No Toilet? No Problem!

Digital Image

Digital Image

The night before I arrived to hang wallpaper in this powder room, the handy husband removed the toilet tank. This gave me a whole lot more room to work, and made it a whole lot easier to put the wallpaper on that wall. It also ensured that the paper stuck nice and tight to the wall (which can’t always be done if the installer can’t get his hand back behind a toilet tank).

This geometric Moroccan lantern wallpaper pattern is by Brewster, in the A-Street Prints line, and was bought at below retail price from Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. She is great at helping you find just the perfect paper! Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.

Waiting for Hubby – It’s Good to Have a Back-Up Plan

A few days before the install date, I usually send my clients a “what to expect and how to prepare for your wallpaper installation” e-mail. I must have forgotten this time, because the homeowers were not aware that I need 18″-24″ of space around the wall for my ladder, and that 5’3″, 100 lb me is unable to move that large and heavy bedroom set.

My task for today was to “skim coat” or “float” the textured wall, with a plaster-like substance, which will dry and then be sanded, leaving a perfectly smooth wall, ready for the new wallpaper. Since I couldn’t get over or behind the bed, I smoothed the areas I could reach from my ladder.

When the husband gets home tonight, he will pull the bed away from the wall, so I can reach the entire space. Tomorrow, I will finish floating the wall, get some fans blowing on it to quicken the drying time, sand it, and then prime it.

This back-up plan is going to add at least two hours to my work day tomorrow. But it’s a good option, and it’s a way to get as much done as possible today, lessening the amount of work that’s needed to be done tomorrow.