Easi Fill to skim entire walls?

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Hi, we just purchased a house a couple of weeks ago and the first thing we did was start stripping the wallpaper, we used a steamer and a fair amount of plaster started blistering and peeling off too.

The decorator, before he started he asked me to get him some multi finish plaster, cement and Easi Fill (lots of Easi Fill).

Where the plaster had come off and left deep holes or ares had been chased he used the plaster and smoothed over with Easi fill (I think), even walls that were fine he has skimmed over with Easi Fill, every single room has had the Easi Fill treatment - entire walls, is that the done thing?

Whilst he had used PVA on the walls that he plastered on he hasn't then used any new plaster undercoat before painting the rooms in matt emultion (double coats).

Myself not being an expert I'm just wondering if he's doing / done the right thing, what I don't want is for paint to start peeling off the walls 6 months down the line.

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks :)
 
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Try employing Brits. :rolleyes:

He's probably neither plasterer or decorator - just some foreign chancer taking work away from British tradesmen. It probably will peel in the future but you've only got yourself to blame.

A good plaster job adds real value to your property - a bodge devalues it. You've gained nothing and lost plenty.
 
Try employing Brits. :rolleyes:

He's probably neither plasterer or decorator - just some foreign chancer taking work away from British tradesmen. It probably will peel in the future but you've only got yourself to blame.

A good plaster job adds real value to your property - a bodge devalues it. You've gained nothing and lost plenty.

Sad but true. :(
 
the first thing we did was start stripping the wallpaper, we used a steamer and a fair amount of plaster started blistering and peeling off too.
The plaster may have ben suspect but it's probably because you left the steamer in one place too long. Steamers are very good at stripping wallpaper but also excellent at blowing finish plaster off the base coat. A steamer is designed to put moisture into the paper so you can strip it off the wall more easily but you must keep it moving to prevent localised heat building up in the thin finish skim coat or you will pop it all off the wall; if you listen carefully you can actually hear it happening. :cry:
The decorator, before he started he asked me to get him some multi finish plaster, cement and Easi Fill (lots of Easi Fill).
Easy Fill has its uses but it should never be used to plaster walls; he only needs lots of it because he cant plaster.

Where the plaster had come off and left deep holes or ares had been chased he used the plaster and smoothed over with Easi fill (I think), even walls that were fine he has skimmed over with Easi Fill, every single room has had the Easi Fill treatment - entire walls, is that the done thing?
No, you should have employed a plasterer.

Whilst he had used PVA on the walls that he plastered on he hasn't then used any new plaster undercoat before painting the rooms in matt emultion (double coats). Myself not being an expert I'm just wondering if he's doing / done the right thing, what I don't want is for paint to start peeling off the walls 6 months down the line.
Well you shouldn’t use PVA under paint if that’s what you mean so he may have done that right but he should still have mist coated (primed) the walls. Wait till it’s thoroughly dry (at least 3 days), stick a 6” piece of Selotape over the paint, pull it off quickly & see what happens; it’s probably going to be your worst nightmare. He’s a decorator &, by the sounds of it not a very good one; what you needed was a decent plasterer, sack him before he does any more damage. He should never have done what he has but I suppose you’re lucky that he didn’t stick lining paper over it, which would cause you even more problems for a new plaster job. I haven’t seen your “decos” efforts but from your description, it’s what you will probably need.
 
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Thank you for all of your replies so far, much appreciated.

I will definitely try the selotape on one of the painted walls tonight and let you know how I get on.

He's only painted 2 of the rooms so far and the rest of the house remains unpainted.

With regards to the Easi Fill - on most walls it's a very thin coat where you can pretty much see the original wall beneath.

To be honest when I took him on I thought he was a plasterer / decorator and plaster skimming is what I was expecting as it's what we've had in our previous house, but I thought this is what he does for a living so must know what he's doing, especially as the walls he's worked on are now pretty mush a mirror finish.

My biggest concern is that the paint will peel and that the Easi Fill itself will start to come off the walls.
 
