Category: ‘W’ for Wallpaper

Stripping Wallpaper in the Bathroom

I wanted to do a little refresh of the bathroom on the first floor. The shower is fine. The antique console sink with separate hot and cold taps, paired with an antique toilet complete with wooden tank? Sure, stay as you are! The plan was to put up some new wallpaper, change out the lights, and do a fresh coat of paint on everything. Coming up with the plan was easy! Executing it has not been fun.

Why Not Just Paper Over the Old Wallpaper?

The bathroom gets pretty steamy during showers, so I had concerns about the longevity of wallpapering over the existing paper’s slick surface. I’ve removed wallpaper before — in this very house even — and while I knew it would take some time, I truly did not think it would be all that bad. I spent at least 40 hours stripping the old wallpaper! Ridiculous. The wallpaper had been applied directly to unpainted drywall and bare patched spots, so it came off in teeny tiny pieces (sometimes taking the drywall’s paper backing with it and softening the mudded areas).

As I shared the process in real time in Instagram Stories, people reached out to ask why I didn’t just drywall over it all once I realized how bad the job would be. I suspect the wall with the medicine cabinet actually is a layer of drywall over the original plaster. But why not do it over the existing paper? Putting up new drywall, taping, and mudding would take nearly as much time and effort while losing some of the depth of the room and trim profile. There may be a slight benefit of time saved, but at the expense of architectural details. So I continued on with the tedious job of stripping the wallpaper as neatly as I could.

Wallpaper Removal Methods

I tried scoring. Steaming. Soaking. Applying DIF wallpaper remover (with no noticeable difference between the liquid concentrate and the gel version, and no improvement over very hot water from a good spray bottle). There was no magic solution to make it go faster, though the wallpaper scoring tool did make the biggest difference. I tried a wallpaper removing tool, but preferred a small putty knife.

I did the work in batches. Three hours here, four hours there. There were a few long days too, but I learned my lesson early on when I kept pressing and did 12 hours of scraping and then couldn’t sleep because my shoulder hurt too much. I’m not as good at scraping with my non-dominant hand, so most of the work was all repetitive motion with the same arm.

I did finally get a scaffold after trying to reach various parts of the wall 10′ up with A-frame and multi-position ladders. I’m nervous about heights, so being four feet up is a stupid big deal to me. Any clanking noise or slight feeling of movement startled me! A truly unenjoyable experience all around.

Repairing the Walls and Preparing to Wallpaper Again

The job is done! Well, the wallpaper removal part is. Now I need to repair the damage left behind and get the walls in shape for new wallpaper to come. I’ll start by scrubbing the walls with DIF (vinegar is good too, but I already have the DIF on hand) to clean off any glue residue left behind. I’ll let it dry and then put a coat of Gardz on the walls before making my repairs (there will be many). So much Durabond to apply! I don’t think I’ll need to do a full skim coat though, just fill in areas here and there. Then it will be time to sand smooth and spot-prime with Gardz again. Following that up with Shieldz to prime for the new wallpaper.

Priming for Wallpaper

Why does one need to use wallpaper primer? One, it is opaque and will even out the wall color so no splotchiness shows through my new paper. Two, it gives you a little more wiggle room to slide the wallpaper into place before it dries. And three, it makes for easier future removal. I’m putting intertwined snakes up (Schumacher Giove wallpaper in ruby/garnet) — I imagine future homeowners may want to make a change at some point.

Prep Work and Painting the Rest of the Bathroom

All of that work so far and to come was just for the top half of the walls! The lower half of our bathroom has headboard wainscoting. I like it and want to keep it, so I’ll give it a light sanding, clean it, and paint it. One coat? Who am I kidding, I know it will be two.

