A Sad Tale of Wallpaper

Not everything turns out like I would hope. This is the sad tale of original wallpaper, plastered over and likely not salvageable.

We figured there was something odd about the fireplace. The plaster around it seemed…off. Not one to be shy about investigating, I began picking off pieces of plaster.

It was incredibly satisfying. The plaster came off so easily, revealing the masonry below. I was on the phone, mindlessly chipping away. Then I noticed ink on the masonry.

So I looked down to the floor, and to the litter of plaster I’d been so joyfully picking. And the back of all that plaster had….original wallpaper. And my heart broke.

I honestly felt sick, like I’d made a huge mistake I knew I couldn’t fix. So I puzzled and puzzed, ‘til my puzzler was sore (seems like a good time of year for a Grinch reference). And then I went to the smartest people I know about these sorts of things.

And consensus is: I can’t save it. I can’t extricate the wallpaper from the plaster. One person told me I should feel fortunate I know what the original was, so I can try to find a replica.

But my plan is to attempt to loosen a large enough piece that I can frame it, and hang it over the fireplace as a nod to the past.

How I’ll manage to get a large piece is still in the planning stages. The baker in me knows a very, very long offset spatula might do it. A floor scraper, and good old fashioned fishing line have also been tossed out as possibilities.

It’s not what I want, but it’s probably the best I can hope for. I don’t think I ever imagined crying over wallpaper. But here we are.