It's not going well

So, lest you think I have been really lazy, I really have been working on our bathroom since my last post.  It is just taking THAT long.  Removing the wallpaper in this room was a HUGE, EPIC mistake.  The drywall was so compromised by the moisture trapped behind the paper that it just tore apart no matter how we tried to remove the paper.

It is really really bad.  I also had to use a razor to cut all the caulk away from the edges of the counter and shower tiles, which took forever.

The walls are so bad, that I'm considering not removing the section around the light and just skim coating it so you can't see the line of the wallpaper border.  I managed to clean up the area behind the toilet enough to paint it so we could get our new toilet installed. 

The wall color is a very safe, boring greige..BM Natural Cream.  I just wanted it to look fresh in here, so light and neutral it is.  The Behr paint sample actually covered in one coat, I was impressed.

The toilet is the Kohler Cimarron, it looks really nice and was pretty inexpensive.  Our amazing friend drove all the way from Racine to put it in for us, along with a shiny new faucet that I didn't take a good photo of yet. 
 
Here is a shot of the awful wallpaper before we removed it from behind the mirror.  Thank goodness it wasn't glued onto the wall!

Because of all the damage to the drywall on the walls, we've decided to just leave the popcorn ceilings.  I have no idea what we would do to the ceiling if we try to scrape it, and we are just so over this mess.  I think it might be weird to have a smooth ceiling in just one room of the whole house, too.  My plan is to put some joint compound over the worst of the bare drywall spots tonight, then sand those smooth tomorrow and do a full skim coat over everything afterwards.  Wish me luck!   

Wallpaper Wrap-up

Now that I have taken all the wallpaper off the 'orange room' (and for those that asked, I am not repainting the orange color on the walls) I can finally say that the wallpaper saga is over.  I'd like to take this opportunity to recap all the removals we've been through in our home.....and I thought I'd grade them for 'ease of removal.'  Because wallpaper should always be judged.  And possibly graded harshly. 
Front and back hall

This area did not come off without a fight, but it did come off.  I would say this removal was a C. 

Methods used:

Steamer

Scorer

DIF/Fabric Softener and water

Scraper

Stairway and upstairs hallway

Try not to be distracted by Shaun's sexy apparel.  The stairway was a real pain because the wallpaper went up to the top of the 15 foot ceiling: 

And the paper extended all the way down the upstairs hallway, so that was fun.  I'd give this area a D just for sheer annoyance and the death-defying location.  It came off about the same as the entry. 

Methods used:

Steamer

Scorer

DIF/Fabric Softener and water

Scraper

Dining Room

This paper came off pretty easy, some of it was in larger strips, too.  I would give this removal a solid B because we didn't have to use any steam or sprays.

Methods Used:

Scraper

Box Cutter (for the corners and edges)

Downstairs Bath

This room was a lost cause from the beginning.  The ceiling had layers of I-don't-know-what on it, and the walls had wallpaper in some spots, thick latex paint in others.  We scraped, steamed, scored, and sprayed to no avail.  This room gets an F because we ended up having to do this:

Yeah, wallpaper removal is a big FAIL when you have to re-drywall the entire room.  But we added tall beadboard to the walls, so it all turned out great. 

Methods used:

Every removal method possible 

Art Room

Shaun did all this removal himself, and he gives it a C- due to all the little scraps that came off the walls.  You can see in this photo that it was not coming off the smooth plaster walls easily.  At least it was a small room, so it didn't take that long.  Alas, I'm not quite finished because this still lurks in the small closet:

Even though all the wallpaper isn't off, I still reserve the right to consider myself done with wallpaper.  Who knows when (or if) I will get to this closet!

Methods Used:

DIF spray

Scorer (used minimally)

Scraper

Den/Family Room/Office/Whatever this room is

The paper in this room came off like a dream, as you already heard.  I obviously still have some little pieces to remove, but I would say this is as close to an 'A' removal as it gets. 

Methods Used:

Scraper

Box cutter for edges

To wrap up, here are my wallpaper removal tips:

~ It is best to lay down a tarp or dropcloth before removing the paper, because wet pieces will stick to your floors like you wouldn't believe. Don't skip this step!

~ Evaluate the paper you have.  Some papers are thick and vinyl-like with a paper backing, some are thin and come off in tiny pieces.  Removal methods are different for every type of paper. 

~ Outlets and switches are a great place to get a good tear started to check out how easy removal will be.  It also is a good place to see what the original paper looked like if it has been painted like ours!  Here's a fun strip we found in the orange room:

 

Here, chickie chickie!

~ Use a steamer to loosen the glue, using a scorer can help to get behind the paper, however it also makes it very hard to get large pieces off the wall.  Use it when you absolutely have to! 

~ Sometimes the paper's glue is so dried up you don't need to use any steam or spray, which really saves you from a nasty, sticky mess.  Don't get it wet until you know you need to!

~ We do like DIF, but I have had success with fabric softener and water as well.  

~ As you can see from my list, we used different methods for almost every room.  Play around with the possibilities until you find what works best.

~ Most importantly, wash the walls like IT'S YOUR JOB when you have all the paper off.  We washed all our walls with hot water and a couple drops of dish soap at least twice before attempting to prime, changing out the water often.  If you don't, the glue can make your paint job streaky and go on funny.  Of course, priming helps a lot, but it's still best to make sure you have a nice smooth, glue-free surface. 

Adios, wallpaper!