Gold, the owner actally wrote us a very nice, informative letter on the history of the house. He says the front door wasn't always exactly where it is today, but that it would be "hard to explain" the original layout. We also learned from his letter that prior to the 20's the house was a small hospital of sorts. The current "library" was actually two separate patient rooms and there were nurses quarters upstairs. The house also used to have jack and jill staircases, but the jill was taken out many years ago. I'm kind of bummed by that, as the jack and jill stairs were one of things I loved most about our old house. But, if the the staircase were still there it would lead up to our closet, so I guess it's a good thing it's gone!

Calcimine ( also kalsomine or distemper paint) is a calcium carbonate product that, mixed with water and sometimes pigments and glue, formed an opaque, easy to use and fast-drying coating used mostly for ceilings. I assume you know for sure that the coating is a calcimine paint. The usual test is to rub a damp finger over the paint. If it feels "chalky" it's calcimine. The only way I know of to remove it is lots of soap, water, elbow grease and patience. It's messy and wet and not at all fun to remove. To avoid discouragement, don't get over-ambitious. Do one wall at a time. Also, be sure to protect your floors. with 3-mil PVC sheets. This will catch dripping and any lead paint. When you are done, role it up, tuck it in a contractor bag and remove it outside. It can go out with the regular trash as long as it is tied securely. Scrape off all the loose paint using a 6" taping knife or carbinde paint scraper. Keep a 2" putty knife in your back pocket for tight areas. Some of the paint is probably lead paint, so wear a dust mask and try not to track it all over the house. If there are several coats of oil-based or latex paint, we use a gel-type water-based paint remover on the wall. Follow the manufacturer's directions, but generally it's paint it on, let it sit, then wash it off. Using a very wet sponge, wet the wall. Some calcimine will dissolve and lift from the surface. Then using a sudsing cleaner (Spic 'n Span or Dawn) and a scrubbing pad, wash the wall vigorously until all the Calcimine is gone and you are down to the hard final coat of plaster. We then use a rubber window washing blade to remove as much of the suds/water mixture as possible followed by a rinse with a wet sponge. Some of my colleagues add 10% vinegar to the rinse water. We tried it and did not see any difference, but maybe your experience will be different. Thid does not remove all of the calcimine, but does remove all of the loose and chalky calcimine. Once the wall is dry, inspect it carefully. Use the damp finger test in any suspicious spots to check for remaining chalky calcimine. Paint with a good calcimine-ccoating primer such as Benajmine Moore's Super-Spec Alkyd Calcimine Recoater. There are other brands, but we have had good success with this one, so we have not tried any other. Do one room at a time. Remove the old paint; prep, prime and paint the walls. Start with the room you like the least. Practice on that room. As you get better, move to rooms you like better. Good luck with the project.

I should add that I realize the Hallmark site wasn't responsible for the virus, but the free site names are more likely to be used to spread phishing viruses, and that makes people a little more uncomfortable about opening them. I have to admit that because I pay for the service I tend to send cards out more often. My father in law loves the patriotic ones on the 4th of July - it gives him a smile. I send the special occasion cards out all the time to multiple recipients. I send the Christmas ones out to my coworkers and they love getting them at work. Anyway, just adding a thought.

It depends a lot how the paper was put on and what kind of adhesion was used how hard you will work to get it off. When you wet it and warm it you want to get it to the point where the paper lifts right off. The issue after that will be the remaining glue. This is where it can get really hard to completely get the glue off to the point where you can paint it without disturbing the lead paint. Also, one thing you may discover is that you do not have a fine finish that will look good painted on the plaster underneath, and that there is in fact no paint at all of any kind in some rooms. They will need a new skim coat anyway. It then becomes: do you have enough glue off to adhere a skim coat? Whatever you do, just be careful. People get all bent out of shape about asbestos and mold but neither of those are really much of a danger in an acute exposure situation, but "lead stupid" is forever . It dissolves in water, it can get dispersed in the air, etc. and if you get it all over the place it can get VERY expensive and hard to clean it out of the house afterward.