Bravo for you! My neck hurts just looking at your project.

To be honest, hire it out. Life is too short to spend months and months on things! We had vinyl wallpaper on a stairwell all the way up to the second floor. It was a nightmare. After a day of no progress I hired someone to remove it. They had better equipment and better training than I did. In TWO HOURS it was all gone. Thank god!

Thanks--it is hard on the neck and arms, but not intolerably so. I looked for a steamer in this town, but so far no luck! When we do the DR walls/ceiling, however, I'll get one even if we have to drive to Santa Fe to get it. DIF works, but after what will be 4 rooms of removing paper by hand I'm ready for greater technological assistance!

Just imagine what it will look like when you are done. Dh was done in Socorro recently on business and he got to tour this house that is being turned into a museum. As she is rehabbing the place she is finding wallpaper with old newspaper underneath, more wallpaper and more newspaper. (It is days like that I get incredulous with Dh that he gets paid to do things like that, and to make it up to me, I have to be able to spend the money earned that day, LOL).

I feel for you. Hubby had to completely scrape down the ceiling in our hall bath due to previous owners' shoddy decisions. It was mess but it sure looks nice now.

dgmarie--I sure am tempted at times to hire out for some of these difficult projects, but I even doubt there'd be anyone available for this in this little town--it's full of small town charm but has its limitations! Most of these sorts of jobs have to be done by people brought in from Santa Fe, which kicks up the cost quite a bit. We've got to get our chimney repaired by a historic mason ($$$$$$), so I'll have to make up for it by struggling with the more mindless but messy jobs like this.

tishtoshnm--It sounds like your husband has an interesting profession! We drove through/by Socorro last month on our way to Tucson, and every time we go by there I see all the old, historic buildings from the interstate and it makes me want to take a trip down there to check out the sights. Now that I know there will be a house museum I'm definitely going to make a point of going. When I get this ceiling job done I'll post the pictures of all the great, old Victorian wallpapers I found on our walls. That's another reason I'm doing this myself rather than having someone else do it; if you're into historic preservation as we are, there really is no better way to get to know the evolution of your home than by doing this kind of work yourself. We found out more about changes to our house over the decades merely by removing wallpaper than any other way so far!

pbrisjar--yes, I'm trying to keep the finished product in mind! I struggled with the floors and it made a world of difference, and so will this. Back to work now......

Do you have a Lowes near you? They sell a Wagner steamer that does a great job at removing wallpaper. It's typically under 50 dollars.
Another way to go is hot water in a spray bottle mixed with half cheap fabric softener. OR Hot water and vinegar in a spray bottle. The trick is to get the spray mixture into the paper so you have to lightly score it.
I'm the queen of wallpaper removal.....old house and almost EVERY room has paper on the walls.

And I thought my guest room with wallpaper over unprimed drywall was bad, at least it's not over my head! Brava! It hurts just looking at that project, but think how satisfying it will be when it's done and you did it yourself.

I've been putting off removing our wallpaper too. Last time I did it was when I was 15 and talked my mom into letting me remove the girly pink polka dot wallpaper left over from my adolescent stage. Deal was, I had to remove all of the paper myself. Finished all four walls in one day. Boy was I full of energy back then. :-)

You're doing a terrific job! Just a little bit more to go, and the job will be behind you (and no longer over you). Imagine that I have pom-poms and I'm waving them as I jump up and down to root for and motivate you!

I have a steamer. If you were closer, you could certainly borrow it!

I know what you are going through. I just got the wallpaper of our vanity area ceiling and now have to repair the drywall .....I am sanding then putting putty up, etc. Never again will I have wallpaper up. Faux painting, stenciling is the way to go if you want something extra. I am seriously considering hiring the repair job out. You can rent a wallpaper steamer from a rental place.

The best wallpaper removed I have ever used is 1/2 water and 1/2 white vinegar. Pop it into the microwave and heat it as hot as you can stand. Use a sponge to soak the wallpaper; soak and soak and soak. The longer you soak, the less scraping you have to do.

Cheap, nontoxic, easy, and works like a dream.

I meant to write "the best wallpaper removeR"...

Sorry.