What do I do about peeled dry wall backing? My paint is peelng. When I pull it off the paper comes off too?

Question

What can I put on the dry wall before I put paint over it?

Answer 1

Drywall compound (mud). It takes practice to do it correctly, some in the business call it 'driving the knife'. It may be easier for you to remove the affected areas of drywall, replace, finish, and repaint the entire room or area, depending on how much is rotten. If there are just small, isolated areas, Fast and Final compound would be easier; just drive it on straight and even, let dry for several minutes, and paint. No sanding, taping, or finishing! Good luck w/ it.

Answer 2

Perhaps I misread this, but It appears that you have a visible peeling problem, and because of this you want to clear off the old paint to fix the peeling concern, but the paint is sticking to the wallboard cover/paper and that cover paper is coming free from the wallboard..

If this is accurate, then I would look for another problem because, if the paper is sticking to the old paint, then the old paint is doing its job well.

If the paper is peeling away, and taking the paint with it, then there is an underlying problem with the drywall, and that would most likely be excess moisture inside the wall that is allowing the paper to break away from the gypsum.

That does not necessarily mean it is wet and soggy, but dampness will cause that problem..

Do you keep the humidity in your house very high or is there steam or water vapour, or even a leaky pipe inside the wall that could cause this?

You will have to identify and address this problem before painting, as new paint will continue coming away, and there could be a secondary concern with mould developing inside the moist area .

Answer 3

no worries. clean up the area. seal it.
apply goup. sand. apply goup. sand.
prime. paint.