Please Help! Trying to strip lining paper!

[SammySam]

The lining paper around the radiators has peeled really badly. So i thought i'd strip with a friends steamer. I have started but the wall underneath i now think is a drywall, and it seems to be taking off some of the underneath with the paper. So now 1/3 the wall is done, and the other 2/3's is stuck tight with paper, and thought i'd seek advice before I completely bodge it!

How should i now approach? Do I sand down the edges and paint over? Or is there another way to remove the stubborn lining paper without doing more damage?

Many Thanks for any help!

 

[roughcaster]

I'd persevere with the steamer,,, go over it a couple of times and let the steam/moisture soak into the paper. Dont be tempted to score the paper with a sharp instrument, or you'll mark the wall/s. It's the worst job in the world aint it

 

[opps]

Whereas I would stop, hire a random orbit sander and dust extractor. Feather out the paper, using Red Devil OneTime filler where needed and then re-line the wall.

Evey man to his own.

With the right abrasives and set up you can sand the paper to virtually nothing.

 

[JohnD]

would you emulsion the plasterboard to make it easier to strip paper next time?

 

[SammySam]

Roughcaster- it really is a bummer of a job! Thanks for advice guys, shall ponder on which way to do it!
Not sure if it is drywall or plasterboard in total honesty (yes I am female, but in fairness its the first time I've tackled anything to do with walls!) , what is the difference?

 

[JohnD]

had better mention that if you hold a steamer in one place, the hot steam can make the plaster flake off, even if it is a brick wall.

I assumed you meant yours was unskimmed plasterboard (it will sound hollow when you knock it with your knuckles. Plastered brick only sounds hollow in patches, where it is coming away from the brickwork and is "live")

If plasterboard is not "skimmed" with plaster, it has a soft paper covering which is easy to damage.

I am a householder not a pro but I like to clean walls very thoroughly, and after patching and smoothing them, give them a couple of coats of matt white emulsion before the final decoration. Makes it easier to get a good finish, though the extra time taken would not suit a pro, who is also usually more skilled.