Bedroom walls

[J Bean]

Hello...
Im decorating my bedroom at the moment...i havent really done much decorating in the past so i just wanted to get some advice beefore rushing in and making a a mess of it... i have stripped the old wall paper... the wall are in pretty good condition apart from some small dents and cracks which need filling... and probably a sanding... i wanted to ask what is the best thing to use for filling small gaps, dents and holes... the holes are from where screws and raw plugs have been removed... i was told to use flexible filler like decorators chalk... but i wasnt sure if it can be sanded... what could you guys suggest.. also in going to rub down the wall will sand paper just to smooth off any other bumps and stuff... would i need to wash down the walls before applying any kind of paint or base paint... if so wat should i use to wash the walls with...

thanks for any adivce...

 

[andy_jb]

I use a ready made interior filler, B&Q own is fine. Its easy to apply and sands nicely with 120 grade - I have found polycell range very tough to sand in the past. You can get powders you mix youself and it depends on convience / amount you are going to do.

It's not an acrylic mastic like chaulk and I would stay away from chaulk for this application. It shrinks too much and is better suited to filling between different materials, ie wall / wood etc.

Open up any very small cracks with a knife and fill else you'll waste your time and they'll reappear.

Use a decorators filling knife for application, once dried give a light sand.

You could use sugar soap and a rag to clean the walls, perhaps more necessary to get the old wallpaper paste glue off than the dust but this depends on how much sanding you do! Small dust will not be shown on your second coat of paint

Thinking about it, I would probably put a wash coat (watered down white paint) over first to show up the imperfections. But then i lean towards being a perfectionist!

So maybe

1. Sugar soap
2. Washcoat
3. Fill
4. Sand
5. Paint x2

Have fun!

Andy

 

[J Bean]

Thanks for the advice andy... Thats a big help mate!..
and like you im a perfectionist too...

just one more thing... i have added a an extra socket where my bed will be and have channelled the cables in the wall wats the best way to fill that without it giving me problems of cracking etc... i have i small amount of plaster finishing and boding lying around... would that work??...

 

[andy_jb]

I would think you'd be ok with either, but if the bags been open for a while it will go off really fast. Just pva before to make a seal. If it does crack, you can always fill!

I did a mix this week with some multifinish that was left over from may. Went off in about 10 minutes but managed to get away with it

 

[kevnurse]

channelled the cables in the wall wats the best way to fill that without it giving me problems of cracking etc...

Presumably you will be fixing the cable(s) in accordance with the wiring regs before making good? If in doubt, check the wiki for the cable routing info.