Does anyone have any idea of the difficulty factor on replacing walls and ceilings? I've got plasterboard walls, which are looking a bit shabby. Would it be easier to skim or have them skimmed?
Talking Walls. Depends how shabby, shabby is.
If you have holes that go through the boards, then it would be easier to rip the offending plaster board off, fit new board and finish as you see fit.
If, on the other hand, you are just talking surface nicks etc.., Just a skim will do the job. Clean the walls and bosh on some PVA bonding first.
Just how "easy" this is, depends on how well you pick up plastering. Some pick it up well, others, not so well. Search the forum for posts containing "Plastering AND Walls" for tips.
Same scenario with the ceiling and it is artex which I don't particularly like
I prefer to remove artex if possible. Steam generator + scraper usually does the job. If, upon removing the artex, you find that there is lining paper beneath, remove that too. If you're lucky, you may be able to get back to a decent finish. (keep dropping pigs out of windows, one of them has got to fly, hasn't it?)
Plastering ceilings is quite a bit trickier than walls. If you don't feel confident, don't do it. A decent spread may charge more to repair a botched up job, than to skim a half decent surface.
