Wallpaper- Everything you need to know for easy installation!

Wallpaper- Everything you need to know for easy installation!

Thursday, October 24, 2019

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Can I just start out by saying that when I was younger I told myself, I would NEVER have wallpaper in my house... Ever. And now I have it in TWO ROOMS. I also thought I wasn't crafty and couldn't DIY.... And now I am about halfway through redoing our builder grade home. What can I say... I like to eat my words... Moving on...

So you want to install traditional wallpaper huh... It's not as hard or intimidating as you might think! When I found THIS WALLPAPER from Home Depot I fell in LOVE! (And if you're following along with me and the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE on INSTAGRAM you know how many wallpapers I looked at. hahaha!) But I was so intimidated that it wasn't peel and stick that I scoured the internet looking for something similar or that I liked better... Long story short, I kept coming back to the Home Depot one and so I showed Court, who also really liked it, and it was decided. I was going to install non peel-and-stick wallpaper.

I called the most experienced, expert wallpaperer (Hi Mom!) I know and made sure she could come help me install. Because, INTIMIDATION. She told me all the things that I was going to need and I complied it all here for you along with step-by-steps to help you with a great installation! Ready? Here we gooooooo!!!

Your supply list....

120 or less grit sand paper

Wall Size

brush

roller

tape measurer

scissors

bath tub
towels

square

plastic scraper

razor blade

Washcloth

bucket of mildly soapy water

Wallpaper

opt. corner razor- but this makes any corners soooo much easier.

Prep. First things first, you will need to do a little prep... if you have a textured wall, grab your sandpaper and sand the whole wall you're going to wallpaper. Just enough to knock off any sharp points and peaks. Next, and maybe the most important step.... roll THIS WALL SIZE onto your wall as it if were paint. And get in the sides and corners with a paint brush. It won't take you very long and will save you a TON of time and heart ache when you are applying your wallpaper. wall size is important because it will make it so your paper is easy to move around once it's on your wall. Without it your paper will stick to the wall too easily and it will be a nightmare for you to install so don't skip this step!

Measure. Next measure top to bottom of where you will be wallpapering. You're going to want to measure several places around the room to make sure you are going to cut the paper long enough in all the places.

Cut. If you are papering around an entire room, start in the most inconspicuous or easiest end of the room and go from there. You're going to want to start on one end of the room and wrap continually around the room. If you are just doing one wall, start on the corner farthest away from the entrance to the room. This is so the seems will be least visible as you walk into the room. Take your paper and measure it an inch or two longer than the length you will need and make your first cut! Next, line up the next length of wallpaper on the correct side of the paper. Meaning, when that first paper is up, you want to line up the paper on the side that will come next on your wall. Cut any extreme excess off the top, leaving about an inch or two up top and also an inch or two on the bottom. You basically want to leave a little extra on each end just in case any measurements were off. Then, make that cut. Using a pencil, mark a "T" on the back of the top end of your wallpaper.

Book. Fill up your bathtub, or another long basin, with about 4-5 inchces of water. (If you have kids, make sure you clean out the toys from the night before and rinse out your tub so you don't have any soap residue in the water.) Lay out a few towels on the floor. (I laid them in my bathroom so water wouldn't be dripping through my house.)Take one length of wallpaper at a time and roll it up. Submerge it in the water, and then pull it out from one end ensuring that the entire length gets wet. Take the paper and fold both ends to center (hamburger style), careful not to make any creases in the paper! and then fold the new ends together again. (see photos) Let it sit for a couple minutes (This activates the paste!) and then it's time to get it on the wall! 

Application. This is where you will want to keep your level, razor blade, wash cloth, bucket of soapy water (use a mild dish soap), and plastic scraper available. Unfold your first length of wallpaper, find the "T" and then line the top of the paper up to the top of where you are wallpapering. Use your level to make sure your paper is level and use your washcloth to lightly smooth your paper to the wall. Check with the level often to make sure your paper stays level.

