1 - Remove wallpaper. Could be easy, could be hard. In our bedroom it took, soap and water and a wallpaper scraper and a lot of time and patience. In the rest of the house all it took was our hands.
2 - Remove glue and paste from walls. This is the worst part of the job. It involves washing down one small area at a time with hot soapy water, scraping the glue off with a wallpaper scraper, repeating the process again, then rinsing with clean water. Tedious and exhausting.
3 - Spackle and sand any holes or problem areas
4 - "Seal" the walls. Because the wallpaper glue and paste does not come off completely (no matter how much you scrape) you have to use a special sealer on the walls. You paint it on and it dries clear. It seals the glue in so that it can't react with the paint and cause it to chip, peel, and flake.
4 - Prime the walls with paint primer
5 - Paint walls the color of your choice. You will need 2 coats
Did I stay 25 step process? I meant 5. It just feels like 25. So, like I said, this was the 2 time I painted 2 of my walls. I started out with a beautiful color called "feather gray." The problem was it didn't really look gray in my living room. Depending on the time of day it looked either blue or lavendar. Not good. So the second time around I took Paul's advice and painted the walls "crested butte." It's a natural color, a member of the gray family, but much more brown. This color didn't turn out like I expected either though. It's much darker than I thought it would be, more brown, and even a little green sometimes. I have to admit it ties in much better than the blue/lavendar did. But it's still not quite what I was expecting. I don't hate it but I don't love it either. And after all the blood, sweat, and tears (literally) that I've put into my walls I wanted to love it. But paint isn't so cheap, at least not to us, not right now. So it is what it is. I'm hoping it will grow on me.
Who knew removing wallpaper would be such a nightmare? Definitely not me.
Who knew choosing a paint color was so difficult? Not me
Who thought owning a home was a good idea? Me
Who wishes right now they were renting? ME!!!!!!!!!!
On the brightside, today I took my first shower in 2 months. It's fixed! The downstairs shower anyways. We also learned that to get a shower working upstairs we're looking at about a $2,000 renovation. Oops, that was a downside. But the truth is we really haven't experienced many upsides of home ownership yet.
I think we bought "The Money Pit"
5 comments:
Summer,
I loved this post (OK, I love all your posts)! But, I loved it because I've felt the same way SO many times- as you know, why didn't we rent? Why do things go wrong? I'm starting to think though that owning any house (besides a brand new dream house) is just like this, and hopefully it will give us a lot of experience for when we own the home we do want to live in for a LONG time. Maybe we can look at these homes as trial runs, we can make mistakes (like wall color, dents in walls from our kids' toys), flooring, yards, etc. now so when it really matters we'll get it right.
That being said, and knowing you and your fabulous eye and style, I'm sure it all looks better than you think, but I wanted you to know, you're not alone!
There is no way you live in the "money pit" it is located here in Sandy, Utah...I live in it. Home ownership is great..a great deal of $, a great deal of work, a great deal of upkeep....and, at times, a great pain in the butt! But it is so great to live somewhere that you make "home" and that your kids have made great memories in. Whenever we talk about moving into something smaller, our girls throw a fit! Our house may not look like much, but it is still "Home".
Hang in there, with your great sense of style I know you will pull it all together! Love you and I miss you and your cute family! :)
I hear ya, Summer! There have been SO many times when I've said, "Now WHY did we buy a home?" It is SO much work and $$$.
Painting walls is funny - it always sounds fun...until you start working on it. It's always a LOT less fun than I think it's gonna be!
Your new paint color sound really nice!
sum. I'm sure it looks fab! I am so glad that you finally got to take a sHoWeR!!!!! 1 plumber: $50. 2nd plumber: $150. Taking a shower: $priceless. : ) hang in there : )
Wow, Summer! That is one big project! I am glad it is finally done! After we painted, I analyzed our walls for weeks and thought of so many mistakes I made, but I eventually got used to it and forgot about it. The color will grow on you... :) Love you and miss you guys!
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