Bye, Bye Wheat!

The time has finally come.  Something yesterday in me triggered the reality that I could not bear to look at the wheat wallpaper that has so lovingly adorned our home's kitchen walls for years...er...decades...any longer.  It just had to come down.  Surely what was behind it couldn't be any worse!?

There it is.  The lovely wheat pattern up close.  Can you see the texture?

So last night on my way home from work - after doing a little research about the removal process and what supplies I would need - I picked up some wallpaper removing supplies (after a brief stop at IKEA, of course).  My parents recently moved, and found a half used bottle of DIF Wallpaper Stripper Gel Solution, so I just had to purchase a scorer (a small round tool that creates perforations in your wallpaper without damaging the walls so that the solution can get through to the glue), an empty spray bottle so that I wouldn't have to roll on the solution, and a paper scraper (fun to say!).  Oh, and an industrial-size sponge for wiping down the walls as a final step in the process.

The four-step simple removal process goes like this:
1. Start in an inconspicuous location (I did behind a door) by scoring a small section of the wall.  The more you score, the more the solution will soak through the paper and loosen the glue, and the less you will have to scrape.
2. Then, simply spray the scored area and let it soak into the wallpaper for 2-10 minutes.  I waited about five on the first try.
3. Then, using the scraper, start at an edge and begin to slowly loosed the paper until you have a section of paper where you can get your scraper under - then scrape away!
4. Finally, wipe the walls with warm water to remove any remaining residue or solution.

Easy, right?

Well, let's just say I am glad I used my fingers first before opening the scraper which I will be able to return.  As soon as I got to step three and peeled a section, I realized that the whole thing was just peeling right off!

The glue probably weakened over the last century.  ;)  Soon, my kitchen was looking more like this:

Whole sections, from floor to ceiling, ripped right off the wall! I've never gotten such huge results with so little effort in my life. Another plus is that I can save some money by returning the paper scraper!

Anyone want me to send them a piece?  I am sensing some gag-gifts coming on...

(Note to self: wheat wallpaper + hideous vinyl flooring = EW!)

And this is what Rob came home to...

We're almost ready to paint again! Stay tuned for more kitchen reno...

Oh - and here's another shout-out to my iPhone, which came in handy when I realized my camera's battery was dead and I was having way too much fun to wait for it to charge before I continued!