what is the grey-purple stuff on wall.....

[t45]

Hello,
I would be grateful for any advice.
I am working on the walls in one of my rooms, removing wallpaper that seems to have been on the walls for many years.
The wallpaper is white with a brown backing – I have stripped this off using a combination of steaming and scraping.
I was wondering was, having removed the white paper and the brown backing paper (is this what it is called?), what is the purple/greyish stuff underneath this? I don’t think it is plaster because I can actually take strips of this off very easily. Some is stuck to the walls and other bits just come off in large strips. Is this a type of paper that has to be used on certain walls – the property is quite old – around about 1910, is this purple/greyish paper something that I could replace?......it doesn’t feel like wallpaper and doesn’t look like wallpaper – to me it resembles a mixture of strong paper/thin card-like stuff....but it comes off quite easy.
Is this a covering that is put over plaster or a sealant or some kind?
I have not had to remove any adhesive or glue – I did quite a bit of scraping.
Also, is it a good idea to re-plaster old walls, having removed all paper and if I should also remove this purple-grey stuff?
What would be the process having removed everything. Do I wash the walls, sand them to make smooth and fill or do i just leave the old plaster for the plasterer to remove? I would love to be able to do the job myself but being a novice i don’t think to would be a good idea!
Thank you,

 

[NickB_99]

Hi t45.
Putting up some pics will help.

 

[s60tsy]

sounds similar to something i came across in my 1890's terrace, i left bits of some browny black hard to move substance in the vestibule, and once it was skimmed and painted stains came through where i had left the stuff on. i spent ages with the steamer in another room after that happened, afterwards someone mentioned covering the stains with gloss first as a barrier

 

[t45]

Thank you,
The brown stuff actually cane off really easy after using a steamer – i think it is wallpaper backing or something. Once the steamer had been placed on the wall the stuff just scraped off – there was no need to use solutions of strippers or anything.
However, once I got the paper and brown backing off I came across something else – i don’t think it’s plaster as it it can just be torn off teh walls very easily! It’s blue-purple-greyish in colour like a thicker cardboard style of paper but I have no idea what it is nor why it is used. Underneath this I believe is plaster. But as a novice I can’t identify this [purple-grey stuff.
What does re-skimming involve and is is a ‘big’ job?
I would like to have the walls in this room all redone so i know what is on them but I am not sure how i should prepare them for a professional plasterer and whether of not he/she would like this grey/purple stuff to stay on the wall.
If a wall is re-skimmed, does everything need to come off so you get down to the bare plaster?
Thanks you!

 

[t45]

uploading wall pictures to show the layers of paper/plaster....
what I am trying to work out is what is the grey/purole material - it is paper like and can easily be pulled from the wall
which is plaster?
the golden/yello colour is a chimney whihc has some cracks in - i gues this will need to e sealed and plastered professionally but can th eret be skim plastered?..........

 

[t45]

link to pics

View media item 77220
View media item 77221