Research & Plan

Much of my success with projects not only has to do with my experience, it also has to do with stopping and taking time to plan. All of the previous mistakes I have made by not planning has also taught me how many problems and additional time can be avoided by really thinking through the project from start to finish. For anyone who haven’t done a particular project before, research is your best friend.

I have never wallpapered. My mother wallpapered every wall in our home except for the kids bedrooms. I remembered it seeming like a pain in the ass at the time. Wallpaper has always symbolized “old-fashioned” to me and I’ve never really considered it. Over the past few years there have been great strides in this market with cool graphics and inspired modern designs. 

As I mentioned last week, wallpaper was not my first solution. I went with the super creative and overwhelming idea to paint a mural of birch trees. Wallpaper was the best solution with the time and resources I had available. I know removing wallpaper is a huge nightmare, so the self-adhesive option was the only way I would consider doing it, especially since I know that I get bored easily and didn’t want to be locked in. 

Before purchasing the paper, I read hundreds of reviews wanting to understand other people’s perspectives. What’s interesting about reviews is you have to read between the lines to consider: a. if the person writing speaks intelligently and offers helpful insight, b. the complaints are not just from one or two reviewers and c. that the person writing isn’t just being a jerk. It’s a tricky process but I do it before any big purchases and even some small ones. 

After reading many reviews on Amazon, there were some comments that made me realize I wanted a textured wallpaper that added depth to the overall effect, which they weren’t offering. I didn’t even know textured was an option.  One reviewer had mentioned the peel and stick wallpaper at Target and the reviews were mostly favorable, so I went for it.

Another website had a calculator to know how many rolls to order so I used that to find the quantity I needed. One of the reviewers said it was important that all of the lot numbers matched, meaning they were printed at the same time to avoid color or printing variations. I could only find the 4 rolls I needed online and when they arrived, there were 2 different lot numbers. I called my local store, and they said they had 2 rolls with one of the lot numbers I already had. When I went to pick it up, none of the numbers matched. I opted to keep what I had and hoped for the best.

Other reviewers said it was impossible to match up the pattern of the brick - super important to make it look good. I am extremely patient with this kind of stuff, so after reading a few more reviewers who explained how many inches the pattern repeated, I knew I could figure it out. I finally found a couple of hours one Sunday when I was supposed to be editing my book, and decided it was time to do this project. At least my procrastination helps me be productive in other areas of my life.

I went on YouTube to find step-by-step instructions and step one was to wash the walls and wait 24 hours. UUUUGGHGHGH! But I wanted to do it now!  I had to really talk myself out of proceeding, and the key reason I didn't move forward was because of all of the reviewers who had posted photos of their wallpaper that fell down overnight. That was my biggest concern but I quickly realized that probably happened because they didn’t follow the instructions. 

As you will see in the time lapse video below, This really was a breeze for me to do. I think beginning to end it was 3 hours, although I had to take breaks to speak with a few clients that afternoon. The hardest part was matching up the last three areas. It wasn’t easy, and you will notice, I spent as much time on those last spots as I did on the whole wall.

Overall I am beyond thrilled although I still have some work to do to complete the space. I am happy to report that I have meditated, done handstands, yoga and even mini trampoline workouts here. The space already feels refreshed and I’ve even spent time working at my desk!

Please share in the comments: Have you ever wallpapered? Would you? Why or why not?