A few weeks back, we had something surprising for the south – snow! This led to a few days off work, so of course we worked on projects around the house. My nephew had agreed to help me finish my closet which was unfinished when we moved in a few years back. We had our plans together and God blessed us with time to work on it!
I had initially recruited his help for this closet refresh because I wanted to try wallpaper. I don’t like a lot of busyness on a wall, so a closet wall seemed the perfect size and spot to try it out! It would be tucked in and closed most the time. And a good surprise when you popped in for this or that!
If you’ve been wanting to give a small room, nook, or closet something special, you should definitely look into wallpaper. There are so many options and it adds a dimension of interest that even the prettiest shade of paint can’t quite deliver.
My nephew was the kindest and helped me with the figuring, planning and prepping. We decided to go with a peel and stick wallpaper since we were working in a confined space. My closet had unfinished sheet rock walls, so after emptying it, we had to fill holes and paint it with primer. The primer went on a multicolored hue and then dried clear.
Next up, we measured and marked the wall to give us a line to aim for while hanging the wallpaper to help keep it straight. We tried both starting at the top and working our way down and also starting in the middle and working our way out. We were curious which way it would apply better. Working out from the middle proved to be quite difficult. It worked far better to start at the top and let gravity help!
My nephew would pull little by little off the wallpaper backing while I held the extra out of his way. We learned that the wallpaper stretches, left or right, thus causing a curve in the application. That quickly turns into something you have to compensate for further down the wall. My nephew used a small squeegee to work out air bubbles along and along. This seemed especially key, as the paper seemed inclined to trap bubbles.
Technically the wallpaper is supposed to be removable, but judging by the stickiness of the primer, it won’t be in this instance. A time or two we adjusted how it landed on the wall and it really stressed the wall underneath. I’m thinking in the future, an additional coat or two of paint on top the primer might be necessary in order to be able to peel the paper off another time.
We only wallpapered the back wall. Then we painted the other walls a complimentary mint color that coordinates with my room. We put the wooden shelving back and then my nephew measured, cut, painted and installed baseboard and molding. Thanks to him, my closet is now finished and beautiful!
I love how something small like a closet refresh can really give one a little perk! Yes, it was a surprising lot of work and emptying the closet out caused a lot of clutter. But the finished result is pretty and refreshing. And throughout the process I took the opportunity to go through my things and eliminate storing items I no longer need or want. Some I passed on to others, some I put into storage and others I simply let go of.
Take the time to look around your house or room. Perhaps a “closet refresh” is in order for you too. I can tell you this – though it may take a lot of work and time, the finished result is delightful and rewarding!
What projects do you have planned?
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Projects come in all shapes and sizes: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2022/10/12/how-to-make-a-braided-rug/