper and loosen things up. I just think it’s a smart secondary step in case your wallpaper comes up in larger sheets like ours has so far (if it helps anyone, this wallpaper was all applied around 30 years ago to our knowledge, and we believe the walls were properly prepped beneath it with primer, which definitely helps with removal).
After doing that big wall next to the table, I just inched my way around the room, spraying, waiting three minutes for it to soak in, and peeling.
Once again, there were some nice big sections that came off…
… but of course from these piles you can see that there were also smaller sections that took a little longer after the big chunks came down (I just resprayed those more stubborn areas and picked at them with my fingernail until they came off). I should also mention that I tried a spackle knife since I’ve heard those can be helpful but I found that it caused little dents in the wall so I quickly abandoned that. I’d rather take my time getting the paper off and have pristine walls in the end than ding them up getting the paper off faster (but then have to spend time spackling those spots to get things smooth again).
I ended up getting around to the other side of the kitchen (where the built-in desk is) about three hours into the removal process, which is when this momma needed a break.
So I posted this Instagram picture of the mess I made, and curled up in the fetal position for a while. Wallpaper will do that to ya.
About four days later I had more prego gusto as I like to call it (every few days I get bursts of energy, and dang it if I don’t capitalize on them) so I ran into the kitchen with a battle cry of “Arrrggggghhh!” and scared the dog got to spraying and peeling again. I had this side of the kitchen to do this time, which was easier in some aspects (the backsplash is a lot smaller of a space to peel, for example)…
… but there seemed to be more glue going on, so it took a while longer to make my way around.
More glue in some areas meant that I was left with more of the paper backing on the walls in some areas, which looked a little bit like white tiger stripes wherever it stuck to the wall.
Here’s where I tried an entirely new method, that worked LIKE GANGBUSTERS. Guys, if you have that paper backing mocking you silently from your freshly peeled walls, here’s what to try. Fill a bowl with as-hot-as-you-can-get-it tap water and a few pumps of Dr Bronner’s soap (I’m sure other soaps could work, but I had luck with DBs). Then just dip a paper towel or a rag into it and dab that over the paper backing right on the wall. It saturates it a lot more than the spray bottle (without giving you hand cramps from squeeze-squeeze-squeezing) and…
… even giant chunks of that stubborn backing should peel right off in one giant piece. At least that’s what worked this time. Look at me go.
So in some parts of the room it felt like I was really peeling wallpaper twice (since it was a few hours of wallpaper removal followed by a few hours of backing removal) but when the dust cleared, we had a wallpaperless kitchen! Hurrah!
It’s still dark as heck with faux brick linoleum and a big ol’ garage-looking light on the ceiling, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. As for how long the entire process took, I’d estimate that it was 8 hours of work when you add it all up.
But those blank walls sure do feel good. Now all I need to do is wipe them down with a vinegar and water spray (that has worked to get rid of any lingering glue residue in the past for us) and we can paint our little hearts out.
Aaaand, just because I like to cross things off…
- de-blue-trim-ify and de-wallpaper the dining room
finish Project No More Graph Paper in the kitchen- strip the bold blue wallpaper in our bathroom
- rip up the old carpet runner on the stairs (our new runners finally came after being on backorder, woot!)
- paint the blue trim in the office
Oh and in case you’re wondering, the steamer still wins as the easiest/fastest method, but neither the boiling water or the hot tap water + soap approaches were that bad (and they’re 100% free) so they’re pretty decent back-up options – at least to try. Next up, I have my eye on the bathroom wallpaper (I think I need a smaller space to give my arms a break) and the carpet runner on the stairs’ days are numbered too. Be afraid, be very afraid (if you’re our carpet runner or bathroom wallpaper – if not, no need to be afraid). Is there anyone else out there with a deadline and a list of non-negotiable house stuff they’d like to accomplish? Honestly I’m so excited about the nursery that I’m hoping to rush through all of those other bullets so we can get to the fun stuff.
Psst- Clara’s having conversations again. And as usual, she’s cracking us up.
Keri says
Thank you for trying out these techniques! The day you posted about the boiling water in a spray bottle, I was home alone with no car in my new rental, so I attacked the wallpaper I’d been mean mugging for two weeks. (Landlord approved) I didn’t have a bottle, so I used a bowl, had to wear gloves and use a rag. It worked, but it was a little drippy and slow and burny. lol.
