Who Knew a simple bit of wallpapering would lead to so much trouble?
Every time I do DIY, something seems to go wrong.
Mrs. Jim and I decided it was time to turn my office/spare room into the nursery for our little one, who is due towards the end of August. While I was a little upset to be losing my office, it made perfect sense; the closer we get to the due date, the fewer opportunities we'll have to get the room finished.
We moved everything out, prepped the room, and started painting. Everything was going swimmingly until we reached the feature wall.
The Wallpaper Nightmare
We figured that since we’d only wallpapered 12 months ago for the office makeover, we could just wallpaper over the top—using the smooth surface we’d spent days perfecting as a base.
We mixed the paste, cut the first length, and put it on the wall. Within minutes, the moisture from the new paste soaked through to the layer underneath, and the entire run started peeling off. When it fell, it didn't just take the top layer; it pulled down five layers of old paper from previous tenants, right back to the plaster.
To make matters worse, the plaster on the bottom right-hand side had come away from the laths beneath. We weren't just looking at a bit of peeling paper anymore; we were looking at a structural wall repair.
The Fix
After consulting with Mrs. Jim’s folks, we realized we had three options:
- Fill all the holes (a nightmare).
- Rip down the lime plaster and laths and start from scratch (not an option—we’re renting).
- Install plasterboard over the existing surface.
We went with option three. After a crash course via YouTube, we got some boards, secured them with "No More Nails" type adhesive, and drove massively long screws through the boards into the brickwork behind. Mrs. Jim handled the filler while I patched a mysterious hole near the bottom left that previous tenants had simply papered over.
Two weeks of evening work later, we were finally back to the wallpaper. It went surprisingly well—aside from a dodgy, paint-covered plug socket, it looks fantastic. (Note: The photo might look like the paper is misaligned, but that's just a glitch with my gimbal's panorama mode!)
Electrical Adventures
Over the weekend, while Mrs. Jim was away seeing Rammstein in Coventry, I decided to swap out the old, paint-covered light switches and sockets for some shiny new ones.
Given my background as an apprentice electrician, I thought this would be a breeze. Of course, the previous tenants (or their "cowboy" contractors) had other ideas. One socket was held hostage by expanding foam that had molded into the inside of the back box. After a good wrestle, I got it swapped, though I did—as is tradition—put the light switch in upside down.
I’ve still got a few minor gaps to tidy up, but I’ll figure out a way to patch those with some leftover plasterboard or some decorative switch plates.
All that’s left now is to finish off the furniture, shelves, and wall art. Putting up shelves should be easy, right? Well, that’s what I thought about the wallpaper!
