(Poison) Ivy Borders

One of the things that excited us about this house was the hardwood floors that we knew had to be under the carpets in the two upstairs bedrooms. Okay, okay…so we peeked. Sue us! But seriously, who wouldn’t? We just knew these floors in the living room had to go throughout the entire upper floor:

So then – and not just because of the foul doggy odor both carpets contained or because of the dated forest green color of one – they had to come out.

Here is the front bedroom with the green carpet:

And here it is without it:

We cut each into strips the length of each room, pulled the ends at the edges from the nail strip, and rolled ‘em up. It really was that easy. Really. Easy.

I suppose most people have no idea how much dirt lurks under their carpets—and the previous owner had these ones professionally cleaned before we took possession of the house.

But dirt (and puppy urine stains) were nothing compared to what we found under the carpet in the master bedroom.

Yes, that’s ivy. A combination marker-and-paint border around the edge of the room. It kinda goes with the floral wallpaper, no?

Like the carpets, this ivy will have to go…once we figure out how to get rid of it. Until then, we’re trying to think positively about our “house plants.”

Does anyone know how to get rid of this floor art? Without having to refinish the entire floor, if possible?