Getting behind banisters

[welshtom]

Hi,

I am currently finishing off the prep work on my stairs and landing ready for a skim. However I have no idea what to do with the 'corner' of wall that runs behind the stair banisters Here is my best MS Paint effort to try and clarify the area I am on about:

Untitled

• welshtom
• 7 Apr 2010
• 1

As you can see the wall that runs from downstairs ceiling height to full height is partialy covered by the banisters/hand rail in the one corner. The gap between the banister and the piece of wall is only about an inch so you can not get your hand between. There is also no obvious fixings on the balustrades so I can't see how I would disassemble the banisters.

So any ideas how on earth I am going to get access to this piece of wall?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Tom

 

[Micilin]

They are a pain.

1 When you say you are skimming, will that area be good enough to paint if you feather a joint into it? ie skim up to where you can and fill/rub down the joint to blend in and paint the lot?

2 If not is there any way a tool such as

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-3PC-MARGI...ItemQQimsxq20100325?IMSfp=TL100325118001r9136

will get you in. If you can coat it, let it set a bit and flatten with a brush, you might be able to sand the rough bits to get a coat on.

3 Any way of blanking it off as a last resort ?

 

[welshtom]

Micilin thanks for the reply. At least it sounds as though I am not missing the obvious! I thought there may have been some trade trick to tackling this sort of thing - but perhaps not.

1. The problem is that access is so limited I have not been able to remove all the bits of old wallpaper (multiple layers) and generaly not been able to prep the wall nicely. If I had managed to prep to the same standard as the rest of the walls then a feathered edge would do nicely.

2. This is looking the most likely option - do the best job I can with some small tools and hope that the area in general is sufficiently hidden from view such that the inevitible imperfections don't stand out.

3. Not easy to do a tidy job of blanking off (artex ceiling up to the edge of the wall in question and gap in banister etc).

Any other ideas before I probably go and make a dog's dinner of this?

Tom

 

[stevethespreader]

use this long handle scraper to take the wall paper off then get the plasterer to feather the skim in http://www.toolshopdirect.co.uk/item.php/site/froogle/sn/STA028004

 

[trowelmonkey1]

a pain is right! just did one this week.

skimmed down to hand rail and feathered it into existing wall and around post, about all you can do, use a combination of filler and sandpaper to make the area behind good for decorating.