DIY: Removing Panelling and Wallpaper

Flashbacks anyone?

Remember that wood panelling from the 1970's that was in everyone's basement. Well, we've got some here in our house, but not in the basement. There is one wall in my dining room / kitchen that is covered in the panelling. And it's painted (by the previous owners, I swear), the same colour as the rest of walls, but this one is panelled. So where the other walls are smooth plaster this one has a slight woodgrain texture, vertical grooves, and most noticeably, seams between the panels.

We started renovating the dining room and kitchen last year and have been going back and forth on whether to remove the panelling. The big question is "Why is it there in the first place?" I think someone put it in to be a feature wall in the room and it just got painted over at some point. My husband worries that is was used to mask a horror wall of crumbling plaster. To make matters worse, we knew there was (some) wallpaper behind it, they didn't quite cover it all when putting the panelling up behind the bulkhead / curtain valance.



Before - Painted Panelling

So it could be a gamble, should we just paint it like all the others before us? For me, it's been on the list of Stuff That Has To Go for a long time. I crossed my fingers, hoped for the best, and went to work. This is how I tackled the project.

Here's the tools you will need to remove the panelling:

• prybar
• olfa knife
• hammer

1. Use the olfa knife to cut the caulking where the panelling meets, the baseboard, ceiling or other walls, and the seams if necessary.

2. You may not need to do this, but we had to completely remove the baseboards because they were installed on top of the panelling and we wanted the save them.

3. Gently insert the the prybar behind the panels to remove the little nails. For me they were just around the outside so this was really easy. Don't push too hard or you could damage the walls behind.

4. Remove the sheet and throw it in the bin for the dump.

5. Use the hammer to remove any nails, your prybar may work for this as well, depending on what type you have.

Now it's time to tackle the wallpaper. A friend recommended using diluted fabric softener solution and it worked great on the border in the kitchen so I tried it here. This stuff was much more stubborn. I'm pretty certain this wallpaper is 50 years old. To make matters worse, they overlapped the seams requiring a double application. That's when we discovered the second layer of wallpaper under the first. With every step this job got bigger and bigger.

All the layers on the wall. Left to Right - the original plaster walls (in mauve), 1st layer of wallpaper 1950s?, 2nd layer of wallpaper 1960s?, and the painted panelling. The black squiggly lines are globs of panelling glue just to make it a little more challenging.

Supplies for removing wallpaper

• paper tiger
• fabric softener
• bucket
• rag
• sponge
• putty knife
• white vinegar



Paper Tiger at work

1. Use the paper tiger to score the wallpaper. This makes lots of little holes for the water and fabric softener to get behind and start working on that glue. I didn't have one, and really didn't want to run out to the store or delay my project, so I used a sewing tracing wheel, because I already had one. It's a little wheel with lots of little points on a handle for tracing patterns from paper onto fabric. It worked great, but took it's toll on the tool, so if you use it for sewing, get a paper tiger.

2. Dilute the fabric softener. I filled the bucket up halfway with warm water and added a capful.

3. Liberally apply the solution to the wallpaper. Do this in manageable sections. You will need to keep the paper wet, if it starts to dry it gets sticky again so don't try to do the whole wall at once. I found removing each vertical piece, seam to seam, worked well.

4. Keep re-applying the solution to keep it very wet. It should start bubble up a little. After 10-15 minutes and 3-4 applications, it time to start removing.

5. If you are lucky, the entire piece will come off in tact. Use the putty knife as needed. We have hard plaster walls and I did not have to worry about the putty knife doing damage. If you have drywall you will have to be much gentler.



Pull off the entire sheet, if you are lucky. I was generally unlucky.

6. After all the wallpaper was off my walls were still covered in adhesive. Get a clean bucket of fabric softener solution and apply to the walls using a similar method as above. Use the putty knife to scrape off the excess glue. The next step is to mix a 2 water to 1 vinegar ratio in a spray bottle. Spray the wall, let it sit, then sponge off with a bucket of warm soapy water. Finally the walls are clean!

Clean plaster wall at last. Patching and painting still to be done.

After all that work we discovered the walls were in great condition!  There are lots of little holes to patch from the panelling nails and other hardware used to hang pictures and shelves. My husband's nightmare did not come true and now the wall will be the same as all the others, not some weird painted panelling.   The answer to why the panelling was there in the first was is "To cover the wallpaper"!  I found in a few places, on both layers of wallpaper, where someone had started removing and, I am assuming, they gave up because it is work and much easier to just go over top.  I know painting the panelling is a common solution for a quick fix, but if you can, remove it and repair the wall, it's something you won't regret.

