Gad, I worked on this project again this weekend. It's worse than I originally thought. It's almost like there's Elmer's Glue on there or something - some places very thick. Tried goo gone and ammonia and got some of it off but not all. I did take some of the finish off the wall however. The part I started on is in a short hallway going to the bathroom. The wall in that area is slightly textured - the rest of the bedroom is not. I'm telling myself that maybe the rest won't be as bad - that's probably wishful thinking. I can't imagine why the previous owner did this. Any other border I've removed in this house was applied with wallpaper paste on a sized wall and it was a piece of cake to remove. Can't imagine what they were thinking when they did this glue job - or whatever it is.

QUOTE: do I repair any damage to the walls before or after I apply the Gardz? I have a few, very small spots where the paper of the sheetrock came off. I am sure I can use spackel to fill those in. I also have a few dings that were in the wall before the paper went on. All small stuff. Gardz before or after? And while I am at it and, have your attention...do I need to prime after the Gardz? Yes, if you have any open places where the drywall and the facing paper are exposed, I would suggest you seal this up first with your Gardz. This stops and seals any future problems with the exposed drywall. Do your patch work, sand, dust really good, and then use Gardz as an allover primer for the entire wall. As paintguy mentioned, Gardz is clear so if you are planning on using any type of at least a base 3 or darker color with less Ti02, I would use a good hiding primer before applying your finished topcoat. I like using the Aura bath&spa paint in the bath. good luck. sounds like you are on a good route and know what you are doing. :)

Here's a link on skimcoating that might help you if you go that route. Don't use a topping compound but rather joint compound as it has adhesives in the mix that will help adhere along with the gardz. Another tip is to stay with the same brand of compound, don't mix with other brands as the mixes can vary between them enough to show where you stop and start. This is the mud I like to use if available in your area. It's a lightweight mud and although it is a topper, it has adhesives as a joint compound. http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Drywall-Joint-Compound/h_d1/N-5yc1vZard1/R-100320403/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 Here is a link that might be useful: skim coat.

Karen: which technique are you doing? Textured wallpaper over old wallpaper? Or one of the others? Rereading my post (after getting some sleep) it reads more like I am asking about texturing with drywall compound (like imitating venetian plaster, or a tuscan stucco look). PLEASE come back and tell me how it went! I have seen the paper bag technique done on home improvement shows. ItÂs actually simpler. Dipping in poly would be very messy and sticky. You adhere the paper with latex glaze or acrylic matte medium. Then cover with the same clear liquid to seal it in before painting. My hesitation with doing that is if someday down the road you didnÂt want such a texture, you could NEVER get it off. The entire room would have to be skimcoated by someone with the skills to get it really flat and smooth. I donÂt think I want to go that route. At least with drywall compound texturing it could be sanded off smooth easily.