Thanks be to God for the inventor of the wallpaper steamer. I am not kidding. I was at the house tonight (washing cabinets so they can be refinished tomorrow) and decided to try out the steamer I bought the other night. Just a little spot on the wall. . . And alas! I had such great success I kept going!
This corner (see below) was finished in record time. I mean record time. From set up (turning on the steamer)--to stripping off the paper--to clean up (putting it back in the box)--it took me (are you ready??) 30 MINUTES!! Just for a little perspective, a previous corner just like this one took about 90 minutes, sans the steamer. Check out the photo below with the really big pieces of wallpaper that all came off at the same time! I felt very successful. And, it took down both the top and bottom layer together (if you have ever removed wallpaper before, you know what a big deal this is).
This corner (see below) was finished in record time. I mean record time. From set up (turning on the steamer)--to stripping off the paper--to clean up (putting it back in the box)--it took me (are you ready??) 30 MINUTES!! Just for a little perspective, a previous corner just like this one took about 90 minutes, sans the steamer. Check out the photo below with the really big pieces of wallpaper that all came off at the same time! I felt very successful. And, it took down both the top and bottom layer together (if you have ever removed wallpaper before, you know what a big deal this is).
Thanks to all of you who suggested I try this. . . Don the contractor, my mother (who I should listen to more often), Dan Myers (who would have thought), and whomever else I am forgetting. I owe you.
One little note on the steamer though. . . it can be a bit precarious. Ideally (says Don the contractor) this is done with two people; one to steam, the other to follow peeling the paper off. If you do it alone, you must have the steamer in one hand and the scraper in the other. And if the wall is tall, you need to be on a ladder with the steamer in one hand (which, just to remind you, has hot steam coming out of it) and the scraper in the other. And if you're me, you find a wobbly ladder from the scary basement of the house you just bought and figure, how bad can it hurt if I fall down (and get burned by the steam when it crashes down upon me). What makes is more tricky is that one of my quirks in wallpaper removal is to pull off the bigger pieces of paper with some enthusiasm (because it's kind of exciting when the big pieces come off), which can make you fall backwards and if you're on a wobbly ladder, that's just asking for trouble (those of you who know me at all can imagine this and if you're truthful, you're laughing; which is really just mean).
One little note on the steamer though. . . it can be a bit precarious. Ideally (says Don the contractor) this is done with two people; one to steam, the other to follow peeling the paper off. If you do it alone, you must have the steamer in one hand and the scraper in the other. And if the wall is tall, you need to be on a ladder with the steamer in one hand (which, just to remind you, has hot steam coming out of it) and the scraper in the other. And if you're me, you find a wobbly ladder from the scary basement of the house you just bought and figure, how bad can it hurt if I fall down (and get burned by the steam when it crashes down upon me). What makes is more tricky is that one of my quirks in wallpaper removal is to pull off the bigger pieces of paper with some enthusiasm (because it's kind of exciting when the big pieces come off), which can make you fall backwards and if you're on a wobbly ladder, that's just asking for trouble (those of you who know me at all can imagine this and if you're truthful, you're laughing; which is really just mean).
2 comments:
Who told ya? Huh? Yeah! That's right.... :)
Laughing...picturing this...laughing harder!!
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