"Have you ever even used either product??? That statement is just ludicrous. " Gardz was formulated to seal torn drywall, Kilz will not even come close to the performance of Gardz, not even on the same planet, get real." I have tried both of them. "Formulated" is in the eye of the manufacturer and the advertising department. I could care less about what the sales garbage says. "Latex Kilz product are highly marketed, over rated primers. If you were a professional painter and did this for a living you would know this. " I actually prefer shellac to avoid adding ANY water to the damaged surface, guess you missed that. The only reason to put anything on damaged drywall before repairing the surface is to reduce the movement of water from joint compound into the damaged cardboard causing any further swelling. Setting compound does a lot better than premix. You can use only as much water as you need to get a mix for skimming. Failing to remove left over paste before finishing is just foolish, and is not the issue here. Any coating is not being used as a primer to improve adhesion of the paint, just to block some moisture. Just about any primer will work for this, and it is going to get buried under a layer of drywall mud when the area is skimmed. Anyone who knows how to reportage damaged drywall and skim coat would know this. The painters do NOT know (ever watched them try to fix plaster?). They paint things, not install and repair walls.

I don't think I can get the paper wallpaper backing/wallpaper paste to release from the paper coating of the faux wood paneling. They've essentially fused to become one. If I try to remove all of the paper, and clean it, I'm certain I will end up with badly damaged paneling. I really think the only options are paper over paper, or paper over paste. I just need help understanding which is best of these two options.

Sorry to hear about your experience. Mine is/was similar. I found several layers of wallpaper, with a skim coat in between, and then under that, it seems to have been applied directly to drywall. I have removed a lot of wallpaper in the past, but I ended up damaging the drywall in one room so badly, we decided to hire someone. I had several contractors come through who looked at the amount of wallpaper and wouldn't do it! One guy was willing and he starts this morning so I will see what magic he uses. If he has any tips, I will share.

Black, soot, and an install below. In any case? Go directly to the site and get a sample for 8.00 each. Be careful taking/making selections out of context....what looks great in a powder room, may be less so on a living room wall. https://cole-and-son.com/us/products/nuvolette-2-roll-set