I consider myself to be an extremely good decorator but I will not plaster. I have spent years honing my skills and have not had the time to devote to years of plastering.

A good plasterer has been plastering for years...

I would only expect pva to be used under any new plaster.

I have used easy fill epoxy resin filler to fill very large holes and then topped off with redDevil onetime filler.

other than the tape, spray some water on to the wall, leave for a while and see if it passes the finger nail test.

BTW buy easy fill from car stores- .much cheaper- I pay £12 for the largest tubs, a mate owns a store
 
I have used easy fill epoxy resin filler to fill very large holes and then topped off with redDevil onetime filler. BTW buy easy fill from car stores- .much cheaper- I pay £12 for the largest tubs, a mate owns a store
Sorry M8 I think you’ve got the WRONG Easyfill :confused: ; the stuff were talking about is not a Polyester car body filler; although I know it well :LOL: . Are you seriously saying you use P38 to patch & repair plaster walls or is this some sort of super Troll wind up :eek: .

This is the stuff we are talking about; http://www.british-gypsum.com/produ...ries/gyproc_accessories/gyproc_easi-fill.aspx

I don’t think I can say anymore :eek:
 
I have used easy fill epoxy resin filler to fill very large holes and then topped off with redDevil onetime filler. BTW buy easy fill from car stores- .much cheaper- I pay £12 for the largest tubs, a mate owns a store
Sorry M8 I think you’ve got the WRONG Easyfill :confused: ; the stuff were talking about is not a Polyester car body filler; although I know it well :LOL: . Are you seriously saying you use P38 to patch & repair plaster walls or is this some sort of super Troll wind up :eek: .

This is the stuff we are talking about; http://www.british-gypsum.com/produ...ries/gyproc_accessories/gyproc_easi-fill.aspx

I don’t think I can say anymore :eek:

What's with the troll remark???

Admittedly I made a mistake and confused Easy fill with Easy sand.

And yes the other week I filled inch deep holes in a recessed window with epoxy resin. I didn't have the time to wait for bonding to go off. I needed to be able to line over it the same day.

Frankly I don't see anything wrong with that. I am not advocating skimming walls with epoxy but filling very deep holes

Epoxy resin has been used to stitch/repair masonry etc for years.

With regard to the op's question i see nothing wrong with using bonding for chases and then topping off with filler. It is what I would do. Further if a wall had hairline cracks or high spots I might fill the walls with filler and sand it back. It doesn't follow that, for example, 100 year horse hair plaster with a crazed finish necessarily needs a complete reskim with finish plaster.

it does seem unfair and xenophobic to malign the decorator in question based on the limited information in the OP.

On a wider note i return to my point about plastering and decorating- I have never seen a decorator who can plaster as well as a plasterer and visa-versa.
 
On a wider note i return to my point about plastering and decorating- I have never seen a decorator who can plaster as well as a plasterer and visa-versa.

I can - been doing both for decades.
 
What's with the troll remark???
Wasn’t sure weather you were being serious or not but I can now clearly you were. :confused:
Admittedly I made a mistake and confused Easy fill with Easy sand.
I suppose anyone can get confused about materials they are inexperienced with. ;)

but if you think it's acceptable to,
And yes the other week I filled inch deep holes in a recessed window with epoxy resin. I didn't have the time to wait for bonding to go off. I needed to be able to line over it the same day. Frankly I don't see anything wrong with that. I am not advocating skimming walls with epoxy but filling very deep holes
If you advocate & think it’s acceptable to use P38 to fill cracks & holes in walls, I don’t know what else to say; you won’t like my comments so I’ll say nothing. Probably best you “line over it” because without a proper reinforced repair on the substrate, it will crack again; just confirms my views on what the stuff was made for.

Epoxy resin has been used to stitch/repair masonry etc for years.
An epoxy resin repair doesn’t involve slapping car body filler into large cracks & holes. It won't adhere at all well to a dusty substrate & has no inherent strength at all.

