Wow! I had forgotten the many fun categories of post I used to write for this blog! One of my favorites is "frank talk." Way too often, people beat around the bush about things like stripping.
You might not believe this, but I'm a woman of a certain age, and I've never stripped before. I've painted, spackled, and even done light carpentry. Never stripped.
But you get to a time in life when everything must go. The old is dingy, and the new beckons. That's when stripping becomes not only preferable, but absolutely necessary.
I spent this whole weekend stripping. It was a rocky experience. I'm a novice, after all! You can't master these techniques overnight.
One of my downfalls was that I watched a ton of YouTube videos about stripping. Every one of them made it look hella easy. That paper was coming off in long, sweet swathes, and all the vloggers were either ruggedly sexy (men) or sassy and blonde (women). Both genders made stripping look like a stroll in the park.
It isn't.
I stripped for four hours on Saturday and three on Sunday. I worked up a sweat both days and got my arms soaking wet on Sunday. The only feedback I got from Mr. J was that perhaps I should try some chemicals from the basement.
Can't say I made much progress towards being a master stripper. However, some stripping was done, and my technique had improved a little bit by 5:00 on Sunday.
At the rate I'm learning, I'll be stripping for quite some time. Anyone who wants to help me, or even keep me company while I'm stripping, is welcome to contact me. As with so much in life, stripping is a lot more fun in the imagination than in real life, and it always looks better when the professionals do it.
Have you ever stripped? If so, can you give me tips?
10 comments:
oh, I thought this post was going to be about taking off your clothes in public.
I am 62 and have never (a) stripped wallpaper or (b) clothes.
I have stripped and it's a job from hell! In fact, if I die having built up some shitty karma, my eternal punishment will stripping :)
I do not use chemicals. Those are pretty nasty. I fill up a bucket of very hot water (as hot as I can stand it), add vinegar (my mix is at least 50%water and 50% vinegar; you probably don't need that much but I want to get the job done as quickly as possible) and apply that to the walls with a sponge (you can also spray it on). I let it sit for a few minutes and then strip. Oh, and I also score the wallpaper first before the application. The hot water loosens the glue in the wallpaper and the vinegar helps to dissolve it. It has worked well for me but I guess it all depends on what type of wallpaper and what type of glue!
Well, I think my comment got stripped away by a loss of network connection. But I was just saying that at first I was somewhat confused about the topic of this post. I think I've got it now and the best advice I can give on stripping is to do it quickly and get it over with.
I've only ever wallpapered a (small) wall space once in my life. We laid the new paper right over the old. To hell with stripping! Of course, it was a rental apartment so we didn't care.
Did you use a wallpaper steamer?
(example - http://www.homedepot.com/p/705-128-oz-Wallpaper-Steamer-0282018/204171773)
They make the job a whole lot easier. I think you can rent them from Home Depot, et. al. or maybe an old timey hardware store.
-Pam
Second on the suggestion of a steamer. It's a miracle tool.
A steamer is the way to go. It always helps to have some company, too, because stripping is more fun with an appreciative audience.
I used to paint houses for a living and we did our fair share of stripping. Call me weird but I liked it. Then again, I liked painting windows, too...
You got my attention with the tital
the Ol'Buzzard
spray it down with vinegar and water then take a razor and cut slices thru the wall paper..let me know when you get to furniture..I'm a wizz at that. and there is a product that helps strip the wall paper..and you can also use a iron and hair dryer to melt the glue.I worked in home improvement stores for over 20 years in the paint dept..so I have lots of tricks.
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