On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 12:36:24 -0400, Gwen Morse
wrote:

Okay, first of all, thanks for the advice.

I think I've taken out of it...

1) Improperly-removed wallpaper sucks.
2) Wet the paper thoroughly to get it off - in particular,
"thoroughly" can be over several days.
3) Steaming may or may not work, but, it's possible to at least try it
"cheaply".

With that information, here's more information about my walls.
snip

Pretty much the exact same situation in my place. Wallpaper over
bare, unprimed drywall.

There is no way to get all the wallpaper backing off without removing
some, probably a lot, of the drywall paper. We've tried soaking, not
soaking, putty knives, wallpaper stripper blades (4" long knife edge
scraper), steaming, and on and on.

Here's what we've settled on: score with the paper tiger. Apply DIF
wallpaper remover (hot) several times, letting it soak in for 15
minutes or more. Strip off the outer layer of paper. This usually
comes off in big pieces, but leaves a paper backing mostly behind.

Soak the paper backing with more DIF, applied with a paint roller.
Scrape it off with whatever works, accepting the fact that large
sections of the drywall paper will come off as well. It's not
necessary to get every last little piece off, just what comes off
fairly readily, and anything that is loose.

Let the whole mess dry. Take a razor blade and slice off any little
"flags" of backing or drywall paper that are sticking up. Skim coat
with drywall mud. What I've found easiest is to do it in about 6"
stripes, with 6" in between, then let that dry and go back and fill in
the other stripes.. Sand it, touch up any uneven areas, and then
prime with good primer.

It's a PITA every step of the way., but I've gotten good enough at it
that I don't think replacing the drywall would ever be faster, and it
certainly would be a lot more expensive.

You're doing the right stuff, just have to bite the bullet and keep at
it. It goes faster as you get some practice.

Good luck,

Paul