"My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or other of us has got to go."

I decided that today was the day I would finally take down the offensive wallpaper in my powder room. I've looked at it for two years now, but was so busy with school, didn't want to take on any projects. I've stripped wallpaper before so I'm not the biggest fan of it, I'll probably never put it up in any house I live it. It's like a way of being mean to a future owner of your house.

Plus, it's grapey. Not that there's anything wrong with grapes, but all over the wall of a powder room? It kind of makes me anxious...

Judge for yourself:



Little did I know that this is in fact some sort of super-duper wallpaper and won't come off in nice strips like other wallpaper that's been steamed, but in fact needs a two-step process, where I steam it, yank off the top layer, and then steam the gluey layer off.

I also decided to do this during a heat wave. It occurs to me that the last time I stripped wallpaper was in July several years ago so I guess I only like doing home fix-its in summer. It was like my own little steam room in the powder room, especially when I stood on the step-stool to get to the top layers and stood up high where all the steam gathered.

Here is the gorgeous after picture:


I know it doesn't look better yet, especially where the builders paint stripped off with the gluey layer of wallpaper exposing the wallboard, but hey, at least it isn't grapes!