It's spring break. The kids are out of school. I've taken a few days off work. It's 70 degrees outside and the sun is shining. I even got a perfect report from my dentist today. What could be better?
Strippable wallpaper - that's what could be better. In fact, that is what this crap was called when I purchased it ten years ago...vinyl coated, strippable wallpaper. I remember vividly because the selection process was one of the most difficult decorating decisions I've ever made. I now know that the term "strippable" actually means that it strips you of all sanity.
I loved this wallpaper. It was simply perfect for a then 39 year-old mother of four who had just returned to Iowa after living for 15 years in the Chicago area. We have a field in our back yard, so the whole vintage farm/country theme seemed just right. Ten years and a few nicks and tears later and it's no longer so appealing. I'm ready for a new look.
I made a to-do list a mile long for my spring 'break.' Stripping this wallpaper was but one of the things on the list. I figured it would take a day to get it down, and a day to paint. Knowing that Murphy's Law always prevails when it comes to home improvement projects, I doubled that estimate. 4 days....totally doable. Never did I imagine that the flipping spit would come off like peeling sunburned skin. After all, I had primed the walls before it went up ten years ago, and I bought the tools and the chemicals that the dude at Home Depot told me I needed. But after 4 hours of work yesterday, and two hours today, I have about 8 square feet of wallpaper and 3 square feet of drywall removed. I'm guessing there is about 200 square feet to go. Which means my original estimate of four days to complete the project was a tad low. My revised estimate: With any luck I'll be finished by the time David graduates from high school in 2011.
This day is too great to waste - I'm going for a walk.....
