Whew... a mere almost 2 years since moving in, finally making inroads into finishing up the basement/home theatre room.

Truths:
- I hate wallpaper
- I've been told I'm not allowed to rebuild the last homeowner's walls
- I hate seeing tape lines more than I hate wallpaper

So I spent the last two days hanging paintable wallpaper and millwork (which I cut and routed myself to match the existing) - the wallpaper is the textured stuff that you paint over, has kind of a linen pattern on it... with flat enamel paint on it, should hide the evils of the last weekend warrior's butchery of drywall.

So much for my one week "off" a year.

Bren R.

Bren:
That textured wallpaper is a blessing in disguise! I went through the same remodelling dilemma about ten years ago. My interior decorator recommended the textured (Anaglypta) wallpaper vs. replacing wallboard. It is definitely a cheaper and less frustrating option...

Hey! what is this paintable wall paper stuff you're talking about?

It sounds like what I desperately need. I removed the horrible purple and silver stripe wall paper from our living room only to discover the wall underneath is a disaster of poor skim coat. I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it for 2 years. The wife’s tired of looking at an ugly wall especially since the entertainment center and Axiom speakers look so nice now.

Who makes this wall paper and do you have any leads on where to get it?

Just do a "Google" search for Anaglypta Wallpaper. There is a lot of info. Try your local interior decorating center.They should be able to help you.
Good luck,
Shaun

Thank you.

Like Bren I hate wallpaper plus I thought it only came in yucky colors and patterns. I'll have to research this paintable patterned stuff.

Plaster in a Roll by Flexiwall Systems.

wallpaper should be illegal!

You might be happy with it now, but wait until you have to take it down.

This was a product I came across on the renovation of two buildings at Ft. Belvoir. Fortunately, I know how to hang and finish drywall. Unfortunately, if I was a piece worker I'd starve. However I share your dislike of wallpaper and can't imagine what it would take to remove it.

In reply to:

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You might be happy with it now, but wait until you have to take it down.

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This is literally the last stop for the board on the walls... (I've wood glued the seams so they will absolutely NOT lift) once this wall texture has had it's run, it'll be a wrecking bar and reframing.

Bren R.

Since I'm somewhat taking this week off from work (neglected to tell anyone I was back from being out of town - if they call and get me, I'll work, if not - I'll take the time to myself) it's been time to do some work around the house... still trying to decide how to get music in to the garage "porch" overhang where the BBQ is. Thinking a set of 6x9s (I have some decent Delcos from the car) in the ceiling of the overhang and a car deck running off a 12v PS in the garage itself is the way to go... Hmmm...

Ah, well, off to go install some marine lights on the outside of the sunroom. Unfortunately, they're on the same circuit as about half the house - mostly convenience outlets, so it's not a HUGE problem, but... (CEC didn't specify 80% of rated breaker load when the house was built, I'm assuming!)

If I don't post again in an hour or so, someone call my next of kin - going to go replace them "live."

Bren R.

Mission accomplished.

Realized that I'd be a shoe-in for a Darwin Award if I electrocuted myself... "Green Helmet" (Health and Safety Officer) electrocutes himself working on live circuit... so I killed the power.

I would seriously like to slap whoever did the electrical work before me.

- Neither fixture box was correctly attached to the framing (those little tabby things on the sides aren't for spiking the box into the wall, they're there as feelers so the box hangs the correct 1/2" past the framing for drywall)
- If'n ya don't NEED 3 conductors, don't be usin' 3 conductors and making me guess while I'm stripping it to test it whether or not that red wire you've bent back on itself and electrical taped is, in fact, live.
- These are outdoor fixtures. Ground everything in sight that isn't a hot. Pigtail the ground to the box to the butterfly (fixture strap) to the fixture.
- Machine screws are for metal, wood screws are for wood, since the box is metal, don't attach a butterfly to the box with wood screws.

(end rant)

Bren R.

At least you had framing. I went into a box to tighten up the mounting screws and found it wasn't mounted to anything... because there were no studs in the wall.

The drywall was fastened at top and bottom, and there were "flat" 2x4s at the drywall joints holding the two pieces of drywall in alignment and sorta-kinda nailed to the top and bottom plates. We had never leaned against the wall -- I think aggressive dusting would have gone through the drywall.

That must be an Ontario thing... saw that on Holmes on Homes in the GTA once too.

I dunno... if I'm going to do something myself, it's either because I want the challenge, or to do a better/more conscientious job than a contractor will.

Only once was it to circumvent "code"... put in a laundry sink that was 4" further away from a vent stack than is allowed by code. As far as I was concerned, the sink could drain onto the floor and run down the sewer. The trap doesn't siphon empty, all runs fine - I understand why the code is there, I just chose to ignore it in this one case... better than the $1500 quote I got for routing a vent.

Bren R.

>>That must be an Ontario thing...

Could be... the previous house was just as bad... it had real studs but some of them only went down to a few inches off the floor for about an 8 foot section. I was trying to figure out why the baseboards kept falling off

Dude, not trying to hijack the post, but I really liked your CD mix. A few of the songs were a little to much punk for me, but I made it through them fine. I liked the heavier stuff a lot, and was on the floor laughing my ass off at Mickey's Hank Williams Jr. remake of Scum F**k Tradition, funny as [censored]

Thanks again,

Randy

Glad you liked the CD.

Not many around here with similar tastes in music as me, so I didn't have to send out too many.

Bren R.