The saga of the guest bathroom continues as the removal of old wallpaper ensues. I started with the small hall that connects the guest bathroom with the soon-to-be office, coat closet, and the main central hall. My first attempt was to use a clothes steamer (it’s all I had!) to essentially create so much moisture in the small hall that the wallpaper began to peel away.
Lucky for me, there were two layers of wallpaper – one definitely more attractive that the other – your personal preference can dictate which is which. My guess is that the green stripe is from the 1950s after the house was renovated and painted in 1940; the flowers are unfortunately from the 80’s. The stripe could just be the paper liner for the other, but it seems a bit too nice to be just a liner.
After the trials of the clothes steamer, my dear friend Julie loaned me her wallpaper steamer which made much more sense. We were able to complete removal in the guest bathroom as well, finding a very striking midnight blue paint underneath.
With the wallpaper gone, we began rewiring the electrical from the over-the-mirror light to the ceiling, to accommodate the new chandelier. That’s the beauty of high ceilings – you can be graced by chandelier lighting while washing your hands.
While one rewired, the other worked to stabilize the finish on the old trim. Much of the paint was flaking off and some of the wood needed filling and sanding. Once that was done, the pine floors and trim could go back in! It has been six months since we had floors in that part of the house and it will be nice to have them back. Mike, the plaster guy, comes next week and we’re that much closer. The toilet, sink, hardware, and lighting have arrived, waiting to be installed. Until next week with another bathroom update.