DIY – The Ocelots' Den

Designing, Building, And Sewing An Affordable Custom Handcrafted Bench

By Julia on 12 August, 2020

Backstory: First Comes Table!

I’ve had a round glass top table in my kitchen since we moved in. My great gram gave it to me when I got my first apartment in college. It had previously been at our cottage as long as I can remember, and before that, it was at grams’ vacation home in Florida. As much as I LOVE this table, it isn’t practical for this space. It didn’t seat enough people but seemed to take up too much space.

I started searching for table options after living in our house for around six months. I know I’m rather particular, and I also try to be thrifty, so the sooner I started looking and honing in on options, the better prepared I could be when I was ready to pull the trigger. I wanted something adjustable so that I could add a leaf or two for holidays, but on the regular a table that seats 6 was ideal. I’m also insanely picky about the apron of tables. When I sit down, I HAVE to be able to cross my legs in all positions. 🤣 It’s perfectly acceptable for a table to be a little on the taller side to accommodate this.

I eventually found a beautiful table at Pier 1, but I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger. It was over $600 😕. So I kept it on the back burner and kept an eye out at my favorite thrift spots for something French Country, English Cottage… but most of those options were equally pricey or just not quite right. Years passed, and last winter, I was ready to pull the trigger on the table from Pier 1 or start the online search again. Hallelujah! They still had the table, and it was on sale for $290! But then it wasn’t available for shipping or pick-up locally. I did some digging and discovered it was in stock in Raleigh, NC, so I placed my order for pick up! (Bonus! I was able to deliver some cookies and cupcakes and have lunch with one of my besties!)

Second Comes the Chairs

Once I had a table, I knew I would need some proper chairs. That wasn’t iron and didn’t snag my clothes. My beloved glass-top table and chairs would live in my gazebo, and possibly come out on the deck should we need it. I casually kept an eye out for chairs. I never seemed to find anything I liked. I didn’t want anything fancy, a simple, sturdy wooden chair that I can clean easily. A local store was going out of business, and it was my lucky day!!! They had four sturdy wooden chairs that were on super-clearance! It was serendipity! The color is a little more yellowed-off-white than I would like, but a coat of paint is a simple fix whenever I get the time or inclination to change it.

With only 4 chairs, I knew I wanted to also have a bench under the window and should I need to sit 10 at the table, I could borrow 2 of my iron chairs. I would have space for 18 for a sit down dinner! Eight in the dining room and ten in the kitchen!

The Bench

Daniel agreed to make a bench that fit the space. I gave him free rein to make it up to a specific width. I just wanted it centered on the window, and I need to be able to open the cupboard next to where the bench would be. True to Daniel’s nature, he was able to turn my vision into a reality and improve upon my conceptual design.

We knew we would need to route the floor vents for the central air through the bench. It would take up some of my storage space, but I think it’s a little more effective at cooling. (We’ll see how I feel about the heat after a winter). He also had the AMAZING idea to run an outlet to the end of the bench. There was an outlet below the center of the window, which is where I plugged in my kitchen robot. With it at the end of the bench, it’s easier to get to, and I see it to use more regularly! It’s also super hand for charging devices while I’m working at the kitchen table having a snack!

There’s plenty of storage for my big bulky items that I don’t use daily (like my air-compressor, airbrushes, and backup crockpot).

Building the Frame
Building the Frame
Building the Frame
Building the Frame
Building the Frame
Adding the Bead Board
Adding the Bead Board
Framing the Beadboard
Cutting Holes for the Vents
Running the Electrical Box
New Outlet!
Purrl’s Inspection of her “new box”
Prime Time (Purrl’s Assault on the Tape)
Prime Time
More Inspections
Fitting the Lids
Fitting the Vents
Moving the Airflow
Sealing the new Duct Work
Finished Storage Space!

Crafting a Custom Cushion

Preparation

Due to the very custom nature of this piece of furniture, Daniel had some choices to make it appear square. The floors aren’t perfectly level, and the walls aren’t perfectly perpendicular to the tile. Long story short, one end of the bench is slightly narrower than the other. Visually it isn’t discernable to me. The bench is just over 88″ wide, so the ends are far enough apart that it’s more important for the other angles to be “squared” off. It works. It’s beautiful.

