Confessions of a Male Stripper

Alas, it is true. I am a male and I have become a stripper, in more ways than one. The remedial experiment, on the dining room table, happened first thing this morning, and it involved stripping, yet again, the finish, the new finish, that I put on last week. It came off a little easier but the fumes were much worse. They were choking me and burning my eyes badly. After settling down my screaming smoke detector, I opened the door to let in the -3C outside air and even set up a fan to blow the fumes away from my face. I will probably have cancer from this 50 years from now. I then sanded, and sanded, and sanded. Then cleaned the surface with solvents and finally re-applied the penetrating stain. It looks really good now but in the morning I will apply the first coat of polyurethane and will know immediately if it will work this time.  

Stripping Part II

We have talked about re-decorating the main area of our house for the last 15 years. Today talk became reality. On Sunday we finalized a decor package and agreed on just how far we would dip into the can of worms that re-decorating always opens up. You know how that works. "If we change that, then that over there looks dated and ratty and it has to go too." 

We agreed on a limit but have already over stepped the boundary. Being a full time paper hanger way back when, naturally, I hung a lot of paper in my own home. I always hoped we would sell and someone else could struggle with the removal of said wallpaper. It seemed a poor reason to sell the house, so we are now stripping wallpaper, as you can tell from the photos. It requires multiple soakings and in the process, the paint underneath is softened and some of it is coming off with the wallpaper. That means a lot of 'mudding' or 'drywall repairs'. That's OK. We know how to do that.   

So, our house is in a turmoil and will be for a while. This project will be a priority for my 'off' time, something I have a lot of at the moment. I am enjoying informing the telemarketers, that so frequently call, that I cannot donate or buy, because I am un-employed. Well, I am working, but certainly not getting paid for it. And really, that is the only reason I have ever consented to stripping, either varnish, or wallpaper. Stripping is hard work and a guy should get paid for it. Hey, even busylizzy is getting excited watching me do it. Maybe she will pay me. I know it is making her very happy!  

We are still welcoming guests, providing they like sitting on the floor, and providing they enjoy watching male strippers.

These little birds will be coming down in the next day or two. That very dated wallpaper behind them will be coming down, but it is at the top of our 'cathedral' entry. Yours truly will be doing a, well, not a pole dance, but a plank dance, while he strips from the top of a scaffold. If you want to come and watch, the admission price is only $20 dollars, but don't be surprised if you are handed a spray bottle and a scraper.