I love that intercom. It can come hang out with my ’95 BMW 7 Series. Haha. I’d spray paint that sucker and hang it in my kid’s room as interactive art.
YoungHouseLove says
So glad it worked! And your BMW sounds sweet. Just call it vintage.
xo
s
Alayne says
Please excuse me while I turn green with jealousy…..
Our wallpaper is 28 years old, but the wall behind it was not prepped properly. It has been a nightmare 4 years running!
Every year I swear I’m just going to get it down, somehow… We’ve tried scoring and the solution they sell at Home depot and Loews. We’ve tried steaming, we’ve tried pleading with the wall paper gods,we’ve tried everything! I cry every time because we lose big pieces of the top of the drywall paper behind the wall paper. There is SO much patching and sanding that needs to be done……
On a side note, we just discovered the previous owners painted over wallpaper. If this was your home, would you just add your own color on top, or take it down (keep in mid the dramam I just shared above)?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that sounds like a nightmare!
xo
s
Keri says
I feel so bad for you. I’d come help you get that stuff down and I’d even bring Margaritas because they’re clearly necessary.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, so sweet.
xo
s
Isabel says
Hi Alayne,
We’re discovering in our house that while the wallpaper in the dining room was never covered/removed (and honestly, i think that wallpaper must be original and 60 years old, it’s in terrible shape), every other piece of wallpaper (every upstairs bedroom) was painted over instead of removed. Before making this discovery, we have since painted over it and it’s fine except that now that I know the paper is there, the seams are painfully obvious to me. I think we’ll eventually take it all down, just take it room by room (and a few years!). But considering the drama you’ve had to deal with, I would repaint and once you have the furniture and the art going, it ‘s not really noticeable anymore.
Mandy says
Our first place we bought a was covered in wallpaper which was applied directly to raw drywall in some rooms. Arghhh! It was awful! The PaperTiger and a spray bottle of hot water were my best friends. I was afraid the PaperTiger would make the wallpaper come off in little bits too but it ended up just making nice little holes that allowed the water to saturate the wallpaper better and it still could come off in strips (except the rooms where it was put on the raw drywall). Good luck finishing it!!!
Holly W. says
I SO had a to-do list before my second little man arrived – he’s now 11 weeks old and my first is 2.5 years.
I was ruthless about it, too, while my hubby and I both worked full time – each month of my pregnancy starting in the second month, we had a major project to finish. they ranged from reorganizing the basement and pantry to building a fence by hand (as in, buy cedar planks, cut them, sand them, stain them, build panels with lattice and fancy details, etc.) to painting the trim on our house to buidling a cabinet for our bathroom. Theo arrived almost a week early and ate up our last weekend to bust out the trim paint, but other than that, it was quite a successful list :) Although there are some terrifically ugly pictures of me at 36 weeks (in humad-as-hell June, nonetheless)painting fence posts and sanding/staining in the biggest t-shirts and baggy shorts I could find. yay for babies and to-do lists!
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow, the fence sounds intense! Congrats on getting it done!
xo
s
Jess says
Totally agree w your goal of getting a blank slate. I’d rather look at undone than horribly done any day…especially when in the throes of pregnancy hormones!
Jill says
You know, it would brighten things up immensely for the interim (till you do a real kitchen remodel) if you:
1) painted the garage door and the pantry door white (brightening up that entire corner)
2) removed the scalloped detailing over the window that’s over the sink and also painted the window over the white (slightly modernizing, opening up, and lightening up that area)
Jill says
*also painted the window over the SINK white
YoungHouseLove says
Amen, they’re both at the top of my list! Soon I hope!
xo
s
Jill says
You know what would also probably help oodles in terms of combating the dark? What if you just took the upper cabinet that’s to the right of the sink down? You’re about to paint the walls anyway, so now would be the perfect time.
It’s a single unit of cabinetry (not attached to any other pieces of cabinetry), so it’d lift right out, and then you could hang some simple open shelving instead for now.
But to remove something dark that’s eye-level like that that also partially blocks light from the window? That’d make an enormous difference.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha you’re reading my mind! We already have floating shelves we’re planning to hang there! Too funny!
xo
s
Jill says
Oh, yay! I think that will be SUCH an improvement.
