Best way to remove drywall tape
 

Hi guys. I am currently in the process of remodeling my kitchen. Ive got the floor and lower cabinets/countertop in. I will be doing the top cabinets here soon. I want to do a tile backsplash on the two walls the cabinets are on. On the wall behind the stove they used fake plastic bricks that are glued on with a mortar type substance. After popping the bricks off, I used a putty knife to get behind the paper on the drywall and peel off the "mortar" they used. It actually comes off pretty easy. My problem is this. There is a seam in the drywall that runs horizontally right through where I am peeling the "mortar" off. The tape does NOT want to come off the wall and I cant get the mortar off where the tape and spackle is. I need to get that tape off but its unwilling to comply. I have a wallpaper steamer. I was going to use it to moisten the tape/spackle in hope that it will peel off the wall. Will the gypsum under the paper fall apart if I get it wet or should it be somewhat resistant to the steam? Is there any other trick to removing the tape that I should try? I dont want to have to re-drywall the area but I will be using cement board over the area so it doesnt have to be pretty when Im done. Sorry for the long post, thanks in advance for any responses.

Try skimming it off with a box knife. I doubt the steam will do a lot of dammage if you let it dry for a while before you cover it up. If that doesn't work just cut out 4" strip and replace just that before you cover it.