After i've removed artex....

[karengee]

Hello all,
great forum!! I've been reading for a while and would like to get some advice about a project I have on the go.
I moved into a new place recently and the previous owners had seen fit to cover every surface possible in Artex or tongue and groove (even in parts of the bathroom!). I have been carefully removing the artex (damp to avoid dust) from the bathroom and have finished the torurous task at last.
The problem is I have been getting very conflicting advice about what to do next. I am not 100% sure. I intend to have some portions of the wall tiled and some painted. what is the best next step. I have had lots of conflicting advice about waterproof PVA glue, sugar soap, plaster patching etc. Could someone in the know give me a step by step for how to get the walls nice and ready, bearing in mind its the bathroom and a bit damp.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Karen

 

[misterhelpful]

Hello, Karen, and welcome.

It's a bit difficult to advise on what to do until we know exactly what type of substrate you have, ie, solid walls (brick or block with render and plaster), stud walls (timber frame with plasterboard or lath and plaster face) or dry lined (solid with plasterboard dot and dabbed onto it), and the condition it is in.

There is good info on tiling onto each surface in the Tiling forum and sticky.

With regards to PVA, it is unwise to use it on any surface that requires painting as the two products are not compatible. It is also generally not used for sealing surfaces that are going to be tiled which are prone to constant/excessive water, ie shower areas, around baths etc. (As said, lots more info in the Tiling sticky.)

You mention the bathroom is 'a bit damp' which is rather vague but any source of damp must be cured before repairing/patching walls. Areas that are just water damaged must either be removed and repaired or allowed to dry out thoroughly before decorating.

After all your hard work removing the Artex, I hate to say this, but, it may have been far easier to have had the walls skimmed (providing the Artex and substrate was solid enough).

If you can give us a bit more info as to the extent of the damage (a few piccies would be even better), we can then offer you the 'step by step' guide you requested.

Be prepared to be bombarded!

 

[karengee]

Hiya!

Thanks for the reply!

Ok, to answer your questions. If it gives some indicators the house was built in 1903.

This is a sample pic of a wall in the bathroom, which is completely typical of all of them!

The walls seem to be in pretty good condition so far as i can tell, except for a few chips and scrapes that came off when removing the artex (god I hate that stuff!!).

The bathroom is a bit damp due to a lack of built in ventilation. It doesnt have damp patches on the walls or floor or anything like that. The people who originally built it didnt put a ventilation brick in anywhere, which simply means that I have to leave the window open after showering, its not a damp issue per se, I should have been clearer, sorry!

As for skimming, I left the artex on one wall to skim as it seemed pretty well bonded, but on the other 3 walls it didnt seem too stable so I decided to bite the bullet and remove it.

Any more questions, just ask and I will do my best to supply the answers!! I look forward to getting some good advice from the experts! Thanks in advance,

Karen

 

[misterhelpful]

Well, as far as decorating goes, I would suggest that the walls need a complete skim before any painting can be done.

The picture looks like a close up so it may not be as bad as it appears but if the whole room is like that I think patching would be both too labour intensive and time consuming as well as not giving a very good overall finish. It would be wise to ask for advice in the Plastering forum and also point the guys there to this thread.

Uneven surfaces can be tiled over to some extent but I would imagine if you need to get some skimming done you might as well get the whole room done.

Once the room skimmed we can offer advice on decorating but, in my opinion, it is not wise for us to do that just yet.

 

[TheDec]

Good advice there, Perhaps the op would be better of not to use the zoom and stand a little further back.

I do think however that you have opened a can of worms here

Dec

 

[misterhelpful]

I do think however that you have opened a can of worms here

Dec

You're not wrong!

Karen,

I don't mean to make the job sound excessively difficult, and it is not a big job for a plasterer, but it will be infinitely easier for you to have good walls to work with.
To avoid any excessive moisture/condensation in future it would be well worth getting an extractor fan fitted, if at all possible.

 

[karengee]

Hello again!

You are most likely correct that the proverbial can of worms has been opened. In honesty though the bathroom needed gutting for the most part. I have redone the plumbing in there and repaired what is within my skills and its a lot better. To be honest it looked like a 1970s squat when I first moved in but ive been slowly getting it a bit better.
I have experience of skimming walls from a previous place I lived at so that shouldnt be too much of a problem.
After skimming what would you recomend (after a suitable ammount of time to allow it to dry) what do you recomend that I use to seal/prime the walls? I can pick some up next time im near the DIY store.

Thanks in advance

Karen

 

[elrobbo82]

when the plaster has had time to dry out properly a thinned coat of matt emulsion can be applied for a mist coat. this would give a good surface to apply your chosen top coats to.

 

[dcdec]

A thinned coat of emulsion is essential prior to any further painting over new plaster and its to stop the plaster absorbing all the water in your emulsion which will cause cracking, lifting and flaking. The average consensus on here is to thin your paint between 20 -30 % but it all depends how thick it is out the tin.

EDIT : Also meant to say that Toupret do a filler than can be sprayed onto walls, quite handy and cheaper/more user friendly than a skim if you have the gear to do it as you can obviously rub down filler.

 

[misterhelpful]

Yes, all you need to seal the new plaster, when completely dry, is a watered down coat of matt emulsion approx. 25% water. I prefer Contract/Non vinyl Matt but vinyl is OK to use. The preferred/best finish paint for bathrooms is acrylic eggshell (trade version) but you can use regular bathroom paint which is effectively the same thing or silk emulsion if you are buying from a DIY store. Matt is not usually recommended/appropriate for bathrooms.

The areas you plan on tiling may be better sealed with something different, so again, I would advise you to check/ask in the Tiling forum.

EDIT: Was posting at same time as dcdec.

 

[karengee]

Ok, thanks for that. I had been getting some people saying to use waterproof PVA and some to use thinned emulsion, so i guess that settles it. Thinned emulsion it is. I will pass on the PVA!

So presumably I will just be able to apply tiling and further layers of paint on top of the thinned emulsion when it has had an adequate ammount of time?

It would be pretty sweet to have a bathroom that looks nice again

Oh, and mr helpful, I am looking at fitting an extractor fan of some variety. It si the sensible thing to do. Its on my list of a thousand other things that need doing!! The guy who owned the house before me was a serial bodger and theres quite a lot to do!

 

[elrobbo82]

when it comes to painting always "pass on the PVA". it's not recommended for a primer for painting surfaces.

 

[karengee]

Good stuff, I will remember that advice.

Out of interest, what is waterproof PVA useful for? (I have a small pot of it which appears to be surplus now!)

Sorry to ask so many questions, but you know what they say, the only stupid question is one that you dont ask!

 

[karengee]

Yes, all you need to seal the new plaster, when completely dry, is a watered down coat of matt emulsion approx. 25% water. I prefer Contract/Non vinyl Matt but vinyl is OK to use. The preferred/best finish paint for bathrooms is acrylic eggshell (trade version) but you can use regular bathroom paint which is effectively the same thing or silk emulsion if you are buying from a DIY store. Matt is not usually recommended/appropriate for bathrooms.

The areas you plan on tiling may be better sealed with something different, so again, I would advise you to check/ask in the Tiling forum.

EDIT: Was posting at same time as dcdec.

Sorry, I somehow missed your post there misterhelpful.
That answers my next few questions very nicely. Thankyou very much!

 

[elrobbo82]

PVA tends to be used as wood glue or a building bonding agent. i would not recommend it for any painting though.