With regard to the op's question i see nothing wrong with using bonding for chases and then topping off with filler. It is what I would do.
Where did I say there was anything wrong with using Bonding for chasses? It’s what I do all the time &, in most cases, skim over the entire wall; done & dusted in 2 hours, ready to paint with no further filling/sanding in 7-10 days. ;)

Further if a wall had hairline cracks or high spots I might fill the walls with filler and sand it back. It doesn't follow that, for example, 100 year horse hair plaster with a crazed finish necessarily needs a complete reskim with finish plaster.
That would be a decorators approach agreed but it’s not a particularly good or permanent solution if it clearly requires more attention & you want it to last; you also need to think carefully about what you repair 100 year old horse hair plaster walls with anyway, particularly if they are solid brick/stone external walls.

it does seem unfair and xenophobic to malign the decorator in question based on the limited information in the OP.
Sorry but it’s a classic case of someone totally out of their depth & compensating for skills & knowledge they just don't have.
On a wider note i return to my point about plastering and decorating- I have never seen a decorator who can plaster as well as a plasterer and visa-versa.
I can’t agree with that, there are many who can including myself. I’ve also been doing both for a few years now (but not decades like joe) along with tiling/brick /laying/glazing/plumbing/drainage/timber work/wiring (under supervision of course)/etc/etc. In no way can you compare the skill required to that lot with the skill required paint & decorate. To quote other’s more harsh remarks on this forum (not mine); if you can **** you can paint but I’d agree papering requires a bit more skill. ;)
 
if you can p**s you can paint but I’d agree papering requires a bit more skill.

Oh goody- I am being belittled by a jack of all trades.

I can only infer from the above quote that you are happy to paint to a standard that I would not be satisfied with.

I concede that my remark about decorators not being able to plaster was misguided. I should have said that most tradesmen can turn their hand to other trades but it is highly unlikely that they can do them anywhere near as fast as people that specialise in those areas, further, deviance from ones' core trade increases the risk of feck ups or mistakes.

I also admit that I am not familiar with Easy fill (I don't do wet trades- I am a decorator not a plasterer) nor do I use gypsum or cellulose based fillers.

Most of my customers want lining paper on their walls, even the newly plastered walls. They prefer the feel and texture.

They would also think me incompetent if I told them that I could not sand and fill the walls and that I needed a plasterer, adding another 2 weeks on to the length of the job.

I agree that epoxy resin filler will not stick to dusty surfaces. It will however stick to many non-dusty surfaces. at no point did I advocate using it on dusty surfaces.

Do you have the same disdain for epoxy resin anchor fix or epxoy resin masonry crack repair products, eg

http://www.sikacorp.com/tds-cpd-sikadurcrackfix-us.pdf

If i am presented with a wall that has a redundant 45mm deep light switch back box I will use epoxy resin to fill it rather than wait days for bonding to dry.

if you want to reskim the whole wall then go for it.
 
if you can p**s you can paint but I’d agree papering requires a bit more skill.

Oh goody- I am being belittled by a jack of all trades.

I can only infer from the above quote that you are happy to paint to a standard that I would not be satisfied with.

You are the guy that is willing to put up with 'tramlines' I don't. My finishes are blemish free. Therefore you paint to a standard that I would not be happy with.

Why are you jealous about the talents of others? I restore houses for a living. I do what every trade can do and have done for decades. If you are intelligent and good with your hands then it's all falls into place.
 
if you can p**s you can paint but I’d agree papering requires a bit more skill.

Oh goody- I am being belittled by a jack of all trades.

I can only infer from the above quote that you are happy to paint to a standard that I would not be satisfied with.

You are the guy that is willing to put up with 'tramlines' I don't. My finishes are blemish free. Therefore you paint to a standard that I would not be happy with.

Why are you jealous about the talents of others? I restore houses for a living. I do what every trade can do and have done for decades. If you are intelligent and good with your hands then it's all falls into place.

Jealous? No.

Doubtful? Yes.

I have never come across a polymath and suppose that i never will. I have worked for extremely talented builders who could turn their hands to many trades. The important thing is that they realised that they had limitations. by the same token I have had the misfortune of working for an arrogant builder who genuinely believed that he was the best in every field.