Next, use the plastic scraper to smooth out any air bubbles. Do this by angling the scraper on a diagonal and move towards the sides/top/bottom. This will also move the excess glue to the edges of your paper. Take your washcloth and wipe the excess paste away. Make sure you occasionally rinse out your washcloth so that you aren't just wiping paste everywhere. Using your razor blade and slice away the excess paper from the bottom of the first length of wallpaper. And from the top and bottom of each additional paper. You can use a straight edge to help guide the razor along. We started using a metal square to guide the razor, but switched to use the scraper and it worked just as well. Note: make sure you use a new blade. Cutting will be soooo much easier.

Corners. Corners can be tricky. Unless your corner is perfectly square... You will need to measure from the side of your last wallpaper strip to the corner, in a few places. And then measure into the center of the wallpaper from the side that matches up to the side on the wall a little bit bigger than your biggest wall length. For example. If the biggest measurement from the side of the wallpaper to the corner is 9 1/2" then measure on your wallpaper 9 5/8". Then cut that wallpaper to that size so it will fit that space on your wall. The reason you want to cut that wallpaper is to adjust to any imperfections there may be in your wall and corner. Apply it like everything else. Then take the other part of the sheet you cut and make sure that it is level as you apply. If you have to adjust to imperfections in the wall, then it's ok to over lap your wallpaper a little bit. Just make sure it's lined up before you overlap. If you have a corner razor, then you can get your paper on the wall without cutting first and then use the corner razor to cut right in that corner. Then finish and overlap if necessary to keep the paper level.

Repeat as necessary until you are done! 

NOTE: if you have doors and windows that you have to cut around, then just measure, cut, and apply like normal, but cut the large excess that would be in front of the door/window off once its on the wall so that it's easier to get everything nice and tight. Cut any corners on an diagonal to get it around those corners nice and tight. (See Photo) 

And there you have it! Follow these steps and your wallpaper install will be soooo much easier and look so good! I can't wait to see you projects!! Make sure you tag me on INSTAGRAM so I can see and share!

And don't forget to check out the other designers doing the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE!! I love seeing all the progress!!

Happy wallpapering! xoxo, Sharee

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The 5 Best Paint Tips- you're going to want to know!

The 5 Best Paint Tips- you're going to want to know!

Thursday, October 17, 2019

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Things are moving right along with the loft project!! Have you been taking my polls and taking a guess at what all my packages are over on my Instagram stories??

It's been so fun following along with so many of the designers for the One Room Challenge!!  Click HERE to go check them out and prepare to go down a creativity rabbit hole!

For me, This week was alllll about paint!! Now, I have painted my fair share of rooms... See, this is how it works at my house.... I design a project, Court and I build it, and then, the rest of the job is mine to finish!

Soooo painting a room... not too hard right? it's just paint?? Well, there are a few things that can help your painting go a little faster and look a little better and I compiled five of my best tips that I have learned over the years here for you! Trail and error is a great teacher, right?! hahah! Learn from my mistakes! My 5 best painting tips for you in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1......

1- Tape and plastic. You're not going to want to get paint on your floor, which if you're me then that will inevitably happen! So, little tip for ya, tape the floor first, and then tape the plastic to that tape. It will stick better and have less lift as you're walking on your plasticed (that's definitely a word) floor. See the photos below for that step by step. Also, I like to double up the plastic layers by not unfolding it all the way. That way, you're less likely to put holes in your plastic.

2. Brushes and rollers. For years, I used the big rollers thinking, it's bigger, I'll get done faster.... Then Court blew all my thoughts and beliefs outta the water, one time, by bringing home a weenie roller. We raced painting a wall one time and, HE WON. That tiny little thing beat my big trusty roller.. So, I gave it a try and I'll never go back. Also, get yourself a nice paint brush. I like the Purdy brand, but you can find several good ones at your hardware store. If you go cheap, your paint won't go on as smooth, AND you'll end up with paint brush bristles on your wall. See the video to the side for size reference. Also, grab one of those weenie roller paint trays.

