Practice what I Preach 2018

​Happy 2018 everyone!
I thought I would start a new Blog this year called "Practice what I Preach" My plan is to learn, implement and complete small projects around the house that I, as a professional Stager have recommended to my clients. Come to think about it, this actually may be my one and only task and blog...lol guess we'll see how it goes.
Ok, so as a decorator I like to experiment and change it up often in my house, (insert- family members roll eyes). I decided my feature foyer wall needed an update and there began my journey.
It's official! Wallpaper is a pain in the &#% to remove! Many of you have had the pleasure of hearing myself or another professional stager suggest removing wallpaper before selling. Yikes! Easier said than done- admitted:)
Actually, the paper came off relatively easy with a little steam, maybe 10 minutes tops, and all in big sheets with very little scraps left behind. So whats so difficult you say? It's all that sticky, yellowed glue left behind on the wall that's the problem! You absolutely need to prepare the wall properly again before you paint ( which is my plan) but maybe not so much if you are doing a textured treatment or more wallpaper...
Thank you Google...hot water and a splash of dish soap. It works but you have to keep rinsing the water and going over the spots to loosen and wipe away the glue residue. I used a two sided sponge, one side smooth, the other, abrasive. Time consuming yes, but worth the result and money saved doing it myself, right.
Hmmm...my arm hurts, I need to research another way, something faster that requires less elbow grease.
YES! Drywall Knife, too bad it took me an hour to figure that one out...duh. Anyway, I continued to wipe the wall to soften the residue and presto! In no time at all the walls looked perfectly smooth and clean for a fresh coat of paint- not so bad after all!
The moral of my story is...
1. wallpaper is no fun to remove 
2. lots of coffee and wine may be consumed
3. could always hire a pro
4. a potential buyer knows how "un-fun" it is too, so if you have old dated or damaged wallpaper REMOVE IT - it will pay off!

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