I have to strip some wallpaper and wonder if you have any tips to help with the process. The paper is fairly heavy duty and is laminated with a woven backing and plastic feeling surface. It seems almost industrial quality. I test removed a small section and it just rips the surface off the drywall. Is there a good method to use to remove it? If the drywall surface does get damaged, is there any way to repair it?
Answer:
You shouldn't have to damage the drywall too much. You can scrub the paper slightly with a steel wire brush and then apply wallpaper removing compound. You can now scrape the residue off with a putty knife. The damaged drywall can be repaired with joint compound and a wide trowel.