Obnoxious title, I know. But I’M DONE!!!!!!
I have officially gone back over every square inch of the walls in my office and removed the ever-so-lovely teeny tiny bits of wallpaper and then gone back over them again with the scrubby side of a sponge, and then gone back over them again with the sponge side of the sponge.
Whew! I’m tired.
If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that “the office” is a major project for me. It is such an awesome room, but I have completely shortchanged it, and my family, by letting it get so cluttered that it couldn’t live up to its potential.
The clutter made it seem pointless to even worry about its decor. First of all, who would notice a pretty paint color if their eyes were bugging out at the piles of stuff? Second, how in the world could I get to the walls without a shovel?
But I’ve been working on it. I have had many a post about this room. I’ve posted pictures of my desk finally clutter-free, but still looking yuck with the half-torn-down wallpaper in the background. I worked and worked to clear it out. I worked and worked (for close to a year) to tear down the wallpaper. I’ve worked and worked for the last two weeks to get the walls prepped for painting, and now, I’m finally ready to paint!!!!
This is huge. Once it’s painted and the stuff is put back in place, it will be FINISHED! I’m really hoping that next week’s Tackle it Tuesday post will show it fully painted!
The end is in sight, and I can’t wait.
So here’s the before:
And here’s the after:
Actually, I think it’s the other way around.
I know, those are the worst before and after (or maybe after and before) pictures you have ever seen. But close your eyes (not really because then you can’t read). Imagine that you are rubbing your hand on the before picture (whichever one that is) and it feels rough. Not like sandpaper, but definitely not smooth. Now rub the after picture, and feel how smooth it is.
There’s the difference. You really can’t see any difference, but it will make a big difference when we paint.
I am very thankful that these walls had paint and texture beneath the wallpaper. Actually beneath BOTH LAYERS of wallpaper. Ultimately, that makes my job so much easier.
Check out other Tackle it Tuesday posts! Susan’s post about her single-girl’s view of laundry made me laugh aloud!
That had to be a HUGE job! Congratulations on completing it! It will be fun to see it painted now.
pk @ Room Remix
I know how big of a job that was! Congrats on finishing!!
Can't wait to see it painted! Have a great day!
Ugh, removing wallpaper is so not fun! I'm sure it will be gorgeous once it's painted and finished though.
I read through most of your posts. I admire your desire to change your life and your honesty in making that happen. A list a day is a great way to stay motivated, especially when you can look back over the previous posts and realize how far you have come! Congratulations!
Removing wallpaper is a royal pain. I've removed at least 6 layers from EVERY room in our home. Please trust me when I say even though you had primer and paint underneath your paper prime again, preferably with latex Kilz. No matter how well you've stripped and cleaned the walls they use a sizing under the wallpaper to make it adhere better and it WILL cause problems with your paint sticking. Ask me how I know! It may seem like alot more work (and it is) but it's minor compared to the probs you'll have if you don't. Sorry to sound like a downer but oterwise great job. I know how much work it is.
Good job! I once helped a friend remove wallpaper from a bedroom…so she could turn it into a nursery. Even the ceiling was papered. After that experience, I decided I never wanted to so much as look at a roll of wallpaper. EVER. I’ll have painted walls or nothing.