And ha! I did that too my sister when she was pregnant. She and her husband were trying to keep the name a surprise, but I kept being like, “What about Eleanor? I’ve always love that name.” And her eyes would get really big, and she’d say, “It’s on the short list. SHHHH.”
3 days later.
Me: “You might think this is a bit weird, but what about Greta? It’s kind of cute. A little like Margaret (her middle name).”
Her: Enormous eyes. “How did you!? It’s on the short list! SHHHHH.”
As long as I’m being clairvoyant, I hope you put stick-em tiles in a lighter/neutral color all over the floor and switch out the fluorescent light for something cheap and non-fluorescent too. Shhh! :D
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah! I love it all!
xo
s
Lindsay says
You are inspiring me to remove the “wallpaper” in my master bedroom. And by “wallpaper” I mean small pieces/strips of brown paper bag that are modge podged to the wall… like the glue is on the outside! Who does that?
YoungHouseLove says
Woah! Good luck with that!
xo
s
Binaebi says
Not to out myself as a super nerd, but “Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go” is actually from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret of the Ooze. That fan video took it and applied it to Three Ninjas.
Otherwise, awesome work on the wallpaper!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Just added an update to the post! My deepest ninja apologies.
xo
s
Tristan says
I am soooo incredibly jealous of how easy your wallpaper comes off. I peeled wallpaper out of our bedroom that consisted of about 12 layers, with some layers that had been painted in between. The paint prevents the water from penetrating all the layers, so scoring is a definite must. And the walls underneath were untreated lathe and plaster, so the wallpaper really stuck to it. One bonus, you could really soak down the lathe and plaster walls without worrying about causing any water damage. And when it all came off, I found a signature and date on the wall from 1901. Pretty neat.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s really neat! Sounds like a ton of work, but such a cool find at the end!
xo
s
Sarah Picking says
I love all the progress you are making with your prego energy! I also REALLY appreciate how you include little details like curling up for a while after working for a few hours, and how you took a 4 day break between peeling sessions. We are doing a complete overhaul on our 1974 colonial and stamina for these projects (even for a mom who is not yet baking baby #2) is something I sometimes get down on myself for. For example, we’ve been 80% complete on our mudroom/bathroom reno for 6 months, but I still haven’t finished all the trim repainting it needs. Its nice to know that even super DIYers like yourselves take breaks sometimes to recoup. You’re doing great!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Sarah! You’re totally in good company for taking breaks and waiting to recharge the ol’ DIY batteries. Every home-improvement lover I know seems to work in waves like that!
xo
s
Emily @ Life on Food says
Our house had wallpaper in all of the hallways, dining room and one guest room. The wallpaper in the hallways came off in like 10 minutes. Just pulling at the corners, the large sheets peeled off. The other two rooms not so easy – I gave up and moved on to other things. I feel for you and am so impressed with sticking with it. I am going to get me some DB.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, so lucky about that hallway though!
xo
s
Bboss says
The 70’s called. They want their intercom back.
We had one of these in a new house we moved into in 1970. It entertained my brother and I for 1 day. It was never used again.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Laurie says
Yay for hormones that give you the burst of energy! It seems only fair since you have to feel barfy too.
I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year so I’m feeling a lot of pressure to get kitchen stuff done. I have to prioritize my projects so that I don’t kill myself right before I have everyone here wanting to eat.
Although…I wonder if I could get away with putting everyone to work with me? Is that a dirty trick? “Here’s turkey, now start painting!”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Take my advice and make them work before the turkey… if you wait until afterwards they’ll all fall asleep on ya!
xo
s
Karen says
Sherry – look at the morning sickness as a good thing! The stronger the hormones are, the stronger the baby is!!! Ok, now you can go ahead and slap me if that doesn’t help. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I’ve heard that but then I’ve heard that’s an old wives tale! Either way I’m just thankful to have the bun in there living it up. Haha!
xo
s
Blake says
You really should get a pressurized hand sprayer … basically a spray bottle with an air pump so you get a gentle, continuous spray.
They are $8 or $9. I got mine in the garden section at Lowes and used it for popcorn ceiling removal throughout my entire house, which is a similar process of spray, wait, scrape, repeat.
