After trying unsuccessfully to removal vinyl wallpaper (put on over semi gloss paint & sizing on wallboard) from my hallway using all the suggestions I found & only loosening a few seams, my husband came up with the idea to use a heat gun to slightly heat the vinyl so it would separate from the backing, which seemed to work well. Unfortunately, the heat must have caused a chemical reaction because when I put on a solution to remove the backing some of the paint softened. I've tried several solutions including just warm water, and all soften some of the paint.

It's apparent I can't do anything to these walls until I get all the paint off, but the only way I have been able to do that without damaging the wallboard is the carefully scrape the dry wall down to the wallboard. Is there anything I can use to get the paint off the walls other than this?

 

Welcome to the forums!

Will the paint harden back up if you leave it alone for a day? if so you can then sand and/or use joint compound to repair the wall.

 

Thanks. Do I need to prime over the semi gloss paint or put anything over the gouges in the drywall before I put on the joint compound?

 

Joint compound should adhere fine to the semi-gloss paint - especially if you scuff sand it first. The only priming you may need to do before applying the j/c is if the paper face on the drywall is missing - those areas should be primed first with either zinnser's gardz or a solvent based primer.

 

Appreciate your help and the information!