Statements such as "if you can p!ss you can paint" are very telling- they highlight a lack of understanding of both the technical knowledge required and requisite skills. I can carve the Sunday roast but I do not claim to be a brain surgeon. I can name the various components in a car but i am not a mechanic, and so forth

It is touching that you feel the need to jump to richard's defence. I grant Richard with having the inteligence to know that he he slags someone off that they will retort. I had made no comment about your abilities thus far but to date you are the only person that I have ever heard that claims to be able to achieve a spray quality finish with a brush.

I constantly strive toward acme but know that i will never obtain it. The first step is to accept one's flaws and try to improve upon them. Failure to do so is denial.

Whilst we are clearing the air/ mud slinging/ whatever- your constant harping on about people from other countries all being con-men masquerading as decorators is rather tiresome. This is DIYNOT.COM not STORMFRONT.ORG .This forum has an off topic section for that kind of thing.
 
Oh goody- I am being belittled by a jack of all trades.
If you read my post correctly you will see that I stated it was not my remark & that I was merely repeating what others have said on this Forum.
To quote other’s more harsh remarks on this forum (not mine);

The Jack of all trades jibe is pathetic; you don’t seem to have any idea about the type or scope of work I undertake although a quick read of my profile would have given you a few clues; it goes far beyond painting a few walls. My standards are very high in everything I do & the reason I have become involved with so many trades is a continual disappointment with the standards of “some” who mistakenly call themselves tradesmen. I prefer renovation work where I control every stage but my background is such that I could just as easily design & build you a new house if you wanted one, including all the necessary drawings, calculations & get you Planning Permission; but in this case, the time factor alone would make it stupid of me to attempt to do all the works myself, I’d call in the few tradesmen whose work I do trust.

I can only infer from the above quote that you are happy to paint to a standard that I would not be satisfied with.
You’ve not seen my work, how on earth can you say that? I’ve not seen your work either & at no time have I said your standards of finish were poor; it’s your choice of materials & methods of repair I was questioning.

I should have said that most tradesmen can turn their hand to other trades but it is highly unlikely that they can do them anywhere near as fast as people that specialise in those areas, further, deviance from ones' core trade increases the risk of f**k ups or mistakes.
I don’t agree with that at all, there maybe not be many who are truly multi-skilled but there are a few of us around; it means I control quality of my work at every stage & if it goes wrong, it can only be my fault.

I also admit that I am not familiar with Easy fill (I don't do wet trades- I am a decorator not a plasterer)
Should a professional decorator not at least be familiar with the materials that are used to make up the very substrate they are decorating?

nor do I use gypsum or cellulose based fillers.
You should check them out; in all cases they are far more suitable than car body filler.

Most of my customers want lining paper on their walls, even the newly plastered walls. They prefer the feel and texture.
Well there is no accounting for taste I’ll agree.

They would also think me incompetent if I told them that I could not sand and fill the walls and that I needed a plasterer, adding another 2 weeks on to the length of the job.
Sand & fill is often done & if there are just a few blemishes then it’s the most cost effective route & probably the only route for a decorator. But there is a point where it will take less time, be more cost effective to re-skim & you can guarantee it will look perfect at the end of it. I can re-skim an entire room in a day, even 2 smaller rooms & they will be ready to finish paint once the plaster is fully dry which, I’ll admit, you will have to wait a few days for; how many days will it take you to sand & fill, sand & fill, line it out & then paint!

Do you have the same disdain for epoxy resin anchor fix or epxoy resin masonry crack repair products
Not at all, in fact I am a bit of a techy when it comes to adopting modern techniques; but your link points to a commercial product, you started out by advocating the use of car body filler to repair walls with.

if you want to reskim the whole wall then go for it.
Its quicker & far less hassle than all that filling & sanding & I will guarantee you won’t see the join.

Oh goody- I am being belittled by a jack of all trades.
I am not belittling you, your doing a perfectly good job of that yourself, why keep digging ;)
 

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