This week is teacher development week at C’s daycare so the whole family is taking a break for the week. The need for a break has been evident as the two adults inthe family have been taking almost as many naps as the resident toddler. The Great Guy I Married is still recovering from jet lag after 12 action-packed days touring two different African nations. I’m suffering from husband-in-Africa induced exhaustion. The end result is that we’re all more than happy to be at home with all of usual responsibilities on hold for a few days.
One of my goals for this time off is to address one of the great sources of Ugly in the universe, namely the wall-paper in my kitchen. The eat-in dining area of the kitchen has a red and green plaid wall paper in it that is best described as looking like the Ghost of Christmas Blech slimed the walls.
Yep. That’s it. And it’s not just ugly. It’s inexpertly applied as well. So it’s ugly plaid that doesn’t line up.
I guess it must be part of some misguided attempt to make the kitchen look all country-homey-folksy or something because its cousin is this border around the top of the cooking area.
I know you’re just dying to come to a cozy brunch at my house now aren’t you?
But never fear! I have a plan for this kitchen! It involves this arsenal of wall-paper removal tools.
So, by the end of this week, I hope to strip the walls down to their natural, wall-paper-free state so that I can paint them a nice shade of blue. Like this.
See? Blue with the existing cream trim will be soooo much more conducive to sipping coffee quietly while slowly perusing the newspaper and contemplating thoughtful blog posts. Or for chasing a toddler wearing nothing but a diaper as he attempts to hide from me at bathtime. Whichever.
Stay tuned for updates from the War on Ugly all this week! Unless I decide to nap instead.
follow the directions on the blue spray gel. also, fabric softener will take the paper & glue off, too. good luck!
I vote nap. But that’s just me.
I would get all set up to do it – and then nap 🙂
Good luck and I LOVE the blue!
Note of warning: there may be wallpaper under the wallpaper. I discovered that when I removed horrid floral wallpaper from my kitchen. And wallpaper behind stoves and refrigerators? Nearly impossible to remove.
I wish you luck in your quest.
Oh, and I’m partial to blue kitchens cause that’s what mine got painted after the horrid floral wall paper.
The only thing that finally got the hideous wallpaper off our walls was a good steaming. Good Luck! That’s my least favorite job in the universe.
wallpaper? shudder!
Oh! Good luck. I’ve never removed wallpaper, but just putting up a border in my daughter’s nursery was enough to nearly end my marriage.
Also, my kitchen is a dark French blue with white cabinets/appliances and an UGLY cream laminate counter top that I’m going to remove, I swear to god, one of these days.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Have you removed it before? Remember the top design part comes off easily it’s the paper part that was glued that is a B*tch to get off. Good luck! Can’t wait to see it.
That sounds complicated. Aren’t there people you can hire to do that? 🙂
I love the blue!
This is my 2nd house w/ the wallpaper from Hell. Let the war on ugly commence…after a nap.
The only warning you’ve not received is this: not only may there be wallpaper under wallpaper…but the opposite may be true. Be prepared for the wall NOT to have been PRIMED prior to the paper being hung. You’ll know it when the majority of paper can only be removed in tiny shreds. I wince (from experience and pain) to also warn you that it’s almost impossible to remove wall paper from unprimed walls…without damaging the drywall. In which case you develop an intimate relationship w/ a putty knife.
Let’s pray for easy removal…but fore-warned is fore-armed….CHARGE!