KOS wrote:
I am in the process of removing what appears to be a Japanese style
wallpaper that was installed maybe 25 years ago in a bedroom. It has a
texture that feels like material- as I pull it off it brakes into
strings/stringy...Does anyone know what this is called? Apparently
trendy 25 years ago in US... As I pull it off, only the top layer
comes off, lots of backing to remove... Anyone ever removed this type
of paper?

Sounds like grasscloth, which is pretty much like burlap. Can you get a
corner of the backing started to peel it off? Probably not ) Try
spraying the stuff with warm water...if it soaks in, spray again once or
twice and then try to peel it off. If the cloth comes off and the paper
remains, use a Paper Tiger or very coarse sandpaper to score the
backing. Be careful not to cut too deeply, or the wallboard will be
damaged. Once you get the backing sliced up horizontally, spray with
warm water, let it soak in, repeat, start scraping and peeling. No
simple way to remove any kind of wallpaper, and it is always a messy but
do-able job. Put down tarp or old towels to keep runoff from the
flooring. The whole chore is to get water to the paste to dissolve it,
and it is tougher if the backing or wallpaper is vinyl coated. Once you
get the paper off, you need to wash the remainder of the paste from the
wall if you are going to paint or the texture remaining on the paste
will show through the paint. If smoothe, no problem. I always let the
wall dry overnight before cleaning the remaining paste so I didn't risk
getting the paper coating of the wallboard wet.