Why wallpaper? or Why does DIY blow?

We have begun the process... we have begun work in the DIY hell that is our house. Starting with my favourite DIY job of all - stripping wallpaper. Christian has suffered moderate scald wounds and I have had a lovely steam facial. Unfortunately, any benefits from the steam treatment are undone by the adhesive vapours that follow, plugging up pores and probably causing cancer of the sinuses.

Here is the thing about wallpaper - it is a bad idea. There is no situation in which mere mortals would find themselves in where wallpaper would be the answer. Designer wallpaper is gorgeous - http://www.interiors-europe.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=25_167 have a look.

Now have a look at the price tag. The only time you would use this stuff is to refurbish a palace or penthouse apartment on the upper eastside. We have neither - we have a 1930's ex-local authority property and this was not the kind of wallpaper that was used. It was a strange woodchip and old newspaper blend used to do a lousy job of covering an even worse job of plastering, including the ceiling, which couldn't have been easy to achieve. Then, some genius came along and thought - this is ugly, let's make it better - by painting on it.

The only person more evil than a person who uses wallpaper is the Hitler who decides to paint over wallpaper, with vinyl paint. And here's the real tragedy - everytime I have ever seen wallpaper stripped - there is never just one layer of paper, it is always papered over, painted over and - my personal favourite - plastered over. What the F***?

So - the front room is stripped and we can clearly see the state of the walls and start the healing process - literally, the burns on Christian's arm is pretty nasty.