And to all of you who are wondering, what is up with the green carpet?  We know.  It's on the List too. 

Kijiji Finds: Harvest Tables

Recently I saw a house with a very large kitchen where the back of the house was bumped out to create an eating area with wall to wall windows on 3 sides.  It was big enough for a table that could seat 12 to 14 people, and I thought, what a great place to put a harvest table.

I headed straight for Kijiji expecting to find some old, vintage tables people were looking to sell.  What I found instead was a great local cottage industry.  Turns out there are several companies who make one of a kind tables from reclaimed wood, hand made and designed by local artisans.  They struck me as pieces of usable art.  I especially love the combination of the rustic tables with a clean, modern or contemporary decor.  The contrast creates a wonderful dynamic.

 

 
The four pictures above are all from Tree Green Team.  I love them all so much I can't decide which one is my favourite.  Solid tree sized pieces of walnut, maple, and ash are used for these tables.  The character of the wood is preserved by sealing with a clear finish, so what you see is the true colour and graining of the wood, no stains here.  All of these tables showcase a "live edge", meaning the edge of the table is actually the edge of the tree, giving it an organic quality.  Many of the bases are metal trestle type, letting the beauty of the wood top be the feature.  Pairing them with mid century teak and wishbone chairs is brilliant.  Here are the Kijiji links:  Top Left & Right; Bottom Left & Right.


  
These 2 tables are made by AG Designs.  The top of the leg comes right up to the top of the table, you can see the end grain and know it is a solid piece of wood.  This is one of my favourite design details.  The table on the left has not be made totally smooth on the top so the weathering this wood has experienced, as part of an old barn I am guessing, shows through.  It is again paired with clean white minimalist chairs.  Kijiji Link

 
Chaos Tables produces beautiful live edge tables as well.  Here are two examples with an apron and 4 wood leg design.  Kijiji Link

 

This table top is made from "wormy maple" by the Great Canadian Table Company.  Kijiji Link

 

 



 Which one is your favourite?

Home Work: The Nursery

Is there a better reason to completely overhaul a space than to make a special place to welcome a new baby? This is the very first room in our home I was able to re-do top to bottom and I was so excited.  There is no before picture but it really was a blank canvas.  It's square, and on the small side, approx. 8' x 9', with off white walls and a builder's style ceiling fixture.

Here is what we selected for the Nursery!  Never did I aim to have a theme for the room, in the end it came together all by itself.  I call it a "Woodlands" theme.  To me, the room feels serene and peaceful.  We knew we were having a boy but wanted to keep it gender neutral, just in case.

And here are the after pictures. 



What theme do you like for nursery decor?

Kijiji Finds: Chairs

I'm a Kijiji hound. I love vintage and I love a bargain. Lately I've been keeping my eye out for new chairs for my dining room.  Here's what I discovered today.



'Loop-back Windsor' Chair has great lines and looks comfy too.  Click here to view ad.

Wood Tub Chair with Woven Cane Sides.  Not crazy about the upholsterey, recover with an Ikat pattern!  And lose the tufted buttons.  Click here to view ad.

Check out these great Ikat fabrics:

       

Left: Batavia Ikat in Citrine by Dwell Studio; Centre Blue Ikat available on Etsy; Right Matisse Ikat from Ballard Designs.

A sleeker version of a traditional rocking chair.  Click here to view ad.

What great finds have you made lately?

You Must Be So Busy

 

That's the other title I was thinking of for this blog. I hear it a lot, whenever I'm out with the kids. I heard it today, even though I was just waiting for an oil change to be done. And I wasn't even that busy. My toddler was behaving himself in the play area and baby girl was snoozing.   Truth is, we're all busy. With family. With work. And don't forget the fun!  That's what this blog is all about. The things that keep us busy, and happy, and in love with life.

Here's what keeps me busy. I have 2 kids. A very active and interested 2 year old boy, and a precious 5 month old girl. I'm working really hard to lose the baby weight, from the 1st and the 2nd. We've been renovating our house, doing most of the work ourselves.  There's also social activities and hobbies to round out our days. Truth is, we love to be busy.

What keeps you busy these days?