Can you skim over emulsion which goes soft when wet?

[Muzz]

when scraping some wallpaper from my hall walls, i discovered that when wet, the emulsion (assume it to be emulsion) underneath scraped off.

I've continued to scrape off with the intention to repair myself but as you can imagine you get the odd gouge etc. Additonally in some places the coat underneath has come away too and in some spots it's right down to the bare plasterboard or skim.

I could fill and sand and get it back to an acceptable level and maybe put lining paper up but I'm thinking i might just pay to get it skimmed. Better finish, less mess and more spare time for me.

When i come to remove the remaining wallpaper, would I need to also scrape the walls before skimming?

 

[1john]

I would pay the plasterer to prep and skim it, although you could try some easy fill and a sanding session, you may suprise yourself, sometimes I think this can be the better option, especially if it is a well skimmed wall.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

sounds like distemper to me! i've skimmed over it using stabilex to seal it then a bonding agent over that before skimming.

 

[roughcaster]

If it is distemper, than remove as much as you can, by soaking/steaming it off, and then do as TM says, seal it with Stabilex, or you can do the same job with an oil based undercoat,, it's cheaper that way, but just a bit smellier,, then use a bonding agent before you skim as TM said.

 

[Richard C]

sounds like distemper to me! i've skimmed over it using stabilex to seal it then a bonding agent over that before skimming.

To me also; I think repairing with filler is going to have limited success & be a lot of hassle. I’ve never had the privilege of over coating it but agree with TM &RC that you need to remove as much of it as possibly & then the correct prep before re-plastering will be crucial. For this reason you need to select your plasterer very carefully such that he has experience (or at least knows what it is) so he doesn’t just try & splash on a load of Multi.

 

[Muzz]

I'm not sure if it is distemper, i understood distemper would be dusty to the touch? Also, house is only 25ish years old.

Saying that, would the wallpaper paste have "stabilised" it enough to remove the dustyness making it appear to not be distemper?

I've had good results filling and sanding but that's also why i don't really want to do that, the time, effort and dust are annoying.

Sounds like the answer is the worst one, it needs to come off first

Thanks,

 

[trowelmonkey1]

if you're house is only 25 years old then it's more than likely not distemper, i think it wasn't really used since the 50's (someone correct me on the exact date?) it's not always chalky though, i've come across it before when it had been painted with some kinda silk/vinyl paint so was glossy to look and smooth to touch, admittedly this is isn't an inherent property of the distemper itself but was enough to fool me into PVAing it before skimming, was only when the PVA soaked it that it went soft and came away from the ceiling with a light rub of my finger.

anyway, i digress! so, assuming this isn't distemper it could be a solution to seal it with bonding agent like wickes WBA and then get it skimmed, i'd get a plasterer round to look at it first though.

 

[roughcaster]

if you're house is only 25 years old then it's more than likely not distemper, i think it wasn't really used since the 50's

(someone correct me on the exact date?)

The "exact" date that distemper ceased to be used was 30th June, 1959. Self employed painter, John Jones washed out his distemper covered roller for the last time at 5.30pm.
If you believe that, you'll believe anything.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

 

[Muzz]

think my plan will be to remove wallpaper as carefully as possible in the remaining sections if the wall still looks ok i might just try that stabilex stuff or wickes WBA you mention, then re-paint.

For the sections that are exposed and looking rough I'll get a plasterer round for a look. We want some artex skimmed so I need a plasterer anyway.

cheers again guys.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

don't just paint over WBA, it has a grit in it so only use this on areas you're getting plastered.

never tried painting over stabilex you may find it tricky as it leaves a shiny surface, check the manufacturers instructions for uses before coughing up for it, this is why i use WBA over it before skimming.

 

[Muzz]

i had a thought later also, I'm going to need to wash the wallpaper paste off, which means the paint will start to come away anyway so I may still need to take it all off.