Cornice problem

[fhawkes]

Hi
I am a novice DIYer and have encountered a bit of a problem... I was stripping wallpaper and unfortunately someone had papered up onto the cornice, the paint has flaked off in this area, I have continued to peel the paint off to the point where it stops coming off easily. The question is do I need to strip all the paint off the cornice? Or is there an easy way I can do it and end up with an even result - i.e. sanding with fine grade sandpaper to smooth the different levels of paint.
The cornice has been painted with several layers of oil based paint and there seems to be a red distemper underneath. The house was built around 1890. Also it seems like there has been a damp problem many years ago and some of the cornice has cracked. Can I fill these with polyfilla or should I use skim coat that I have used elsewhere in the flat?

Why oh why did I not buy a new build?????

Any help and advice gratefully received!
Fiona

[fhawkes]

ok currently I am stripping all the paint off that length of cornice, it is just flaking off with a shave hook. I plan to fill cracks etc with skim plaster...
ANYONE am I doing this correctly?

[Zampa]

Yep..its a tricky one Fiona..the distemper is whats causing your grief..

If you have any flatish areas you can stick duck tape on them and pull it off..it often takes the paint with it.

youl need to remove as much of the distemper as possible because it doesnt take traditional paint very well..try and take the paint back to a sound part, wash it of and seal the residue with zinser bin primer or alkali resisting primer.

Horrible job..im glad its you doing it and not me

[fhawkes]

Thank you!
Genius idea using duct tape - I have resorted to using jet nozzle of my steam wallpaper stripper but having to be very careful not to wet any one area too much.
Not sure what the primers you are talking about are. I had thought of using diluted PVA as I would to seal plaster... probably not supposed to do that

Thanks again, all advice and reassurance gratefully received!!!

[Zampa]

The PVA isnt a good idea..its a 'bit DIY SOS ish'

[fhawkes]

Thank you Zampa. It's so difficult for a novice DIyer to find out what the correct methods are, I'm glad I stumbled across this forum. I am glad I checked!!! Off to the DIY shops to track down appropriate sealer

[Robbie uk]

The thing is we have all made mistakes in the past when we were learning our trade and you learn by your mistakes. As we are painting everyday we get to use more products on a regular basis and find out what works and what doesn't. Some products do not do what they say on the tin !!!