My help was sick so I had brought my wife to help. We scored the walls and then she went to work steaming with the garment steamer. The steam comes out of the steamer attachment and pushes through the paper tiger holes. The hot water should speed up the loosening of the glue.

Urban Farmhouse Group
Inspiration for an industrial home design remodel in Dallas

You simply run the paper tiger in a circular motion all over the walls making a lot of little holes,. The holes scored in the vinyl let the the moisture pass through and get to the glue. The moisture will then soften the glue . . . at least that is how it is supposed to work. We'll see if it does with a garment steamer.

Urban Farmhouse Group
Urban home design photo in Dallas

The paper tiger is a tool that you roll on the wall to lightly score the vinyl to allow moisture to reach glue.

Urban Farmhouse Group
Home design - industrial home design idea in Dallas

Urban Farmhouse Group
Inspiration for an industrial home design remodel in Dallas

Urban Farmhouse Group
Example of an urban home design design in Dallas

Urban Farmhouse Group
Home design - industrial home design idea in Dallas

Urban Farmhouse Group
Inspiration for an industrial home design remodel in Dallas

Urban Farmhouse Group
Example of an urban home design design in Dallas

Urban Farmhouse Group
Example of an urban home design design in Dallas

Urban Farmhouse Group
Example of an urban home design design in Dallas

While my wife was steaming the wallpaper, I started testing the walls to pull paper. The results were very nice. You can see here that the paper was sheeting off in large strips. I would scrape the still wet glue to reduce the washing of the walls. What we found was that if the steamer was passed slowly over the holes the steam pushed into the holes and the wallpaper heated up which seemed to saturate the glue better. If we moved too fast over the wall, neither enough heat nor moisture made it through to the glue. We were able to remove the paper in just a couple hours. ( not bad for a guy that generally refuses to remove wallpaper ) The garment steamer experiment was a success. If you wonder why I didn't just rent a wallpaper steamer, it was because I have one more wallpapered room to steam for this customer, I wanted to see if a DIYer could get by without renting, and now my wife has a garment steamer Hahaha. The next day I washed the walls and we were ready for plaster.

A funny thing happened on a recent plaster project. I had thought that the wallpaper in need of removal was paper but it turned out to be a very thin vinyl. The manufacturer of the plaster that I was going to install claims that the plaster will work over properly primed wallpaper. After picking at the paper for a couple hours to get lose bits off the wall, I decide that too much of the paper was unstable and I would not be able to go over the paper with plaster. This is what I removed by just picking and wetting at edges. I knew I needed a better way, or I would be here for days. I decided to try steam, as I remember a clients mother telling me she used her floor steam mop to remove paper. I headed to the store but could not find the right steam mop. I grabbed a couple paper tigers at the hardware store then headed to a bedding store to try for a steam mop. I still could not find a steam mop but they did have a garment steamer that was only $50 with the online coupon. ( thanks smart phone )

With her mellifluous lines and gracefully draped garment, this grand-scale figure study is a contemporary take on ancient Greek sculpture. Cast in a palette of soft, muted tones, gold leaf accents add unexpected lightness and texture. Meticulously hand-painted on canvas and encased in a simple gold leaf frame.

Meghan Beierle-O'Brien
Inspiration for a timeless closet remodel in Los Angeles

This project won in the 2013 Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh Housing Excellence Award for Best Urban Renewal Renovation Project. The glass bowl was made in the glass studio owned by the owner which is adjacent to the residence. The mirror is a repurposed window. The door is repurposed from a boarding house. George Mendel

Nora Best
Elegant dark wood floor kitchen photo with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island