The down-side of this extremely custom bench is I have to make a custom cushion. Making cushions isn’t a wildly tricky process. Especially square (rectangle) ones, but this is technically an irregular quadrilateral. An additional challenge I hadn’t thought of was the lack of supplies at my local craft stores. They were SOLD OUT of craft foam aside from 5″-thick, and it was only 72″ long so that I would need two pieces cut. It was going to be incredibly expensive. More expensive than I realized. Alas, I started searching online to see if there was something, and my searches resulted in costly cushions.

Since I was back to the drawing board, and looking online, I decided to see if I could buy craft foam online. I was hoping for 88″ and 3″ thick. My good friend Amazon had a spectacular deal on a single piece of 4″ thick foam that would deliver to me in a week. I would have to cut it, but it was much more cost-effective than my local craft store (by 70%).

I started looking at various fabrics and zippers. I wanted to be able to change the cushion cover as well as clean it. I went to my local Jo-Ann’s and found some fabrics I thought were funny (but certainly not approved by Daniel). I found a couple of okay upholstery fabrics, but nothing that resonated with me. The lack of inspiration in stores led me to expand my search online. No dice. It is tough to look at material online.

In preparation for baking my birthday cake, I stopped at Hobby Lobby for a could of supplies. Since I was already there, I decided to take a gander at their fabric section to see what they had available. I felt underwhelmed by anything classified as an upholstery fabric.

Perhaps people aren’t doing DIY upholstery, maybe it is sold out due to COVID-19, or there are better fabric shops to search, but I did happen upon this GLORIOUS fabric!!!!! I didn’t think Daniel would approve of it, but he was off to Deltaville for the week, and it was my birthday week, so I did what I wanted and bought 4 yards of it!!! (I could use it for SO many things. I’m easily convinced). The fabric ended up being a little narrower than I anticipated. I hadn’t calculated the 4″ thickness, only the seam allowances. 😂 I ended up going back to the store for more. 🙄

The last supply I needed to source for this project was an extremely long zipper. I knew the back measurement of the cushion was 88-inches, so I figured I would see what I could find around that size. (Also, I had to consider what was in stock, thanks pandemic). My general rule of thumb is to buy a bigger size rather than a smaller. I can always make a zipper shorter, but Stuffing a giant cushion I didn’t want to skimp on the length.

I was able to find a zipper that was exactly 88″, but it wasn’t going to be delivered for 2-3 weeks. I was pretty bummed and began to accept this fate as our “new normal” but decided to keep searching for a few more minutes, just in case I could find something. I was eager to complete this project.

Low and behold I hit the zipper JACKPOT! Have y’all heard about zipper by the yard? No idea what I’m talking about? I’m about to blow your mind!!! You can literally buy a roll of 10 YARDS of zipper with sliders and pulls! You feed your sliders onto your zipper tape, cut to measure, and voila! You have a custom length zipper!!!!!! (I’m slightly oversimplifying and skipping the sewing steps. You need to sew your own stopper on the end. Reach out on social media or email me with questions, or find a good youtube video).

For those of you that have bought zippers for your sewing projects, you know the cost can add up quickly. My 10 yards of zipper tape came with 25 sliders and pulls. The total cost was also only $1 more than buying the 88″ zipper. Additional bonus, you can thread the sliders on BOTH directions. So you can make bags and luggage-style zipper closures. My mind exploded with excitement! Where were these all my life! Why hadn’t I ever seen them? Who is keeping this secret?! (Clearly not me. I am telling everyone I can about some zippers now. 🤣)

Let the Making Begin!

I was ecstatic to have all of my materials to make my bench. My first step was to cut the foam down to size. Measure twice, cut once. Seriously. This foam cushion was the most expensive part of my purchase. (If I ever have another foam cutting project I will be investing in a hot knife or researching better practices for cutting foam, learn from my mistakes).