Now, on to the much anticipated painting part! Yay!! 

Dump your paint into your tray, and let's get started!!

NOTE: Make sure that you are not using too much paint on your brush. It used to be that I would get more paint on my brush to try to make the paint go farther before I had to dip it into paint again, and almost everytime, my paint would run and drip and that is a PAIN IN THE BUTT to fix later. So just trust me on that one.

3. Cutting. Grab your brush and cut (fancy paint word for, well, paint) in your corners and along your floor first! Then smooth it out with your roller. When your painting wall features, such as board and batten, then you'll have a lot more to cut. Be aware of how much paint is getting on the boards, and catch any drips with your brush. It will end up looking similar to the photo on the right when you're done. 

4. Rolling, rolling, rolling. I purposely put too much paint on my roll in this video so you can see how goopy it is when that happens. I also got paint all over me because of paint flinging off my roller, hahaha! (I wouldn't suggest trying that at home!) This is a great time to have your kids help, if you have them! Mine LOVE using the rollers! Just make sure you are aware of any paint drips that may happen while you have helpers.

5. Paint runs and drips. Paint and brushes kind of have a mind of their own when it comes to painting corners and crannies. Keep your eyes peeled for any paint sneaking around corners and lingering in corners leaving runs and drips. If you are painting a wall feature such as board and batten, you have to watch all those boards. Keep your brush handy to catch any drips, and it may be a good idea to paint the boards first then the wall and lightly roll your brush on the boards again after you paint your wall to catch any that you miss. If you do get drip and runs, wait for that coat of paint to dry and then sand it down and paint again.

Repeat as many times as you may need to until your areas covered completely.

And that's it! Enjoy your paint project!! 

And until next time, I'll see you over on the 'gram!

Happy painting! xoxo, Sharee

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Paint prep... For Board and Batten... And why you need to do it!

Paint prep... For Board and Batten... And why you need to do it!

Thursday, October 10, 2019

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Oooooh ok, I know, I KNOW! You finally have all your wood up for the board and batten, and you have your paint, rollers, and brush and you want to get it DONE. BUT you know what's more important than the paint? The prep work................ it's also the kind of the worst part. Hahahah! So bear with me as we get the crappy part done so that we can move on to the BEST part!

First things first, here's what you're going to need.....

• Wood fill
• Sandpaper
• hand sander
• Paintable caulk
• caulk gun
• cloths

This is my favorite wood fill and you can get it at Home Depot. Fill all the little nails holes from nailing the boards to the wall. Also fill all the joints where the boards meet. It will look like the picture on the top right before you begin and like the picture on the bottom when you're done. Let the wood fill dry.

Sometimes, walls aren't very square or straight... and lining up the boards isn't going to be perfect. Soooo you'll have to get your sand paper and hand sander and make things are nice and smooth. Anywhere you have boards that aren't lining up correctly, sand it! The photo on the left is showing the uneven boards. When you sand, make sure you pay close attention to the joints where the boards come together.

The better you sand, the better your paint will look when complete. so make sure those joints are nice and smooth! Then take your cloth and wipe everything down really well.

Next, caulk all the gaps! Here is Court's favorite caulk and you can also get this at Home Depot! Cut the tip off your tube, and load it into the gun, Angle the gun on the wood, like the photo on the right and squeeze the trigger until the caulk starts to come out and then apply just enough to cover the gap. (See video below.) After you get your caulk on there, then wipe it off with your finger! (See other video below!) Always have a cloth handy so that you can wipe the excess caulk off. Allow caulk to dry!

           

After you have done all those things THEN you are ready to paint!! Woohoo!!! But wait... Next week is coming all the tips you will need to know to get your paint on and get the best finish ever! 

It's been so fun documenting our loft remodel for the One Room Challenge! You can also find lots of daily home updates on INSTAGRAM. Come hang with me there!

Happy prepping!! And as always, I want to see your projects! 

xoxo, Sharee

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DIY Board and Batten- the easy way.

