Need help with wife's wall decor

[Frederick Skelly]

The seams are the reason she wants something done.


On her part. She likes the texture, but would prefer a flat new finish.

Bill,
Have you considered taking off the old paper and skim coating the torn up drywall? Or replacing the old drywall on that wall?

[Mel Fulks]

Read it three times ,but not getting it.

[Frank Pratt]

Read it three times ,but not getting it.

You're not alone Mel. I just don't understand how it will be possible to rescue that disaster of a wall finish without doing as Frederick suggested & strip, skim coat, and then new paint or wallpaper.

[Gary Ragatz]

It's a little difficult to judge this, because we can't see what the seams you're trying to cover up look like - but I think the furring strips you show in your photos are just way too big. If wood strips is the route you want to go, I'd use the most inconspicuous material I could to cover the seams - maybe screen molding? - and put a small cove molding strip in the corner. Paint everything the base wall color.

[Jim Koepke]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes the beholding of our spouses gives us a challenge.

In my 38 years of marriage, my realization has been it is often better to put a little lipstick on her pig than it is to try talking her out of it or into something else.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

In my 38 years of marriage, my realization has been it is often better to put a little lipstick on her pig than it is to try talking her out of it or into something else.

jtk

THAT is classic wisdom Jim.

[Jim Koepke]

THAT is classic wisdom Jim.

Thanks Fred, an old saying comes to mind, "there just ain't enough lipstick to make that pig pretty."

jtk

[Alan Rutherford]

I just glimpsed a wall on TV that made me think of yours. The 1x strips ran both horizontally and vertically to form squares. In that case the wall was dark tan and the strips were lighter. If you must have those big vertical strips, turning the pattern into squares or rectangles feels more pleasing to me. I'd leave the baseboard molding, put a strip at the top of the wall and divide the height into whatever number of rectangles looks best. At the corner you could wrap around the corner to fill out the width of the last section and paint that part of the wall to match. If you can bring the color of the strips closer to the wall color, it will be less jarring. I think I would not try to fit the door frame into the pattern, but make it a contrasting color.

Several suggestions have been made that I like better than this one, but given the restrictions with which you are working this is the best I can come up with.

[Jim Koepke]

If you must have those big vertical strips, turning the pattern into squares or rectangles feels more pleasing to me.

With horizontal strips some of them could actually be shelves for small nicknacks.

This might not be a great idea in earthquake country.

jtk

[carey mitchell]

More wallpaper is not a good solution. The old seams and defects will telegraph through. Just strip it using a rented wall paper steamer. Once the old paper is down then rewallpaper as you see fit.

How about covering the old paper with a covering with a heavy texture, such as grass cloth. It would hide the seams and give a completely different look that she might like.

[Bill Jobe]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes the beholding of our spouses gives us a challenge.

Exactly, Jim.
I have removed the wallpaper, the glue and I'm ready to finish this job.
Since the paper is no longer an issue there's not much to do now but to apply a coat of oil- based primer, then smooth the wall with a thin coat of USG Plus 3 joint compound.
Then however many coats of paint needed to cover it.

But right now pure air makes me go into a hacking and coughing jag. I need to fully recover from the flu before doing any painting, sanding, silicone caulking and so forth.