I drew my nice straight line and cut with nice SHARP fabric scissors. It was a little jagged. But I decided that would just be the back edge of the cushion. NBD right? Looks pretty good down there! 🤷‍♀️(Stay tuned friends. I made my job more difficult).

I marked my square corner. I can’t turn the cushion because of my cut and the irregularity of the quadrilateral.

With my approximately perfectly cut cushion, it was time to roll out the fabric and start making cuts!! I used the cushion itself as my pattern. I gave myself a 2″ seam allowance. I knew I had excess material, and I wanted lots of wiggle room with this beast.

Roll out the Material!
Purrl Attacks
Purrl Crumples
Purrl Stalks off
Sniff Test
Purrl Admires Her Work

Sewing (especially on such a large scale) is very difficult with a precocious kitty. Purrl had to help with EVERYTHING. Eventually, Purrl had to be placed in her en suite, so I could get my measuring and cutting completed. I cut two pieces the size of the top (plus that 2″ seam allowance).

For the sides, I wanted as few seams as possible. So I made one long piece that wrapped from short end around the front and to the other short end. Then I cut a strip for the backside of the cushion but included a more generous seam allowance because I needed to split it to insert the zipper.

With my zipper piece sewn into place, I had all of my elements prepared to assemble the actual cushion cover! Purrl was ready too.

Purrl was desperate to help with this project. I laid out my material once more on my cushion. It was cut with a couple generous inches of inseam. I knew I would need to line up the top and bottom pieces as well as the front and back lengths. (As we all know by now, I have a LOT of irregular quadrilaterals to contend with).

Typically, when sewing a simple cushion cover, the top and bottom pieces are EXACTLY the same size. They are also relatively symmetrical. So the top piece and the bottom piece of fabric are interchangeable. The largest perk of having a even lengths on your corresponding sides (matching lengths, widths, and height) is it mean you can pin everything in place with the fabric inside out. Stitch your new perfectly snug seams, and then you have a perfect fitting cushion.

I made adjustments as I went, but used this same principle to get the job done. After all, I probably only have one guest who regularly comes to my house that sews, and she isn’t going to judge me harshly for this!

I finished sewing the top piece to the sides and decided it was time to call it a night. Purrl, on the other hand, was rather proud of her accomplishment and had to reign queen of the cushion.

The next morning I got up ready to attack the day and finish off my cushion. I had planned meticulously. It was a little harder than I imagined to place the last puzzle piece, due to all of the irregularities. My square corner would move when I flipped the material inside out to pin everything in place. Finally I decided, the best is the enemy of the good. I would proceed as I originally intended and hope for the best.

I flipped the fabric inside out and placed the last piece of material over the cushion pinning everything in place. I was cautious to keep straight lines on my cut edge and not to stick the pins through the cushion itself. Once the pinning was complete, I carefully unzipped and removed the cushion from the cover. My full-length zipper worked like a charm!!!! (I literally did a happy dance around the kitchen).

Finally, it was time to stitch the remaining seam! I was about 5-inches from finishing when my bobbin ran out of thread. I took a gander at my spool, and it was running on fumes. I tried to split the difference as best I could and hoped it would be enough thread to complete the job. PTL (praise the Lord) it was enough! I didn’t want to make an emergency run to the craft store if I didn’t need to.

Finishing Touches

The last step was to stuff the cushion back in the slipcover! I checked the fit, and for any places, the seams weren’t holding or if I had misaligned the material in the sewing process. There was one small spot (about an inch wide) near a corner I busted out a needle and my remaining thread to sew by hand. I knew I didn’t have any more bobbin thread, and in the interest of time and effort, I figured my hand stitches wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone else in such a small space on such a LARGE project.

I am in LOVE with this bright, floral, and preppy print in my kitchen. I was concerned it might be too pink and too feminine for the rest of the dwellers in the house, or that I might not love it as much on the GIANT scale. I am so glad I took the risk!

