Who in the world invented wallpaper?
Every time I bend at the waist or reach above my head this week, I am cursing the creators of wallpaper. Who in the world invented this stuff, anyway?
You see, I spent the better part of last week stripping rolls of dainty, flowery wallpaper border off the top of the walls in nearly every room of the house. I remember when my mom decided she wanted to add the border to each room, and helping her pick out patterns that matched the rest of the décor. What in the world were we thinking back then? You can bet we sure as heck weren’t thinking what a challenge it would be to strip it all off of the walls 20 or 30 years later! If you’ve never tried to remove wallpaper or wallpaper border, you surely haven’t lived. It’s pure torture, and there’s no easy way to accomplish the task.
Before you grab your laptop or tablet or phone and start tapping out an email telling me your tips and tricks for wallpaper removal, let me stop you. You name it, I’ve already tried it. Two different painters swore by one brand of wallpaper stripper that you spray on and let dissolve the glue. I couldn’t find this brand anywhere and was told at the store that they quit selling it or changed the formula. I tried the new formula and another competing brand and can attest to the fact that neither one of them did a darn thing. Spray on hot water, you say? Spritz it with fabric softener? Been there, done that. Still have glue on the walls.
I’ve wanted to get rid of the wallpaper border for years and must say that peeling and pulling a few long strips right off the walls proved to be extremely cathartic for me. Out with the old and in with the new! Then I ran into what must be the superglue of wallpaper glue halfway down the hall. Sigh. I borrowed my cousin’s power steamer, which pumped out so much steam that all of the windows in my house totally fogged. That did loosen the paper and glue, but water continually ran down my arm and the walls, and the infusion of humidity left me sweaty with a head full of frizzy hair. It was, however, great for my complexion.
I’m in the homestretch now with half a hallway, two bedrooms and a bathroom to go. I have a system now involving my little clothes steamer (which removes the glue and doesn’t drip water down my arm) and a plan to use hot water, dish soap and baking soda to remove any leftover glue. That’s DIY expert Bob Vila’s advice from the internet, so we’ll see if it works. I found out that Europeans invented wallpaper way back around 1700. It should have stayed in the 18th century.
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.