The window, medicine cabinet, and doorway will all be sanded, cleaned, primed, and painted the same color and finish as the beadboard. Two or three coats on everything. The door will be done too, but in black, and the ceiling to match the woodwork in a flat finish. The ceiling needs some repair attention too — it was patched when we had to rip it open to repair leaking pipes in the bathroom above. I like a flat look on the ceiling, so I’ll be using Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa paint in a matte finish.

A lot of work and I’m only halfway done, if that. But continuing on! It will be worth it in the end.

January 11, 2021
One Room Challenge: Week 6 (So Close!)

Normally we’d be at the end of the One Room Challenge, but we have all been granted a one-week extension for the first time in ORC history. Unforeseen circumstances derailed many participants but we’re all moving along toward final reveals next week, and I have to say, the extra time has been nice!

I spent yesterday putting up the wallpaper. Had the deadline been here I would have started sooner, pulling a few late nights and not seeing my family until I came up for air. Instead, I could work at a normal pace and stop at 5:00. Novel concept! I don’t want to pull the camera back too much and give it away (next week, next week!), but it’s all looking so good together.

Pink trim won out over green (or plum, charcoal, or black). I didn’t tally exact votes, but I pretty sure green won as far as numbers go. I was indecisive at first, but I feel strongly now that it wasn’t the right call for this space. The trim is not nice or special. The window is, and the new wallpaper is. The trim just needed to complement it, and the color my Nix sensor pulled from the background (Brandy Cream, Benjamin Moore) was perfect.

I had never worked with paste-the-wall type of wallpaper before. I watched Milton & King’s Installation Video before starting, and then just dove in. I started with the hardest wall first, the peaked window wall, because that’s the one you see from the doorway and I wanted the pattern centered on it.

It was easier to work with dry wallpaper in some ways, but not all. Traditional wallpaper needs to be booked, which means you apply paste and then gently fold the paper in on itself so the glue doesn’t dry while the moisture causes the paper to expand slightly. After about 10 minutes, you would hang that strip. A seasoned installer is able to speed up the process by booking one sheet while hanging another, so there’s no waiting time in between. I am not seasoned. When I do it, I do it a strip at a time and I move slowly.

Working with paste-the-wall wallpaper meant that I could skip that 10-minute waiting time for each strip, so it was definitely faster. It was less messy too, as I didn’t have to have a big wallpapering table (which gets covered with glue overage). The process of matching up patterns and trimming is the same, so there’s no winner one way or the other there. The only thing I found more difficult was in working with the dry paper, it wanted to roll up as I was applying it to the wall — especially as I got further into the roll. I also found that I had to be careful not to crease it. Traditional wallpaper softens up as the glue absorbs in the booking process, so it’s more floppy and pliable. Dry wallpaper isn’t, obviously.

I love the pattern, and it looks as wonderful as I’d hoped it would. The rainbow room is halfway done, and I should be able to finish in one more day. I also have to swap out two light fixtures and hang art in the office before I can call this ORC done. The furniture is all in place, save for the bookshelves (because they’re going in front of the wallpaper).

Oh, and I might move the sconces down a bit too. They’re hung at a perfectly normal height, but they look too high to me because of the room’s angles. Six inches lower or so ought to do the trick. It would be easy enough to make that change since they’re plug-ins.

But then all that’s left is tidying and styling. The fun stuff! And photographing, of course. And writing about it. Whew, OK, maybe I need to get more of a move on than I thought. One more week!

Follow along with the One Room Challenge participants!

• Boxwood Avenue • Coco & Jack • Design Manifest • Dwell with Dignity • The House That Lars Built • Little Green Notebook • The Makerista • Making it Lovely • Old Brand New • Old Home Love • The Painted House • Megan Pflug Designs • Pink Pagoda • Erica Reitman • Sacramento Street • Simply Grove • Jill Sorensen • Sugar & Cloth • Vintage Rug Shop • Waiting on Martha • Media Partner House Beautiful • TM by ORC

My One Room Challenge Posts

Follow along from the beginning!
• Week 1: Hello, Office • Week 2: Design and Layout • Week 3: It’s Curtains • Week 4: Putting it Together• Week 5: What Trim Color?