It feels fantastic to have this project COMPLETED!!! Purrl is obviously over the moon about it too. She loves anywhere cozy to sit. In the last year, she (me) has gotten fancy chairs in the parlor to snuggle in when I play the piano, houndstooth chairs, and a stool in my craft office where she likes to nap and keep my company when I’m working at my computer, and now this super cozy bench. Clearly, all of these things are JUST for Purrl. She does look particularly posh, preppy, and happy in all of “her” new spaces.

Handmade

Mad for Plaid: How to Turn Stripes into Plaid

By Julia on 21 November, 2018

I’m a little obsessed with plaid. I wanted to make a sweet baby blanket in a plaid pattern for one of my colleagues. I started by knitting some block stripes in garter stitch. It knit up pretty quickly and I finished the blanket as a whole in 6 days. I started it in February!

Next, I began to weave on the bias through the purl loops. This was a tedious process, but the effect of weaving made my heart pitter-patter. I used an embroidery needle to do it.

Amid my weaving, I sliced my poor pinky finger and needed some stitches. The stitches kept getting caught on the fiber, so I knew it was time to take a break. I had to wait for my injury to heal before I continued.

One month and one week passed, and I FINALLY finished weaving the plaid on March 25th.

Next, I had a little bit of a hitch. Weaving the blanket on the bias stretched the fabric into a weird diamond shape. I assumed blocking it would resolve my issues. Alas, I wasn’t correct. I wanted it blocked and a pretty rectangle before I wove in my ends and knit the border. It took months of pulling the project out and trying again and again to fix the problem.

The baby had been born, and It seemed too late to give a new baby gift. So, I held onto the blanket embarrassed by my little catastrophe. One evening, a couple of weeks ago, we were having a team cocktail hour at a local brewery, and one of my colleague’s wives and I were chatting and she mentioned how much she loves knitting. I told her my silly story about this blanket that I just couldn’t get to turn into a rectangle. We had a laugh about it, but she was also about 7 months pregnant. I knew immediately, this blanket was meant for her and her little girl. 🥰 As a knitter, I knew she would find beauty in the imperfection, and I wouldn’t be ashamed of the beautiful gift. I knew the knit and woven plaid would be in a home that understood the knitting and crafting process.

Baked Goods | Cake | Holiday | Wedding | Weddings

An Unconventional Wedding Cake

By Julia on 21 August, 2018

My oldest brother got married this month! My wedding present to him and his bride was to help plan the wedding and to make the wedding cake. I know how stressful weddings can be, and I thought it was an excellent opportunity for me to get to know my SIL. I live 700 miles from where we grew up, and I have limited vacation days, so I try to maximize whatever time I have at home.

I knew the wedding would be a significant commitment, but it’s my big brother, and he asked me to be his “best man.” There is no way I could imagine refusing such a kind gesture and the loving inclusion on their special day.

The cake flavors were a simple choice. The couple quickly agreed on Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting. All that remained was to come up with the design. They both had their hearts set on having a Deadpool cake. I was a bit confused at first, but then they explained their love story and the significance of Deadpool.

My initial thought when I heard “Deadpool cake” was a Deadpool cartoon face round cake, with loads of red and black frosting. I try to be pretty open with design ideas, but I wanted to steer them towards something a little more traditional, with the fun and significant element of Deadpool. They had already chosen flowers and wedding colors. Gerbera daisies, and Orange, Purple, and Green.

I made the bouquets and boutonnieres. The mini bouquets were for my nieces. With flowers that represent their names and a few were mimicked in the bridal bouquet.

I couldn’t wrap my brain around how to fit this comic-book character into this romantic theme. Also, I know my brother, I hadn’t seen him with my SIL yet, but I could see him lovingly smashing the cake in her face. Red and black frosting stain my hands when I bake with them. I can’t imagine the damage they would inflict on a wedding dress.

So, as I like to do, I did more research. I watched the movies because I hadn’t seen them yet. I hoped that something in them would inspire me so their wedding cake would succinctly represent them as a couple AND look beautiful amidst the flowers and other decorations for the wedding.

