What is this under the wallpaper?

[DecorDilemma]

I'm starting a complete overhaul of my 1930s living room (no structural work, but all decoration changing, including windows, radiators, lighting etc.), and was itching to DO something, while I'm still sorting out the right tradespeople. So I started, perhaps ill-advisedly, steaming off the wallpaper.

It comes off super easily, but in a few places some of the thin "board" underneath has come off. What is that? I'm told plasterboard would be thicker, but what other board-like thing could it be? And underneath that, there is this bright salmon colour. What is that? As far as I'm aware, dry plaster isn't that colour (or am I wrong about that?). Is it a previous colour of the room? I'm wondering how many layers of "stuff" there are on this wall. But I'm also nervous about picking at things and causing damage that can't be fixed.

FWIW, I'm fully prepared to pay for professionals to do whatever is needed to make the walls in this room perfect, so I'm not worried about pulling off bits that should probably come off anyway in order to start with a "clean slate". But I am a bit worried in case I've pulled off something that I should have left alone.

It looks like a really thick lining paper (possibly made from wood pulp). Are there seams?

Lining paper ?

Is it woodchip underneath

Could it be a previous skim on top of the original plaster that you’re pulling off? Perhaps the terracotta colour is the original finish that was on the walls when the house was built. I came across a similar situation recently, 30s built house.

I can't easily tell if there are seams, because the paint is obscuring them if there are, and I haven't taken off enough sheets of wallpaper to get a clear view of any boundaries. It seems thicker than lining paper I've come across before, and it breaks off in chunks, but maybe the white paint on top contributed to the rigidity.

@stopringingme I did wonder if it could possibly be painted woodchip underneath. I've attached close-up photos of three areas where it was exposed - what do you reckon? If it is woodchip, I REALLY want to get it off. Is there any issue with me trying to steam it off?

Looks like wood chip to me. Either that or a textured plaster finish so could be artex but it's very unlikely on walls.

That doesn't look the right texture for wood chip to me.

I think it's lining paper covering up a textured finish. Not specifically wood chip but a similar principle. Other textured papers for painting were available.

I think it's texture plaster and could possibly be artex. I would send a small sample to get it checked to be sure. It only about £20

It's a thin layer of plaster my mums house had the same

Was it the same colour too? I assumed that was the paint colour.

What was underneath the thin layer? Did you remove it?

It looks like wood chip with 40 layers of paint, the last one being a bright terracotta.,This has been covered with smooth-it a commercial way of going over wood chip without stripping it

I would second getting it checked.

Wall Artex was a thing in the late 70’s. I recently walked away from offering on a beautiful house because of the enormity of trying to remove it from every single wall.

The bottom right picture of the 3 you sent has a crack across it. You might be able to see whether it is paper or not from that.

It really looks like any number of painted textured wallpaper - I grew up in a 30s house in the 70s and it was everywhere!

Am I right in thinking that if this is some kind of woodchip/textured wallpaper, it would be much nicer to take it all off (and any other layers further down) and start again from the plaster, rather than doing what seems to have been done here?

Yes, providing the plaster is sound. I’ve just removed a very stubborn textured border on a room, probably put on in the 1920s or so. Was hard work though. Using a chisel as a scraper on this job helped a lot (it gets underneath paper edges far better) , but you’ve got to be careful.

Its a thin skim of plaster over the top of painted woodchip.

Looks like someone has skimmed over the wood chip rather than remove it

If it is coming off in places then it has blown so I'd remove all over but the wood chip is likely to be a bugg@r to get off

I think it's textured paper that has been painted over. But whatever it is, yes, I would definitely go all the way back to the plaster and start again. Even if it's a ball ache and you have to reskin the walls. It will be worth it.

Agree looks like someone has done a thin skim of plaster over painted wood chip. Remove it all and look at state of walls after. A reskim may or may not be required

Okay, so consensus seems to be that it is some kind of woodchip/textured paper, and it should go? I was planning to hire professionals to sort out the walls anyway, so could leave the stripping to them. I have the urge to pick at it now though!

Even if the plaster-over-woodchip was fully intact, I don't think I'd be able to leave it there if I knew there was woodchip underneath. It would bother me too much!

The problem with stripping painted wood chip, apart from how tough it can be, is that you can find that the walls are damaged underneath it. It was often used to cover dodgy walls.

Picking at it isn't going to make things worse and it can be very satisfying.

I have stripped a lot of wood chip and It isn't textured enough for wood chip. Get a screwdriver and a hammer and a mask and knock a tiny bit off and put it into a bag. If it's paper you will know quickly. It its hard then it need testing for asbestos. Stick some duct tape over the chipped but on the wall in case it is asbestos to stop fibres from dislodging. You can buy testing online and post the sample off. It is pretty cheap and definitely worth doing before you start taking more off the wall.

Pulled wood chip off my walls 30 years ago and the walls came with it! It's the devil's work

There's a corner by the skirting board elsewhere in the room where the top plaster has chipped away a bit, so I can sort of see the layer structure from the side. I've been trying not to cause too much destruction until I know what I'm dealing with, but I was able to pick off a little bit of the terracotta stuff, and it seemed like it was a relatively thin paper (I mean, it was rigid and brittle, but I presume that's from having been stuck on and painted. It didn't seem as thick as I'm imagining woodchip to be, but it did seem like a distinct layer, and I think it had a white back to it).

It could just be another textured paper. There are loads (we had lots of different ones in the house I grew up in!)