Comments on: no such thing as a good surprise

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:26:45 +0000

Girl, I so feel your pain!!! I recently, as a single girl, bought a 1940′s house. In the years since its construction, the kitchen walls had been painted, wallpapered, repainted and repainted again…all without removing/sanding/etc. I spent tens of hours sanding, peeling and chipping away at those walls. It’s worth it though…I promise!

By: Kitliz @ DIYdiva

Kitliz @ DIYdiva — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:40:21 +0000

As someone who has been living in the garage while builing a house on the weekends for the last year, I’ve seen that concrete wall up close a few times. Also for paint that’s coming off in huge rubbery strips, I’d try a heat gun. It’s my favorite tool for removing paint from wood. (I think you can get them for under $20 at your local Big Box). If you just heat it up a little you can almost pull it off in one sheet!

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:12:07 +0000

Yes, all that house work = great pre-wedding muscle shaping! You go, girl. And it will be GREAT when you move in. My unsolicited advice for you: once they’ve sanded those floors, sprinkle some baking soda around on them (it absorbs any lingering odors). If you can let it sit overnight, all the better, then vacuum it up before refinishing. Clean, clean, clean, and peace of mind

By: javonne

javonne — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:48:59 +0000

I had crappy walls in my kids’ bathroom. instead of going through all of that I just had it gutted! drywall was pretty cheap!

By: Meghan

Meghan — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:09:19 +0000

You can do it! I’ve been there myself and it seems the closer you are to being done with an exhausting DIY project, the harder it gets to finish. I have wanted to (and have) cry and throw a tantrum and quit, but I put my big girl panties on (sometimes after a bit of a cathartic cry…because stripping floors yourself can be H-A-R-D) and finished and now it looks great! I promise the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train, and I highly recommend a fully charged iPod and perhaps the occasional glass of wine to get you through!