It’s SO MUCH BETTER than using a basic spray bottle!!! Will save you time and hand cramps. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Blake!
xo
s
Maddie says
Go Prego, Go Prego, Go = THE BEST. You go prego ninja :)
Laurie says
You guys should have had a big old tic tac toe party on that wallpaper before stripping it! Fun Times!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we should have!
xo
s
Shannon [Our Home Notebook] says
Love your “getting things to a clean slate” goal. You go momma!
Brigidanne says
I hope your being safe and using a step ladder and not standing on chairs or event that folding chair shown next to the wall in one photo. Even when not pregnant, you and John should work safely.
YoungHouseLove says
Don’t you worry, I’m a paranoid prego! A weirdly placed chair is almost always Clara (she pushes them around with dolls on them and pretends they’re Home Depot carts).
xo
s
Sarah says
I worked for several years as an interior painter, and sometimes people would pay me to prep their rooms as well. That means I’ve done more wallpaper stripping than I care to remember. Heh. And I’m convinced those scouring tools are just a plot to get us to buy another gadget! Just in case you’re in need of another method to try, I use a two step process- ‘Dry stripping’ then ‘Wet stripping.’ Sometimes wetting the paper ruins it’s natural integrity, and makes it come off in smaller strips, so I find an edge and just start ripping right off with no prep at all. I’ve always been able to get off the whole top layer like this, no problem, This leaves either a) a gorgeous blank wall with only glue residue, or b) (and more likely) a wall with those strips of underbacking all over it. But now all the water resistant stuff is gone! Step 2 is similar to what you did this last time. Using a sponge and a soapy water mixture I soak a large patch and then carefully go over it with a spackle knife, which does work well so long as you’re very careful. But also make use of the sponge’s scrubby side, sometimes if it’s soaked enough that’s all it takes to get the backing off!
Good luck with all your pre-baby prep!
YoungHouseLove says
I love that idea Sarah! I might have to try that in the bathroom or the dining room!
xo
s
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
It must have been so satisfying to get that stuff off of the walls! Can’t wait to see when it’s all painted!
Amber says
Awesome job with the wall paper!
We also have a huge intercom box on our kitchen wall and the faux brick linoleum (under burgundy carpet- yikes!) Our kitchen remodel is coming in the next few months, and we can’t wait to see those things go!
Mindy says
Hi guys! Ok just a quick question….what would you do if you had wallpaper that has been painted over?? Aaaaah!
YoungHouseLove says
I hear that’s the worst! I think for that you’d have to score just to get the spray to penetrate and loosen things up. Anyone have tips for Mindy?
xo
s
Sarah says
I would really recommend my totally patented (NOT! lol) 2 step process: dry striping and then wet striping. Just using your fingers and a little knife if you need to, get under an edge and just start ripping that stuff off dry! The layers of paint and paper are very very water resistant, and if you try to scour it or penetrate it you can end up making the paper come off in tiny little suicide-inducing pieces. So get all the top layers off dry. THEN go back with your hot water/soap mixture and soak the under backing with a sponge, and scrape it and the glue off VERY CAREFULLY! with a spackle knife. It’s worked for me in the past. Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sarah! Sounds awesome!
xo
s
Joyce says
Nice job removing the wallpaper and pregnant at the same time! I can’t wait to see what color you’ll pick for the kitchen. Which leads me to a painting question. I’ve seen your cutting in post in the projects section but how do you get a nice clean paint job in a tight section like the space between doors as shown in the photo next to the frig?
YoungHouseLove says
I like to remove things when I can (ex: roll out the fridge for more space to paint all the way back there) and using a small handled brush allows me to get behind small spaces (I can get behind a toilet with one, for example). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Haley says
I am expecting our 4th baby at the end of April. We moved to our forever home this summer so my list is long. This time I am much more patient with myself though. It makes such a difference knowing you are staying and remodeling for the long term!