I am so glad I watched the movies because the thing about Deadpool is, he can’t die. (I’m sure that’s obvious to any hardcore comic fans. He wasn’t a character I was exposed to until this month). So, I had the idea to have the cake drop on top of him and squish him! Then I was off to the races!

The bloody version was just for a dramatic effect. I didn’t intend on making a bloody wedding cake. *(But I would if they wanted it)*

I drew some mock-ups and sent them to my SIL for approval and got to baking. I wanted to do a test run of the cake and see how long it would take me to bake, frost, and decorate because I would be flying to Michigan from Virginia. I made a test cake for my BIL’s birthday because he also loves comic book characters.

I molded Deadpool, an “L” and some Gerbera Daisies out of modeling chocolate. For the real cake we were thinking about a cake topper that was M <3 S. (I typically put the woman’s initial first, but I didn’t want it to read S&M and give any mixed messages) I dusted some of the elements with luster dust for dimension and sheen. I piped all of the details, and I was incredibly proud of my effort.

My least favorite part of baking is cake delivery. It is terrifying. It makes me anxious. There are so many things that can go wrong after putting so much effort into the delicious artwork. More often than not, I have someone drive with me, and I hold the cakes. Or I drive and have someone hold the cakes.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t an option on this day. So I packed my car up to drive 8 miles. I made it the whole way there. I am sure I annoyed all of those around me because I was driving so slowly, taking corners like a little old lady and accelerating at a painstakingly slow pace. Then, because I lost my mind, I decided to pull into the driveway. HUGE mistake. I heard the cake topple right on over, and I cried.

For the wedding, I knew I wouldn’t be traveling with the cake. I would bake and decorate it at my sister’s house where the reception was held, but still, I felt defeated and embarrassed.

Fortunately, because Deadpool is the anti-hero, he survived the debacle. Also, my in-laws are the greatest and still devoured the cake.

I did some research and decided with my tight timeline flying in the night before the wedding; it was best if I brought the cake, frosting, and modeling chocolate to assemble on site. I looked at the TSA regulations and packed it up in my cooler as my carry on. It was the perfect solution, especially since after delays we didn’t get into town until well after midnight.

The cake traveled really well in it’s cooler along with the buttercream and candy clay. There were a lot of tasks to accomplish to prepare for the festivities as soon as the day began. I took a trip to the store for some last-minute charcuterie items. (I was obsessed with finding fresh figs). I tried my hardest to coordinate the fruits and veggies with the wedding colors. We sliced, chopped, and prepared everything while other helpers set up the flowers and other decorations and drink stations outside.

My sister spent a lot of time before my arrival, setting up lights and arranging her gardens to have space for a dance floor and the DJ. Everything was happening in whirlwind succession.

I crumb-coated the cake and gave it it’s polished finish before adding the other details. At this point, my brother liked the cake simple. So I stopped. Why spend more time on it if the groom is happy. We still had a lot of other tasks to accomplish, and the ceremony was 30 minutes from the reception.

I wish I would have gotten better photos of the cake. The ceremony was at sunset, and the reception was in the evening, so it was too dark, plus, at that point I had shifted my mindset into my Best Man role, and I was focused on my speech and spending time with my nieces and nephew (and the bride and groom).

My best man’s speech was a hit! Look at the applause!

Home Improvements | Updates

The Unfinished Project Continues

By Julia on 4 March, 2018

I’m so excited! Wayfair to the rescue! I have been searching for hardware for MONTHS trying to find the perfect antique gold door and drawer pulls.

I haven’t finished painting the other doors in the kitchen yet. To read the original progress check out this link. The pollen and petals are too much outside right now, so I will have to patiently wait through this season. I feel like I made HUGE progress without breaking the bank. I knew with the 40 pulls I couldn’t choose hardware that was over $5 per piece. (31 cabinet doors in the kitchen, plus 5 drawers). I ended up splurging and getting 4 extras for the laundry room to match.

These guys were sold in 10 packs and as individuals for about $1.60 each. I was pleased as punch!

