Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - wallpaper liner

I just took down some old wallpaper and found a paper liner underneath. Do I need to remove it? I wanted to paint, but am afraid if I remove this, plaster may fall out? Do not know, didn't put this stuff up. If I paper over it, how do I prep it, or do I need to? the old stuff peeled off beautifully from it.

It depends on what type of paper it is. If it appears to paper, as in notebook paper thickness (maybe slightly thicker) and really smooth, you should remove it if you plan on painting. If it has a textured finish sort of like a coffee filter, it can stay. There are two types of liners. One, the smooth stuff, is for use under wallpaper. If this is the type you have, then you may hang new wallpaper over it, if you want to paint, I would remove it. The other liner is bridging material, it is slightly thicker and generally has a fiberous texture to it. This is applied over problem or textured surfaces. You can paint or wallpaper over it. If you have the bridging material, you spackle any problem areas to create a smooth surface for painting. You want to ensure that all of the old wallpaper paste is off the surface prior to painting and priming it first woudn't be a bad idea either. Usually hot water and dishwashing soap will remove all the old paste. Using a darker colored cloth during the scrubbing process can help as well because you can see the glue on the cloth as you scrub. Now if you plan on papering over the bridging material, no prep should be necessary, just hang new paper. If it ends up being the thin liner paper, don't worry about the plaster falling out, strip it away and paint the wall. Stripping instructions are included on my site if it gives you any trouble.