And check out my previous One Room Challenges!
• Spring ’16: Our Bedroom and Den • Fall ’16: Front and Back Entry, Stairs, and Hallways

November 8, 2017
Lovely Small Scale Wallpapers

I’m 90% sure that I’m just going to repaint the attic bedroom. Maybe someday when I have less pressing projects and I feel like skimcoating — you know, for funsies — I’ll give it a go and then I can wallpaper. I had only intended to do a quick update of the room right now though, and I should probably stick to that. Paint, refinish a pair of vintage nighstands, swap out the curtains for something a little more special, and call it a day.

But *if* I were to wallpaper, these would be the contenders. Small scale patterns that are not precisely geometric, with either some movement or a hand-drawn look. I tend to like this style in general, but they are especially good for rooms with funny angles like ours (and like those in many old houses).

Stroheim Edie Wallpaper

[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
Farrow & Ball, Polka Square Wallpaper

[one_fourth][/one_fourth][one_fourth][/one_fourth][one_fourth][/one_fourth][one_fourth_last][/one_fourth_last]

Sister Parish Wallpaper (patterns: Petite Skukusa, Burmese, Tucker, and Desmond)

[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
Hygge & West, Knots (design: Emily Henderson)

Juju Papers, Sisters of the Sun

[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
Paper Mills, Nani Wallpaper • Cavern Home, I See You Wallpaper

Relativity Textiles, Peacock Wallpaper

June 23, 2017
Ladies to Grace Your Walls

Architectural Digest recently featured Maison C’s Coven wallpaper in Karen Elson’s home, and I was smitten.

(Also, do watch the video tour calling out some of the details of Elson’s home! You’ll love the kitchen.)

Maison C is a new wallpaper line, founded by two women: artist Costanza Theodoli-Braschi, and interior designer Chiara de Rege. There are five patterns in the collection, each available in several colorways, and the line is available through four showrooms. Coven is by far my favorite.

It’s ideal for a bathroom, dressing room, or closet. Fun in a bedroom, too.

I’m sometimes worried that my design choices may scandalize my kids, but I love this so much (and the nudity is pretty tame, not overtly sexual). That single sock! The pattern repetition and scale! Oh, it’s wonderful.

Images: Architectural Digest • Maison C • Liz Goldwyn (@goldilocksg) • Maison C (@maison_c_wallpaper)

June 1, 2017
Three Easy Wallpaper Projects

This post is sponsored by Lowe’s.

I flew out to New York a couple of weeks ago to film a segment at the Meredith studio for Better TV. (I went to six cities over the course of a month while in my third trimester, so I’m glad to be done with traveling for a while!) I shared a few wallpaper project ideas for the video below — ways to use it besides on your walls — using the allen + roth line from Lowe’s.

Decoupaged Letters

We spelled out “LOVE” to give the basic idea in the video above, but I think it’s the kind of project that would be great for personalizing a nursery or kid’s room (either with their name spelled out in full, or just their first initial).

Materials Needed: metallic brocade wallpaper • water and a small brush (to activate paste) • scissors • craft letters

Instructions: Place a letter face down on your wallpaper, trace the shape, cut it out, and set aside. Next, begin covering the sides of your letter — a little water will activate the glue on the paper’s backing. (If using paper that isn’t prepasted, Mod Podge works well for this project.) Long strips of paper are fine for straight sides, but smaller pieces work well for curves. After all of the sides have been covered, affix the top piece and smooth into place.

Drawer Liners

Lined drawers are always a nice touch, right? You could use adhesive paper made for drawers of course, but wallpaper comes in so many more colors and patterns. Lined shelves, in a closet or otherwise, are another opportunity for customization. And if the wallpaper has a nonwoven backing like the allen + roth line does, it’s easy to remove if you ever want to change the style.

