My Opinion Monday - Wallpaper

This past week I took on a new project that was just begging, well, screaming my name - wallpaper removal and new paint! I don't live with my boyfriend but I do spend some time at his place and while the rest of the house is wallpaper free, there was one room that had this awful, horrible green flowered designed paper on the walls. Bonus: wallpaper covered outlet covers too!

One night while we were all having some adult beverages (Blue Moon from the keg, my how keg choices change as you get older!) I convinced a few people that it would be fun to tear the wallpaper down. See, you have to tear the top layer off to expose the paper backing so it's easier (in my opinion) to remove later. So that room set with half wallpaper, half wallpaper backing for several months. I finally decided it was time to take it down, you know, since I had nothing else going on. And because his roommates sister would be moving in next week for the summer...

And guess what, removing wallpaper sucked just as bad as I remembered! Why do people go to the trouble of putting up wallpaper when they know that someone else is just going to take it down?? I feel like the hanging process is just as time consuming as the removal process. How about we all just save ourselves at least 4 hours and just paint the damn room! I don't care if it's the most hideous color of yellow or green or purple, at least that takes one coat of tinted primer and one coat of paint to cover! Wallpaper removal is just a bitch. I have a steamer but found that a spray bottle, a boyfriend, and a 6 in scraper was actually the best route. Step 1) have said boyfriend spray the paper; Step 2) remove with 6 inch scraper. I used the steamer for half the room and the new method for the second half - hands down, second method was the best!

But in all seriousness people, STOP PUTTING WALLPAPER ON YOUR WALLS! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT LIKES IT AND UNLESS YOU PLAN TO LIVE THERE FOR 80 YEARS, JUST STOP!

Paper has many other practical uses - write on it, wrap a gift with it, blow your nose with it - but please do NOT put it on a wall, EVER! (Unless it's super awesome and it only goes on ONE wall).

Here are the before and after pics though of the completed removal and paint process. The decorating is not up to me, someone else can do that.

Before	After - Glidden Wood Smoke
This was under the wallpaper - not sure what was happening here....	Be sure to get yourself one of these from your local paint store. This is FREE and has all the colors this line offers!