The hard part? None of the first three kiddos’ bedrooms are updated yet. Sorry Baby 4. You will probably have to wait your turn. Maybe I’ll get to it before you leave for college. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I love the feeling of saying “were going to be here a while… let’s just take our time and make the right calls instead of rushing into stuff” – and there are so many in-the-meantime little updates you can do with paint and small accessories and art/mirrors while we save our pennies for bigger makeovers!
xo
s
Sara says
We’re having a housewarming party in early November (we bought our first house in August!) so we’re working hard on a few house projects between now and then, like a DIY pallet headboard, a gradient dresser, and (what feels like) seven million walls to touch-up with paint left by the previous owners! We want to wait awhile before we repaint, even though the current paint colors are not our style. We’re excited!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like so much fun Sara! Good luck!
xo
s
Julianne says
Wow, Sherry…you’re a machine, girl! I bet you are ‘over the moon’ to have all of that finished, but even more astonishing is that you did it while pregnant! I finished peeling a large room of wallpaper back last May, and I can still remember (and feel in these old bones) how. Much. Work. It was! Kudos! Looks so much fresher and can’t wait to see the direction your kitchen takes! :0)
Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet says
Huzzah!
Katie says
Love your song references because I like to do that too! In fact, I read this post while singing (in my head) “look at me go, look at me go, look at me go, I’m peeling paper” ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I like it. Go Carmen.
xo
s
Angie H says
Oh, this has me so excited!!! We are closing on our first house in a few weeks and boy does it need work! Including some painted over wallpaper. Reading your blog gets me excited to get my hands dirty. We have a long list to try to finish in the month before we move in. whew!
Rachel says
I’m sure someone has already said it (I can’t scroll through 200+ comments), but using a sprayer that you’d typically use for fertilizer or weed killer works great. They’re like $10 at Lowes, and they cover a large area and you never have to squeeze the handle over and over again.
I did a bathroom using one of those sprayers this summer and it worked like a charm. Saturate the walls really well, working your way around the room a few times. Then start peeling.I watched a tutorial on youtube and the guy said to never use a scoring tool bc it leaves tiny holes in your wall
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Rachel!
xo
s
Emily | Sparkle Meets Pop says
Oh man it already looks so much better! I’m literally (Chris Traeger!) giddy with excitement to see the kitchen come together.
Also, this could be my favorite post title ever. Ha!
Lindsay says
I am working on a house right now that had wallpaper everywhere. And one of the old guys working on it swore by, scoring and spraying with 7up… I was not there to witness and didn’t see how long it took him…. But sometimes these ideas work… And sometimes they are just crazy. Ha! So maybe if you happen to have some 7up around with your next wallpaper peel….
YoungHouseLove says
No way! I have never heard that but my soda loving husband will laugh when I tell him!
xo
s
Marci S says
Downy makes an unperfumed fabric softener called Downy Scent Free that you could try if you still want to try a water/fabric softener combo.
Once had to peel wallpaper off unprimed wallboard. It took pieces of the wallboard paper with it and required a lot of repairs but was still worth it.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a great tip! Thanks Marci!
xo
s
Michelle Y. says
Congrats on the new house! Looks like a lot of work but it’ll be well worth it!
Nicole says
We have just started peeling wallpaper of the walls in our home as well! Sadly on the top part of our kitchen walls they decided it was a great idea to apply the wallpaper directly to the drywall. Ugh. No good…
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, good luck Nicole!
xo
s
peg says
So happy to see this post today! We painted the paneling in our family room this week and I started to pull the wallpaper down in the kitchen-garage half bath. The border came off easy but the wall paper is stuck not coming off as well. I was worried I was screwing up the walls. Grateful for all the tips!!!
Have you tried the Annie Sloan chalk paint? I’m thinking about it for the dark ’60’s kitchen cabinets but it’s pricey.
YoungHouseLove says
We tried a little sample pot of it on the back of some chairs in Clara’s playroom. Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/02/chalking-it-up/
xo
s
Emily R. says
Last weekend I helped my friend remove wallpaper at a new house. Instead of renting a machine, we bought 2 $20 mini steamers from Bed, Bath and Beyond http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/my-little-steamer-go-mini-hand-steamer/1017180746?device=c&network=g&matchtype=&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_none_&gclid=CPml64T_m7oCFeI1QgodJmYAEQ.
They were inexpensive and worked great. Plus they are helpful for laundry duty.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Jeanine says
You are my hero, Sherry! I’m pregnant, have all day morning sickness and just moved into a 30 year old house. We had all these grand plans to fix it up but now I am too sick and tired to do anything. When I come home from work, I’m so sad because my house looks like an episode of hoarders and no matter how much I scrub I can’t make 30 year old counters, floors, cupboards look clean. My list is much longer than yours and I know I need to trim it down to what is most important before the baby comes but I can’t even figure that out. I’m doomed. My baby is going to have a cardboard box nursery.
