If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you know that right before my friend, Rachel from Maison de Pax, was coming over to spend the night while she and her hubby were in Boston area I did a little (ahem, big) DIY project. While the Drew was in the shower Friday morning I decided to see if I could tear the wallpaper off our upstairs bathroom walls where Elle had already started the job (she wanted to get me started on the makeover faster than I was progressing, obviously :)). It was the same addicting feeling as peeling a sunburn. I couldn’t stop. Once Drew got out of the shower he got totally into it. Let me remind you what the before was:
You’re going to hate me for this next statement (at least all of you who have spent hours removing wallpaper, like I have, it’s awful!): I had the bathroom almost completely de-wallpapered in 45 minutes without using a single wallpaper remover tool. Having both kids shower and the steam from the shower was all we needed. It was a dream.
As I show you the de-wallpapered bath remember things often get worse looking before they get better.
Of course it looks so unfinished and sad now but it feels good to be one step closer to our goal of making this space more us.
I’m in the process of trying to convince AJ to help me take down those cabinets above the toilet. There is nothing in them that can’t easily fit into the cabinets under the sink.
The next day, after Rachel left, I was trying to get the kids out the door to Drew’s soccer game and told them to use the bathroom downstairs while I was upstairs. I come downstairs and see that Drew thought it would be a good idea to do the same thing we had done upstairs, but to this bathroom. I didn’t intend to do it now but he speed the process up here. So, Saturday, in just a half an hour, all of the Japanese toile (that was cool in a very quirky way) was gone.
There is still significant skim coating to do and I need to get the wallpaper remover for a few very tiny stubborn pieces but this was a hundred times easier of a project than I dreamed.
Our house certainly looks less done than before but we are moving it into more our style. We have the toilet for the half bath sitting in the garage and thought we had a sink, but it’s too large. I’m hoping we can knock out getting a new sink and toilet in here before our Christmas party at the beginning of December but the jury is still out on if it can happen.
Is it weird that I feel sad taking off the wallpaper? It’s because I’m nervous about living in a half done space again, which is the way our last house felt like for oh… the entire time we lived there (no joke). AJ and I have both committed to finishing projects a lot faster here which means I need to get movin’ and groovin’ on my plastering and cleaning up of the walls. And then for the fun part of picking out a vanity or pedestal sink… 🙂
hey girl- If I was there I would be helping you out!! Just take your time and try to enjoy making it the way y’all want it!! Have faith girlfriend! And your kids are so cute!
Thanks, Shawnna! 🙂 I’m so excited to see it all come together!
Sounds like you “hit the jackpot” on wall paper removal. Sometimes that happens and it’s always so nice when it comes down easily. I’ve had some like yours that practically jumps off the wall at you and then I’ve had some where I thought I was going to have to take down the complete wall to get it off… ha ha!
I’ve totally had the same experience as you… and it probably would have been smarter to take the wall down. The amount of time repairing the wall after was NOT worth the effort… and it looked terrible.