Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - Wallpaper removal/covering help needed

My husband and I are in the process of remodeling our home which was built in the early 50's. The main interior construction of the house is concrete/flexcore but there is an added on room which has interior walls of sheetrock. The wallpaper was put up over the sheetrock without a primer being applied. Hence, removal of it is turning out to be almost impossible without damaging the sheetrock. The wallpaper has two layers. The top layer can be removed, but the original layer must have been put on with some type of super strength adhesive.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to make these walls acceptable for painting? I have tried soaking and scraping, steaming, and screaming at the paper. Nothing seems to work.

Thank you in advance.

L.Toole

Sand the whole surface with 80 grit sandpaper. Dust off thoroughly, and prime the area with 2 coats of Zinsser's Gardz. Then float/skim bad areas with joint compound until smooth. Reprime repaired areas with Gardz, and then paint away.

Now for some more questions:

How much/how many layers of the wallpaper do I need to remove?
Some areas have the top wallpaper removed, some have the top plus the "outer layer" (leaving the backing) of the original wallpaper, and a few spots have been removed down to the sheetrock.

I have heard/read about applying a sealer coat of oil based primer over the remains to keep the paper back/sheetrock from absorbing the paint. It has been implied to me that this will also keep the left on paper from bubbling. Is this the proper procedure or did the gentleman (high school kid) at the hardware store not know what he was talking about?

Thank you, again.

L.Toole

You should remove all of it! Don't you wish the previous owners had been as diligent?

I hesitate to write this, as too many people will take the lazy way out and never attempt to remove the paper. Its always best to remove the paper! But your situation is the only time I condone painting over paper. In that RARE instance, then yes, use an oil primer over the paper. BUT if the seams or any of the paper is loose, keep trying to remove it.

Yep, I say remove as much as possible. But if the cost to repair damaging the wall outweighs the benefits of removing all the paper, then its time to seal over it. Oil primer will work as well as Gardz or DrawTite.

Cut out any loose areas and level walls with wallboard compound. Cut back loose seams and fill. Fill all seams. Sand smooth. Seal walls with oil-based primer (not water-based). This will seal in all stains and provide a smooth surface for painting.

If you want to undertake the daunting task of removing the wallpaper, then you are going to need the wallpaper removal chemicals and a steam wallpaper remover. To get through the paint to soften the adhesive you will need to pierce the wallpaper. They sell Paper Tigers at the paint/paper store. If there are many layers of paint, this gadget may not be able to pierce the paint and paper. Chemical strippers when mixed with hot water and sprayed on walls tend to dissolve wallpaper paste and lift paper. Some can be toxic and damage other surfaces and are not good for your skin. Steam wallpaper strippers may lift more than the paper, thus causing damage to wall and requiring wall repair. Sometimes homeowners find that wall paper was installed without 'sizing' and/or applied directly to drywall (no plaster) and greater wallpaper removal nightmares are discovered. Thus, it's easier to prep walls for painting.