One Room Challenge Week 3 – Hardware and Wallpaper

We’ve done it!! Half way point, woo-hoo!!!!! We had some weather delays early on in this week — unusual for an indoor challenge, I realize — but basically there were several things that needed to be done which required above-freezing temps and no snow on the ground (although the former was actually a requirement, and the latter was just a personal preference;). First, the wallpaper primer needed to go up on the walls, and the label stated the temps needed to be above 50 degrees for application. If I was in a super time crunch, I might have considered skipping the special primer, but I figured we had the couple of days to spare, and also this is new, bare drywall we’re working with, so there was no previous paint or primer on it, and I didn’t want all of my wallpaper adhesive to just suck right up into the walls. So by Monday of this week, we had a sunny and *just barely* 50 degree day so we went for it. It only takes two hours to dry, so I let it sit overnight for good measure and started wallpapering on Tuesday morning. This was my very first attempt at wallpapering, so I called in my super-helper husband to be my extra set of hands, and after a couple of YouTube tutorials earlier in the weekend, we got started.

The first strip went up without much trouble, but the second one we measured and cut without taking into account the pattern repeat, so by the time we lined it up, there was a TON of extra paper on the ceiling side, and not enough to reach to the floor side. Rookie mistake, lesson learned…and in case you find yourself in a similar situation, here are some tips you may find helpful. This is by no means all inclusive, again this was our very first time wallpapering, so I wouldn’t exactly consider myself an expert, just a couple of things I learned along the way.

• Make sure to really visualize exactly where each new strip of paper will go so you can take any windows, corners, wall outlets, etc. into account.
• Hold up the length of wallpaper you’re going to work with next, line it up with your pattern, and make sure it works for that space BEFORE you cut. If we would have done that we could have avoided the big empty space next to the dryer, which I’m sure we’re are going to have a heck of a time matching up.
• Put plenty of adhesive at the edges. We went a little light at the edges trying to keep the glue off our drop cloth, and ended up having to apply extra while it was up on the wall.
• Always use a VERY sharp knife for cutting the edges. With only finishing one wall that day, I still went through two blades. Wallpaper is pretty thick and also sticky, so the blades dull pretty quickly. Using a super sharp blade is going to giving you the cleanest, straightest cut.
• Have an extra set of hands if at all possible. My husband left mid-way through, and it was definitely a little unwieldy to hold up a big floppy piece of wallpaper that was covered in glue and taller than I am. Safe to say I had plenty of adhesive on my clothes by the end.
• Which brings me to my last point, change into “work” clothes beforehand. Both Aaron and I pictured hanging wallpaper to be quite glamorous apparently, because neither one of us changed out of regular clothes before beginning. We remedied that after the second strip went up, but we were already pretty glue-y by then.

And here she is so far, with one wall done, and one half wall to go!!! And I am in LOVE with this paper, it looks absolutely perfect in the space!!! So this weekend we’ll put up the rest of the wallpaper on the washer and dryer wall. But that hopefully won’t take too long since we are practically experts now — plus, the cabinets take up the bottom part of the wall and a tiled back splash will take up another foot or so.

The other major accomplishment this week was installing the hardware. We ordered several different finishes and ultimately ended up with Liberty’s ‘champagne bronze’ pulls and knobs from Home Depot. They read much more brass in person than bronze, and are actually even a softer finish than they appear in these photos. And they were actually a breeze for Aaron to install, which is always a win.

So here is where we stand from last week’s list:

• Install tile and grout
• Build and hang cabinets
• Add doors and drawer fronts
• Hang light fixture
• Add trim pieces, and paint them to match the Ikea Bodbyn color
• Install hardware
• Build/trim/paint a plywood frame to go around the washer and dryer
• Cut the butcher block countertops to size, and make an opening for the sink
• Install the sink and facuet
• Hang wallpaper
• Tile a backsplash above the sink countertop
• Hang planters from the ceiling above the sink countertop
• frame out the windows?
• Install hanging bar for clothes to dry on
• Paint duct work to match wall color
• Purchase a stool or chair for the “work” area
• Hang pocket door and install door jamb/trim
• Install baseboards
• Roll out the rug and admire the finished space;)

So still a TON to do, but I think it is all a bunch of smaller stuff and the big items will soon be out of the way. I’m feeling optimistic!!!

Don’t forget to check out the other guest participants over on the One Room Challenge blog here, and of course the amazing featured participants listed below.

At Home With Ashley | Casey Keasler | Dorsey Designs | The Farmhouse Project | Home Made by Carmona | House of Funk | House of Jade Interiors | House Seven Design | House That Lars Built | Inspired by Charm | Jana Bek | Jessica Brigham | Kelly Golightly | Murphy Deesign | The Pink Pagoda | Sarah Gunn | Sherry Hart Designs | Sugar & Cloth | Veronica Solomon | Vintage Revivals | Media BH&G | TM by ORC