wallpaper.

tomorrow, we are having a painting party at our apartment. so today was cleaning day. you know, the usual pre-paint cleaning... wipping down baseboards, cleaning windows, washing walls, oh and yes, removing wallpaper. whoever invented wallpaper should be shot. really, i dont understand the reasoning behind it... is the point simply to have little patterns on ones wall? now, i might not have such a huge problem with this method of decor if one could either paint over the wallpaper or remove it in some ridiculously easy fashion.

this morning arrived with a buzzing alarm, and the realization that the wallpaper removing could not be put off any longer. i had removed wallpaper before, it is not fun, and i was fully prepared. or so i thought i was fully prepared. initially, i thought that the wallpaper itself was bad, oh but it got so much worse. apparently, certain other previous tenants of my apartment had the same dread of wallpaper removal as i have. rather than facing their fears, they simply decided to wallpaper over the existing paper, or better yet, just painting over the wallpaper! when i say certain other previous tenants, you might think i mean one or 2... maybe even 3 or 4. no, no, we are talking like 10 to 15 of the past tenants. basically every person who has lived there since 1914. interestingly enough, in several places it appeared as though another brave soul wanted to redecorated and so they attempted to remove the paper. it would seem, though, that they didnt have the strength to finish the race, because some places only had 2 or 3 layers, while others, like behind the stove and refrigerator had layers that were nearly an inch thick. lets just say, the wall that was eventually found is not in what you might call, good shape.

what is it with old houses/apartments. i have lived in or frequented several, and every time i encounter one, i run into the same thing. the walls are all wavy. what is that about? does plaster settle over the years, or were the people that laid the plaster just incompetent? i am baffled. oh, and i broke the window. it was getting a little smelly of pinesol and melting glue, so i opened some windows. apparently i dont know my strength, because the frame of one just came off in my hands. again... the issues of living in an old place. really though, it is all worth it.

are you supposed to paint crown molding, or are they supposed to be left matching the baseboards? i thought that it was the latter, but i am not sure... do you know? so i finished the kitchen, but because of the unexpected difficulties i found, the bathroom is untouched. it is so nice to have something so exciting to look forward to doing tomorrow. and... i just discovered that the paint that is currently in my room (which needs to be painted tomorrow) was painted over preexisting wallpaper. i really do wonder what is wrong with people. the question, do i take the time to remove it, or do i just paint over the paint that is over the wallpaper?