Wallpaper on plasterboard - finish stripping or get in professional?

[ponygirlcurtis]

Help! I have been steaming the lining paper off a bedroom wall after the wallpaper all just pulled off easily. But under the lining paper I found more wallpaper which has been put directly on the plasterboard, possibly when the house was built in the 60s. It's not coming off easily and I am concerned I will damage the plasterboard with the steaming and scraping - I have already accidentally left a few small holes in it. Do I carry on removing it - there's a Screwfix product for stripping walls that I was considering rather than the steamer - or should I reline the walls over the area where I have taken off the paper? The surface underneath is a yellowish colour and I am not sure if that is the plasterboard coating or if they have been lightly skimmed. There's at least one section (more recently added) where the wallpaper is straight onto bare plasterboard. Other than the section I have tackled, the lining paper on the other walls is in fairly good condition, with a few small bits pulling up.

I have Googled extensively and can't find any clear advice on this situation. Or do I need a plasterer or a decorator to tackle this? I am at a loss - I want to get on with it as I have the whole room to do out (skirting, new carpets, new furniture) but I don't know how to proceed.

Thanks for any help.

Personally would get off what you can but it'll be messy and get a plasterer in.

I would strip it and then see what you need to do next. If it’s drywall onto frame you might want to replace the drywall. Or skim coat to get it to a good finish.

Not much help, I know, but we found exactly this- some moron had done the same on two walls in a room here. It's such a stupid thing to do, as it restricts all later options. It's basically just someone being too cheap to get the plasterboard skimmed, as it should be. We had already decided long-term to take off the plasterboard and get the walls replastered, because our surveyor identified the same moron had attached the plasterboard with dot-and-dab on walls unsuitable for that method, so we will strip, batten out, and have new plasterboard. Meantime, I had intended to strip the wallpaper and paint, but having found what you found, I'm not wasting time stripping it, I'm just going to live with it looking horrible until we can have it all stripped out. If yours is battened out behind, and if you can afford it, I think I'd get a plasterer in and replace the boards and have it skimmed properly. If you were doing a temporary job, I'd just take the top layer of paper off and paint the lining paper, but if you are doing out the whole room for keeps, I'd get a plasterer in, subject to affordability.

Thanks all for replying. Sounds like this could be an expensive job - was just meant to doing up DS's room with new carpets, new bed, new furniture - the walls were supposed to be the cheap and easy bit.

BlueMongoose, sounds similar, it seems like all the walls except the one shared with the neighbour are boarded, even the external wall. Why??? Am tempted just to cover the bit I have steamed with lining and put up more wallpaper.

Yip keep going. Deal with what’s left afterwards.
I’d lay off the steamer though and use a wet sponge to soak instead. Steamers are the devil when it comes to plaster

@Yellow85

Yip keep going. Deal with what’s left afterwards. I’d lay off the steamer though and use a wet sponge to soak instead. Steamers are the devil when it comes to plaster

Boarding is usual. We will board again when our dot-and dab boarding is off, though we will be batteninig out for the boarding because of the way our house was built. It's not using boards as such that's the problem. When you board, whether you batten out behind, or use dot-and-dab if that's appropriate, you should have a plasterer skim the boards before you decorate. If you do that, you can paint or wallpaper, and later strip and repaper, or strip paper and paint, all to your heart's content forever. Where people are cheap and just have it left as bare plasterboard, they can wallpaper, but only provided they never want to strip it off and either repaper or paint. All you can do is repaper over the top, or if you are very careful and it is the sort of paper where the top surface peels off leaving the lower layer 100% intact, or, if lining paper was done before the wallpaper, strip down to that, again, leaving that layer 100% intact. I defy anyone to be able to do that- so if you strip, you get an uneven base layer. With decorating, Rule #1 is always, get whatever surface you're painting/papering on 100% right before you start. Always makes it easier, always makes for a better job, and usually a cheaper one in the long run. I wish the previous occupants of your house had done that.

(You could try asking a plasterer if they could skim what you have- ask before doing any more stripping, as they may say 'yes, but only if you do/don't do so-and-so'.)

I have asked for a decorator to come out and take a look as I am really wary of doing damage and it escalating the cost, so we'll see what they say. Fingers crossed it's not too long a wait

Good luck, I hope they can sort it out for you.

Thanks.