Interesting things you've uncovered when redecorating

[Orangeinmybluelightcup]

Stripping wallpaper in my living room and discovered the original paint straight onto concrete, brown bottom half, rail, and a lovely grass flower motif! Almost a shame to plaster over it!

When we were redoing the bathroom we found a note written on the joists, just saying hi!

Has anyone else found anything fun?

a house we lived in we redecorated the lounge when i stripped the wallpaper off found an art deco era painted thin red and green line round the walls at waist height its still there as far as i know under the paper we put over it, this house last owner put their name and daughters birth date under the paper

Bought a flat in 2005, found very old sun newspapers of page 3 girls!

Messages from a teenage me under my parents' wallpaper!

House built 1880.

Several layers of anaglypta and wallpaper underneath to reveal:

@onahighhill

House built 1880.

Several layers of anaglypta and wallpaper underneath to reveal:

Cool @onahighhill! Did you feel bad about covering it over more permanently, if you did?!

It's all just recently uncovered.

I won't feel bad about the questionable artwork - some fish have just been revealed on another wall, half painted over so couldn't keep even it I wanted to.

I quite like the panelling and want to keep it but DH disagrees. I'm working on it. I'd paint it though, the wood is too dark for my taste.

I was hoping to uncovers some original Victorian floor tiles in the hall and kitchen but alas, it was not to be!

I found a message written on our chimney breast saying ' Don't blame us it's the wall' and they were right. The edges of the paper were dead straight in the center but sloped outwards from top to bottom by 3-4 cm each side and it was only 3 paper widths wide. We had to use a random pattern so it didn't show.

The words “fuck off” under the wallpaper. House was originally the development show home and hadn’t been decorated by the previous owners.

Obviously a tradesperson who was having a bad day!

In my most favorite house I found some of the original wallpaper going back to 1925. I couldn't keep it though because the wall was in a terrible state and needed re-plastering.

I find it so interesting and comforting to find things like this.

Years ago a friend of mine's parents discovered a door when they redecorated and it opened into an actual room. There was no window in the room and the whole thing had been sealed up and they hadn't realised when they bought it.

Name changed as this is very outing, but we came across these in our living room - can't wait to get rid of them as they totally creep me out

a pentagram under some flooring.

On the kitchen wall after the wall units and paper had been taken off, a large rectangle containing the words "we were going to put a window here but then we changed our minds". I don't blame them: the room is tiny and having a window there would've meant a view of the back garden but no wall units at all!

We found an old pencil inside an Edwardian door panel when we lived in Grimsby, it had an advert on it for 'Nell Gwyn Marmalade' which was produced in the town up until the 50's. Still got the pencil, imagine it was left inside the door by the chippy when the house was built in around 1920

I’ve recently found a message written on the woodwork under the stairs saying “problem area” and some arrows.
They were right

Found loads of stuff - a Victorian property which had last had work done on it in the early 70s so loads of newspapers from the 70s under the carpets.
Also found various interesting original wallpapers one of which had been varnished which was very difficult to remove for replastering. Also some original Lincrusta in the hall way which we kept on one side (thr other side wasn’t in good condition as we had to move a doorway etc - looks lovely painted in F&B Purbeck Stone gloss.

When we first decorated this house we uncovered some lurid 1970's bright purple and lime green paint on the landing walls. Nothing else exciting, apart from finding a cannon ball buried in the garden.

Also all the original marble fireplaces had the insets covered up and a ‘modern’ flowery tiled board and gas fire instead - we uncovered them and found a tiled insert with ancient sooty cream gloss paint on which we cleaned off and found an insert the with the same tiles for £1250 online

We also took up the lovely flowery hall carpet to find original Victorian tiles which we’ve since had restored.
You can see the painted Lincrusta on the right.

Under wallpaper we found messages to future owners from the teenage girls who lived here in the 1970s or 80s. They said a bit about themselves, and that they hoped we liked the house. It was really sweet. We added a bit and then covered them back over.

the other one in this house when we took the old kitchen out found an advert for 1987 for a local nightclub so old kitchen was that old

Years ago we removed polystyrene tiles from a ceiling and found a name and date written on the plaster. Wondered if the artist had signed all his works of art!

Wow @Qc16 brill finds!

In the old newspapers there were some great ads - one for Biba and one for an Aston Martin for £1850 which if you had it now would sell for £281k!
www.bonhams.com/auctions/22721/lot/255/

I found a mummified rat. I’d have preferred a sweet message, or some nice tiles