Daniel did have to make some adjustments. The screw that goes through the door wasn’t the right length, so he got some extras and cut them to size. (Thank you , thank you, thank you!)

Home Improvements

The Unfinished Project

By Julia on 1 September, 2017

In July, Daniel started my stairwell and hallway project for me. I decided to thank him by starting the project of refinishing all of my kitchen cabinets!!! One of us was not very pleased with this when they came home from work! Oops!

My initial plan had been to start with one section of cabinets at a time. Minimize the impact of a project in the kitchen and gradually finish the project. So I started with the lower cabinets of what I like to call the coffee bar.

One set finished! Just need to find pulls that I like!

I finished it fairly quickly, and then Daniel convinced me I should just do all of the work at once to get it all over with and in the end, it should be a faster process. This seemed so logical, so of course, I obliged.

First Step: while the doors are hanging, LABEL them. I have heard so many horror stories about people mixing up their doors. If you only have a few, sure not a big deal… I have 35 and at most only 2 are the same size, but they are coordinating sets…Also label the drawers. I would suggest labeling them based on location and perhaps what you store in each cabinet. You could also create a numbered list, but I’d need a cheat sheet to remember the logic for my numbering system and that seemed like more work. A couple of examples are “Spices L” and “Spices R.” Simple and anyone that lives in my house should be able to identify which cabinet that is.

At this point, I realized I should use power tools

Second Step: taking down all of the doors and removing all of the hardware. Use power tools. It will save an immense amount of time. Don’t be like me. I realized my mistake 24 doors into the project, and already had completed 4 of the doors…

Carefully store the hardware. I have 2 hinges and 6 screws for every door. And all of the knobs or pulls (I am not keeping my knobs, which will be donated to my next yard sale, because I am changing to pulls).

Step 3: Sand and Fill and Sand some more. One of the primary reasons I wanted to refinish our cabinets is because of all the scratches, gouges, and dents that have occurred over the years. Yes, they are solid wood cabinets. There was a debate for 2 years about it within our household. I was tired of the horrible imperfections as well as the permanent marker that was in a few places. I also adore white cabinets, and I wanted to have pulls instead of knobs.

This applied to the cabinet doors, the base cabinets and ALL of the trim. I used wood filler to fill the imperfections, but always use thin coats and gradually build as necessary .

Wipe down everything. Perhaps wipe it down a second time. You really don’t want dust mixing into your paint!

Step 4: Prime Time! Unfortunately, my paint spray gun isn’t compatible with oil-based paint/ primer, at least, not the primer that I like to use. The primer also cannot be thinned. Heed the directions. I like to use an oil paintbrush for all of the nooks and crannies and quickly go over it with a foam roller. (If you have a partner, it makes the process go MUCH faster because they can work behind you). Once it is dry, I do a light sanding to smooth the finish. Repeat until you have full coverage.

If you do not properly prime and seal the wood, (especially where you may have sanded through the finish) the tannins of the wood will bleed through and you will have to prime and paint more.

As before, wipe after sanding before painting!

Step 5: Tape off and prepare the surfaces for overspray. When I use a paintbrush alone, I don’t always tape off ahead of time, ESPECIALLY if there is crown molding or chair rail; it’s an easier line to follow. I had already painted the walls in the kitchen, so I used plastic drop cloths to protect them.

Step 6: Spray time! This is certainly my favorite part of the process!!! Actually painting the cabinets. I like to keep it simple with my trim paint and since I want ALL of the trim in my house to be white, I used the same white for my cabinets. Some may say my choice of Behr Premium Pure White in gloss is boring, but I love that I don’t have to color match and it is a beautiful, crisp white. If you prefer a different shade or tone of white, go crazy!

Thin the paint (with water) to the correct viscosity for your paint sprayer (or use a foam roller for smooth surfaces).

Spray thin coats. As soon as you finish, go back to your starting point to look for any drips! Use a clean foam roller for smooth surfaces to tidy up any drips! I like to do 2-3 coats of paint.