YoungHouseLove says
Nooo! Hopefully you’ll feel better in a little while! I was down on myself because this go at pregnancy has been a lot harder for me than carrying Clara, but I’m trying to remind myself only to work when I have the energy and that later on in pregnancy is usually that awesome “honeymoon period” where I feel better and can get more done once the morning sickness passes. I hope you’re a whirlwind of energy in no time!
xo
s
Heather Beals says
Have you heard the newspaper trick? I don’t know who told it to me but it worked well. Use old newspaper and a spray bottle, and just spray down the walls, stick the newspaper to it and spray it more and let it sit. The newspaper keeps the moisture against the wallpaper instead of just dripping down. It makes more of a mess though!
YoungHouseLove says
Never heard of that but it sounds really smart!
xo
s
dana828 says
Man am I glad we didn’t have any wallpaper to remove in our current house! I am hesitant to ever use it just because I don’t ever want to deal with removal.
We are in the midst of installing cork floors throughout our main floor. So far our bedroom is done, and our daughter’s room is almost done. We still have our son’s room, living/dining/kitchen, and all hallways to do, as well as tling the bathrooms and entryway. We HAVE to be done by Christmas! Oh, and we’re doing it all ourselves. For the first time. It’s been a learning process!
Wendy says
Wow. I didn’t know they made intercoms that big. And now you can control your dishwasher and washing machine from your phone…. Isn’t technology wonderful!
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! We’re living in THE FUTURE!
xo
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Jeanne says
Do you have any tips for paint curing time when you are painting your trim? I recently have started painting mine – it’s in the shiny wood stained club, and had to do two coats of primer and at least two coats of paint. This means it’s still tacky and gets scuffed up if I let anything sit against it too soon. Do you find this issue with your trim?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! I wonder if sanding and liquid deglosser before the primer would help with that. When trim is glossy sometimes paint sits on top of it instead of sinking in and grabbing/curing. Maybe try sprinkling baby powder on yours after four full days of drying to try to soak up the extra moisture?
xo
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Diana says
This almost makes me hope we have wallpaper to tear down in our next house because the transformation is incredible! Almost. I’d settle for just painting too.
Katie says
Any plans to paint the dark trim white before the big kitchen remodel and before the baby’s big debut?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that would be the icing on the cake!
xo
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Betsy says
While everyone is weighing in with there own version of “Take Down that Wallpaper!” I might as well add my story. At our first home the professional wallpaper guy arrived to hang paper in our son’s room and new paper in the hall bath. He arrived before I had gotten all of the old paper down. Every time he walked by the door he’d say, “more water, you need more water!” So, a garden sprayer (or garden hose, if you’re desperate!) is definitely the way to go. He also suggested adding dishwasher soap (like Cascade granules) — it makes the water thicker (slimy) and adhere better instead of just running down the wall. Lots of water and patience seem to be key. And sometimes you get real lucky like we did with this house (almost exactly like yours) — on the day we closed I had the “itch” to take down the kitchen paper despite my husband saying, “just wait.” I found a loose corner, started pulling and an entire sheet came down! Entire kitchen was de-papered in 30 minutes — it’s definitely all about the prep, paper and paste.
P.S. Get new cabinets — you’ll never regret it.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that story!
xo
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JennyL says
Oh how I miss peeling wallpaper off walls-NOT.
Marie says
Wow! That’s a lot of hard work. Admire all the energy you have to make your house feels so comfortable and fun!
I’m wondering what your plan is for the garage door leading right into your kitchen? We have a similar set up and not sure how best to “disguise” the door and create an entry of sorts.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to paint that white along with all the dark trim and the pantry door just to lighten that corner up. I think down the line it would be pretty to have a more decorative door (maybe a frosted pantry one?).
xo
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Susan says
Wow, nice work!! And I think you are so smart to opt for a “blank slate” set of goals instead of major redos. I don’t know about anyone else, but it’s a riot to me to look back at my pregnancy-era pinterest boards. Those must have been some MAJOR hormones. :-P
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahah!
xo
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Meredith Jones says
We have new bathroom tile and vanity on our list before baby Jones comes in April. Not too huge of a project, but I’m sure I’ll come up with other before we get started on that nursery!!! :)