We sort of did the same thing the last two years. Putting 3 kids through college, we didn't do much with the house for a number of years. It started with a kitchen reno...then DS announced his engagement and we jumped into gear to redo the rest of the main level knowing lots of friends and family would be coming. The wedding was last April...and I still need to do some accessorizing...so hard to pick things. We are nearing retirement and will sell in a few years and I felt the same way...I wanted to enjoy the house and not just fix it up to sell. Have fun....it will be such a sense of accomplishment when it's done and you will love it every time you walk through the door. Post pics when you finish!

"A couple of years ago they were talking about manufacturing a wallpaper which could very easily be peeled off when you're ready to re-decorate." That's Sherwin-Williams EasyChange wallpaper. Haven't used it but may well do so here once the walls are de-textured (I hate textured walls to begin with and PO did a crap job to boot). I think there are some really nice patterns in that line, ranging from very modern prints to classic florals and toiles - others may of course disagree. IMO many people dislike wallpaper because of a backlash from the overuse of faddish papers like the proverbial 1980s beribboned geese and country plaids LOL or giant orange-and-green flowers from the 70s rather than classic patterns or from the hassle of removing improperly applied paper. I really like wallpaper as long as a) it's not used to excess unless the house's architecture is suited to it, b) the scale and style of the paper is suited to the space it's in (for instance, a very large room with high ceilings might need a paper with a great deal of "negative space" to avoid being overpowering, but in a little powder room you can get away with a wowzer dense print that would overwhelm in larger doses) b) it's not the cheap, shiny vinyl junk. But then I'm not the fickle type who wants to change colors every other year - those folks are probably better suited to just paint.

Take a look at what banks have up on their walls. Sherwin Williams usually has books with commercial wallpaper.....usually it's vinyl, low sheen, with some sort of fabric back...extremely durable. Patterns are usually subtle, mostly textured.. Many of the commercial 'papers' come in very wide widths which are difficult for a DIYer without extensive experience, but that may depend on the lengths you would need. You might look for a grasscloth look which seems to stand up to some handling. I've had a grasscloth vinyl up in a long narrow hallway standing up to packages, grandchildren, dogs for almost 15 years and it looks brand new. If it were paint it would have had to have been redone several times.

I'm wallpapering my small mudroom hallway. I have a doorway without any sort of casing, how should I deal with it? The hallway sees quite a lot of traffic as it leads to the garage and a powder room, so I'm worried if the edge isn't protected somehow it will peel/lift. Should I put casing up, the same as my doors (2 1/4")? Do I need to put something on the inside of the opening?