All The Wallpaper

I mentioned in Part 2 that there was a loooot of wallpaper under all the brown paneling. Some of it was beautiful, some was awful, and most of it was stuck like concrete, despite being damaged and stained. I thought I’d share some photos of the various papers we found (and painstakingly removed).

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By far the most intact wallpaper was the first one we uncovered, in the bedroom. the background was a blue/grey that was popular in the late 80’s/early 90’s, but I think it was quite a bit older than that. The little pink rose bouquets were adorable. There were large swaths that were pretty clean and in good shape, but also large stains and cracks in the plaster.

lattice and roses wallpaper

Under the lattice wallpaper were two others. A peach with white flowers, and a lighter paper that resembled parchment.

layers of wallpaper in the bedroom

And under the first three, was this interesting leafy print wallpaper. The layer adhered directly to the plaster was by far the worst in each room to remove.

These two papers were found under the painted paneling in the bathroom. The blue geometric was also in the hallway. I”m still unsure whether or not the red plaid was a border, if it covered the entire walls, or only the top half. We knew we needed to tear back to the studs, so we didn’t bother stripping the wallpaper in there.

The dining room ceiling was kind of bizarre. That brown wallpaper was originally peach. Not sure whether the discoloration is from coal heat, nicotine or smoke damage from when the house burned many years ago. The paper underneath was an interesting two-tone coral pattern. The lighter tone was metallic/shimmery.

Dining room ceiling wallpaper, before

This photo shows the same wallpaper as the ceiling, but without the discoloration. Also note what I found when I got out the lacquer thinner to see what was hiding under the old finish on the woodwork.

Dining room wall and cupboard, before

This shabby chic rose wallpaper was by far my favorite in the whole house. It was the first layer in both the front room and dining room. I have said before that I will never, ever use wallpaper in any house I own. But if I ever lost my mind and did wallpaper, it would be something like this.

shabby chic roses wallpaper

This rather strong tartan wallpaper was found in the laundry/mud room. It covered 2-3 other nondescript papers.

loud tartan and thistle wallpaper

This retro farmyard paper was lurking under the paneling in the kitchen. I believe there was a 40’s green print wallpaper under it, but I don’t seem to have saved a photo of that one. The rooster reminds me of a piebird. I would love to know what was hanging on the wall that left it’s mark.

retro farm kitchen wallpaper

This last photo was taken in the front room. the newest layer of wallpaper was painted, so I have no idea what it looked like. Beneath it was a country blue stripe, and the same beautiful shabby chic rose print that we found in the dining room.

The assortment of wallpapers in the house was a fascinating trip through the last 100 years. In another post, I’ll share what we went through to remove it all.
In case you missed them, here are Part 1 and Part 2. And here’s Part 4.