pulled up wallpaper and...what is this?

Hi,

Beginner here. Pulled up wallpaper in my kitchen. Most of the wall behind looks fine and will be easy to rehang on. But the section above a large picture window is crumbling (see pictures). Is this remnants of old wallpaper, plaster, drywall or...? Can I just scrape it off and hang the wallpaper, or do I need to put up new drywall first (or an easier fix)?

Many thanks.

Jamie

 

Welcome to the forums.

That looks like a coating of plaster or spackle over sheetrock that got wet and crumbled.
You definitely can't rehang paper unless that is all removed and repaired.

 

Hard to tell from the pics... It's likely your veneer plaster (the thin finish coat) coming off of the base coat of plaster.

But if when you examine the pieces that are coming off, if it's like a woven fabric, and it tears like a piece of parchment paper, that is a sheet of material that got glued on top of the plaster just like wallpaper... it covered up cracks really well back in the day and was the original wallpaper. But that glue doesn't last forever.

Hard to say how to proceed until you get more of it off. Obviously anything that is loose- or that will easily become loose- needs to come off first. A garden sprayer and some hot water is probably all you need to use. Spray it down until its soaked then go at it with a 4" or 6" putty knife.

...or I could be way off base. Is that a drywall/lath nail I see above the trim in the photo? How old is this house? 1950s?

 

Scrape off everything that is loose then post another picture. Looks like maybe the window was replaced sometime with a smaller window. And maybe the original wall is plaster. the problem with tearing off the drywall, which we still might advise is that it goes behind the window casing and you won't get as nice a fit as was original. Since this is the to of the window that less than perfect fit won't be too visible. Post another picture then stand by.

 

OK, finally was able to return to this project. Thanks for the feedback. I sprayed and scrapped about half of it. Definitely is crumbling drywall. Where do I go from here? (After I get the rest of it off....)

 

If any of that paper tape by the ceiling is loose you will need to cut it off with a utility knife. You can't put mud over loose tape or it will bubble. Try not to tear any of it from the ceiling.

Once all the loose stuff is gone, I would first prime it with an oil based primer, like Zinsser Cover Stain primer. Once that is dry, skim on some joint compound, and lay some tape on it, following the edge of the ceiling... Then press that tape into the wet mud. And let it dry for 24 hrs. Fibafuse is a good one to use. Then cover that tape up with 2 more thin coats of joint compound... Try not to get any on the ceiling. If you do, clean it off with a wet rag. Hopefully that and a little sanding and you will be ready to prime and repaint.

 

Great, I'll try this and post again if I run into trouble. Really appreciate the help!

 

I'm glad to see someone else recognizes the worth of FibaFuse. Good stuff. I got a sample of FibaFuse Max. I like it too.
Might be a good idea to put a few more screws in for good measure.