I successfully removed the wallpaper from the plaster walls in the bathroom. I was able to remove the paste on the upper portion of the walls, but from the floor up to about 4 feet up there is another 1/4 inch of substance on the walls. It isn't joint compound, as I took the wallpaper steamer to it for a long time with no effect. It won't release the wallpaper paste. I can scrub it off, at about a 4 inch square section half an hour. There is plaster under this substance, but I need to remove it. Any suggestions? I have tried vinegar, dish soap, Brenner's soap, hot water and scraping with a putty knife that had limited success. Any ideas?

There is an indentation line in the plaster at the top of this section, so I don't know if they had wainscoting up before and this may have been leftover from that, but it isn't a drywall patch, there is plaster below the line. The house is from the 50's and the wallpaper is from the 80's is my best guess.

 

My guess would be Durabond or something similar. I would score a line at the top of the "substance" & chop it out, to the studs. Patch it with drywall.

 

Welcome to the forums!

I agree it sounds like a setting compound as they are not water soluble. I'm not sure I understand the issue can't you sand it down or skim coat the bottom portion to get them to match?