As the title of this post implies, this project isn’t finished. I have the base cabinets and all of the trim painted, but the doors are another story. I have them tucked about between different rooms. Eventually, when weather and time permits, I will finish all of the doors. For now, we have open cabinets and several people have remarked that it is “great for entertaining! Guests can see where to find everything!”

I do look forward to the actual finished project.

Home Improvements

Three Down and One to Go!

By Julia on 10 July, 2017

When we moved into our house, we thought there were only three spaces with wallpaper. Our dining room, the half bathroom, and the stairwell/second-floor hallway. I was a bit surprised when I discovered the foyer had wallpaper underneath the paint. (Who does this?!) As of now, there is only one room left with wallpaper, the half bath! (It is also the only room on the first floor that hasn’t had any changes since we moved in).

For my major July project, Daniel started it off for me. I came home after spending some time at the lake with a friend to him ripping down the wallpaper in the stairwell and hallway. I hadn’t really anticipated spending the time on this project now, but once you start ripping it down, there is no turning back.

Daniel quickly tired of pulling the paper down, and I’m “better at it.” So I changed and took over the project.

Some could say this is “nice” wallpaper. Well, I’m sorry friends and family, it’s only “nice” wallpaper if it isn’t peeling, and there aren’t patches of drywall repaired OVER the wallpaper. I’ve also had friends tell me that wallpaper is making a comeback. I’m sure there are pockets where it is. I’m not 100% anti-wallpaper, there is BEAUTIFUL wallpaper in my office, but I’m not taking it down to put any backup. It’s far too much work (especially in 10-20 years when it needs updating)!

Step one, peel off the wallpaper. This part usually goes pretty easy for us. Unfortunately, the backing paper is often left behind. I have used the horrible smelling solution recommended at home improvement stores to no avail. You know what works really well AND smells nice? Warm water and fabric softener. Yup, put it in a spray bottle, and grab a putty scraper. (Disclaimer- I tried this with a friend, and it wasn’t successful with the type of wallpaper in her house).

It is the most satisfying when the paper comes off in complete sheets! I feel victorious! (Even though I’m not painting, I wear paint clothes because the residue/ glue gets messy).

Once all of the backing paper is free from the walls, I wash them with TSP to get any additional residue off, sometimes the putty scraper assists if there is a lot of leftover residues. Once this step is complete and the walls are dry, you can fill any holes, pits, drywall seams, etc. and sand them down. If there is a lot of damage from the wallpaper, go ahead, mud the walls. Don’t second guess yourself; you’ll save time versus filling and sanding three times. (I made this mistake on the lower parts of the walls in my dining room).

Weird bumps in the wall

Once your walls are smooth, it’s time to wash ALL of the dust away. Let it dry, and FINALLY, it’s time to paint!!!

I have used Behr paint for all of my home projects. All of my trim is the gloss, white straight from the can. So far, all of the walls have an eggshell finish. I like the durability and the slightest hint of sheen. This gray is Silver Bullet (N520-2); we used the same light to medium gray in our sunroom. The walls look fresh, and the dingy yellowing shiny striped wallpaper is no more!

I’m always shocked at what a profound difference the time of day has on the color in photos. I was excited when I finished in the evening, but the paint is still wet, and the lighting isn’t optimal. (thank you, warm boob lights) In the daylight, I was entirely pleased with the results. No more peeling wallpaper. No more wallpaper that has been spackled over (the size of the palm of my hand). Just glorious airiness that helps you float up the stairs!

Some additional notes

At this point in our home’s life, I have opted not to paint the trim in the hallway and up the stairs. Eventually, we plan to pull out the carpet and put in hardwood (or manufactured hardwood) flooring. It makes more sense to wait and paint the trim when the carpet is out before the new flooring goes in. (Then I can use my paint spray gun! So much faster, even coats, and a LOT more fun). I did opt to move the transition point, so the stairs are wood grain, and everything level on the second floor is white. The doors will need to come down too to match the crisp white trim. (Straight from the can white. I know everyone chooses their white, but I’m a rebel. And I also think it is a perfectly balanced white that fits all my needs).