Materials Needed: striped wallpaper • water and a small brush (to activate paste) • scissors and/or razor blade • metal ruler or other straight edge • drawers or shelves

Instructions: (Pretty sure you can figure this one out without instructions, but here goes!) Cut a piece of wallpaper to the size of your drawer or shelf. Activate the paste on the back of your wallpaper by applying water with a brush, and place the paper in your drawer. Smooth, then trim edges with a razor.

Bookcase Update

We used grasscloth to add texture and change the color of the back of a bookcase, but obviously you can use any style you like, depending on the look you’re going for. And that bookshelf? Truly a quick and easy project. We had actually started with a white bookshelf on set and the grasscloth looked great on the back of it, but it wasn’t reading well on camera. In a very quick, very last minute switcheroo, we swapped out the white bookshelf for a black one instead. I think it took all of 15 minutes from start to finish!

Materials Needed: grasscloth wallpaper • wallpaper paste • razor blade • metal ruler or other straight edge • bookcase

Instructions: Remove the backing from your bookcase if possible. Trace it onto your wallpaper and cut out. If the back of your bookcase can not be removed, measure and cut a piece of wallpaper to size. Activate the paste on your wallpaper by applying water with a brush, and place the paper on the back of your bookcase. Smooth, then trim edges with a razor.

Come Say Hello

Remember, I’ll be at my local Lowe’s this Saturday, offering one-on-one design consultations and doing another fun project with wallpaper that you can make and take with you! RSVP to PublicRelations@Lowes.com to make sure you’ve got a spot.

July 31, 2014
Further Plans for the Bathroom

As opposed to the guess I made a couple of months ago. I got so excited when I heard about the Rifle Paper Co. wallpaper collaboration with Hygge & West that it inspired a design plan for the bathroom, but I’ve tweaked it a bit since then and am happier with the new direction it’s heading in.

Before the complete collection launched, only one design was shown: Rosa, in yellow.. After everything became available last week, I ordered samples of some of my favorites and was somewhat surprised when I liked the Rosa pattern in persimmon best. The color is vivid, but it looks great in the room. The plan on the left is the original, and the one on the right is mostly the same, but with a pink bathtub to complement the blooms in the wallpaper.

Super cute, but that was the problem. A little too cute. I feel like it would have been a great fit in our first house, but here I feel myself pulled in a different design direction. While at the Merchandise Mart yesterday to pick up a gallon of paint, I stopped in several showrooms to look at wallpaper. After trying out some new pattern samples, here’s where I’m at with the design now.

Sources: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11

The paper is Summer Lily in black, white, and bronze from Cole & Son. I had the brass stool from the last house, and I’ve already added the trash can, bathmat, art, and two of those striped hand towels to this bathroom. The hooks were added semi-recently too, so the only things I would still need to change are the color of the bathtub, the light, and the wallpaper.

I painted the pedestal tub in the last house dark grey, and here I think black will be fantastic. The Hicks pendant may wait a bit because I’m going to give the old light from Eleanor’s room a try first. It isn’t bad, and it’s free. The biggest expense will be from the wallpaper, and even that will only be a few hundred dollars since we can hang it ourselves. The cost is worth it for such a big impact.

The bathroom could have waited (truly, it didn’t bother me much), but I feel like this is a good area to take on right now because the finish line is easily within sight. Timing though, may get tricky. The wallpaper has to be ordered, and then I’m leaving soon on a trip. When I get back, I’ll be about six months pregnant and while I hung wallpaper at five months along before, that was back when I was a spry young whippersnapper and I’m not sure if I’ll be physically up to it a month from now. Hopefully, but I only started feeling better recently and it may be a short window.

Anyway, I’m curious about how you like the wallpaper. Do you? It’s got that ugly/pretty thing going on that I tend to like, but I have a feeling a lot of you would prefer the cute Rosa pattern (or something else)!

June 5, 2014