DIY Board and Batten- the easy way.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

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If you're following along on Instagram, then you know I am participating as a guest in the One Room Challenge. (Click that link to find out more info!) And you also know my brain has been all over the place as we make final plans in our loft! Don't worry though, decisions have been MADE and they are final, I think! Woot!! Decisions are always subject to change.

Board and batten walls have always been a favorite of mine, I love the clean lines, and I feel like they really expand the room making it appear larger. That said, it's a wall feature that is tough for me because the inches and the numbers and the dividing...... ugh.. math....

Well, Court and I have figured out the EASIEST way to do Board and Batten, and that is what I am sharing today!

Stuff you'll need:

1/2" MDF boards

Wood glue

Nail gun

Table saw

Chop saw

Level

#1 PRE-PROJECT TIP...If you have kids have them wash your walls and then give then some boards to doodle on while you cut and attach wood to your wall. That will at least entertain them for a minute. hahah!

Now that they are busy, decide how high you want the top of your board and batten. In our loft
, we did ours 54" up from the floor. You'll want to cut your top MDF into 4" wide strips and attach those to the wall first. As a general note, when you attach each piece of wood, put glue on the back, make sure it's level, and then hold it in place while you use your nail gun to attach it.



After you have the top pieces all on the wall, find the center (left to right) of your wall and mark it, that mark will be the center of the middle vertical piece of your board and batten. From there, divide your wall into equal sections. Where your dividing lines are, that will be the center of each vertical board. We wanted our vertical boards closer together so they ended up being about 13.5" wide from center to center of each board.  You can cut those boards to be as wide as you would like, (usually not bigger than 4") and since we wanted our boards closer together, we cut them 2" wide. To avoid unnecessary gaps in your boards, measure each vertical space individually when you are attaching these to your wall.. Some floors aren't exactly level, and this will save you from a loooot of annoyance when you are filling nail holes later. After you've measured, slap glue on the back and nail them to the wall! Again, make sure your boards are level before you nail them.  Repeat as needed until your board and batten project is complete!

As always, happy DIYing, and send me pictures of your projects because I want to see them! Find me on the 'gram, and come hang out during my daily adventures!

xoxo, Sharee

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DIY Hoop Art

DIY Hoop Art

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

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This hoop art was one of my favorite DIYs to date, so I'm excited to finally get it up here on my blog! It was a huge part of making my girl's room just right and custom for them!

So without any ado, here is the DIY hoop art post, with lots of photos!!

I started with a regular embroidery hoop, like THESE you can buy on Amazon and I spray-painted it oil-rubbed bronze. You can leave them the natural wood, stain, or paint them whichever color you prefer. Allow your hoop to dry completely before you start adding anything to your hoop.

In the meantime, while your hoop is drying, you will want to gather all your florals you plan on using. I purchased mine from Michael's crafts. They go on sale all the time so do pay full-price! You're also going to want to get a hot glue gun and extra glue sticks. And a small 

After the hoops are fully dry, and your glue gun is heated, you're ready to start! 

Start with your greens. You can see in the photo below how I put 

placed the glue right along the top side of the hoop.  

   

Note.... you're going to want to get the greens on before the glue dries, and then hold it in place with something like a little screwdriver... if you don't the glue will burn the skin off your finger.. #trustme

Then start placing your larger florals. I wanted my hoops to be off center, so I had my greens go more up the left side of the hoop and placed my larger florals more on that side.

For the larger pieces, you're going to want to make sure you get enough glue on the hoop so that it will stay after the glue dries. The larger pieces are usually heavier, so while you are adding the necessary glue, make sure you are getting the glue onto the hoop and that it doesn't fall off.

Lastly, add a few little fillers, I added those little pink sprigs and a few tiny succulents. I made three different hoops and all the steps are the same! The only difference for the pink hoop is that I used pinks instead of greens in the beginning! 

And then Voila, you're done!

If you make these you KNOW I want to see!! So please tag me on INSTAGRAM if you post it! 

Happy crafting!!

xoxo, Sharee

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