Zero Waste Renovating: Removing Wallpaper

I’m going to start off by saying I. Hate, Wallpaper.

Why someone thought it was a good idea to completely cover your walls with weird textured paper that curls at the end and is an absolute nightmare to remove is beyond me.

This room was also equipped with matching shag carpet as you can see… The 70’s were a crazy time let me tell you.

Below you will find the before pictures and a few I snapped while struggling to get that awful paper off the walls.

There’s no “easy” solution to getting it off your walls aside from some good old fashioned blood sweat and tears…. And some more vinegar, hot water and dawn dish soap for those hard to peel strips.

Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle, SOAK that wall and the edges of the tough paper patches. Let it sit for a couple of minutes (reply to an email and it’ll be ready) grab a small scraper and go to town! Keep repeating until that sloppy mess is all over the floor.

There are solutions you can purchase and kits to help but I’ve tried them all throughout the years (the curse of buying old homes) and the method that works the best, is the most affordable AND is consumption conscious is the method I use above.

I’ve been struggling with the fact that I’ve filled more garbage bags in the past 2 days with wallpaper than I have in the past month with my own personal consumption… But I’m 99% sure this sticky paper will not be accepted as recycling… And it had to go. (Just wait until you see the kitchen)

Below is the after shots. Originally the prior homeowners used this room as a formal dining room. Alas I have no use for a formal dining room along with the casual dining room and a breakfast nook… So this room is becoming a home gym to continue to inspire me to be active.

Zero waste renovating: Painting The Bedroom

Keeping a conscious mind about your waste consumption with all activities, not just the routine ones is crucial in becoming a master at the zero waste lifestyle!

My latest project has been a brand new house! This quaint country home sits on a beautiful acre of land which is going to give me lots of opportunities for sustainable projects!

Paints have come a long way, their odors aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be, no fear of needing to find an alternative sleeping arrangement when giving the bedroom a fresh coat of paint.

Below is the Before shots of my new bedroom.

The cans after they are emptied sadly can’t be recycled since they’re covered in paint, but the paper label on the outside can at least.

Below are the After shots of my new bedroom. In love with the deep purple!! To keep the room from being too dark, I chose to keep the walls that are on an angle white.

I was able to find a paint brush that was made from 100% recycled materials. It was also the easiest paint brush to wash! I highly recommend.

For cleaning the walls before painting, I used a combination of hot water, dawn dish soap and vinegar which cleaned off the dust and grime without much effort at all! For a cloth I cut up an old hoodie that I’m pretty sure I bought when I was 19 years old… It was time to retire the cow hoodie. For its second life it made for a great cloth to avoid having to buy something or using an excess of paper towel.

Stay tuned for the next post. There’s still many rooms to go!