Correctly preparing a wall to paint..

[Weelucy]

hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and very new to decorating so any help would be appreciated.

We've recently moved into a 60's house that needs gutting and I've started small...

I've removed the wallpaper from a small hallway, to reveal only one layer of paint underneath and then bare plaster.

My question is, how do I correctly not prep this wall to make a good paint job?

My common sense would say to sand the old paintwork down to make it smooth first and then pain over? Is this correct or should I completely remove the old paint first and then start again?

Thanks

 

[sparkwright]

How much of the old paint has flaked off?

How loose is the old paint? Where it's peeled off, does it scrape off easily?

Have you thoroughly removed all traces of the wallpaper paste? Sugar soap is one cleaner good for getting it off. Unfortunately paint doesn't stick well to any traces of the old wallpaper paste.

Are you aware any bare plaster should be touched up with a watered down matt emulsion?

If the old paint is reasonably sound, ie not flaking off in big chunks, then there's probably no need to remove it, but you will have to use a filler to feather out any uneven areas.

 

[Weelucy]

Thank you so much for replying, the old paint isn't flaking at all it's just large patches. I have tried sanding it down and it does seem to look quite smooth, but I wasn't sure if I was going along the right lines.

Yes, I had thought that I'd seen somewhere that watered down Matt emulsion was my starting point. So I thought I'd get the wall as good as I can, and then go for the watered down emulsion.

what do you think then, sand down as much as I can and then use filler to smooth where possible??

I appreciate your help.

 

[emilybronte]

Yes, you are on the right lines. If the wall still feels ridgy or rough to the touch after you have filled and sanded, you will achieve a more professional finish by lining the walls first with something like Mav Erfurt Wallrock Firbreliner. It works out at just over £1 psm (+ paste) but it covers/absorbs the roughness and feels like new plaster when it's up. This sort of stuff:

http://www.decorating-supplies.co.u...=/Shops/BT3825/Products/WFL/SubProducts/WF55D