Decorating Front Room

[Tommo_2007]

Hi all, this is my first post here and am a total amateur when it comes to DIY! (sorry)

I did a search to see if there was any useful topics already on this and couldn't really find anything, so here we go.

Basically we bought our house just over 2 months ago and have had a brand new kitchen in and had all new doors etc. We got somebody in to do all of this.

We have now moved on to our front room (it's a through front room - living room so obviously quite a large area). We have totally stripped the walls ready for covering, we have a dado rail halfway up. With the walls fully stripped etc we can see that the walls are not particularly great, very solid and everything and no damp but there are areas of the wall which have a few hairline cracks (only short ones) and a few bits which are kind of "unplastered". Would we need the wall replastering or could we just put some basecoat over it all? We are going to have someone in to do the wallpapering for us but want to save on the expense by getting all of the prep done if possible.

We are not attempting the wallpapering as haven't got the greatest head for DIY as I said, so please don't suggest that HAHA

We are also going to seperate the 2 rooms with a set of French doors but want to get the decorating done first.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Tom

 

[Zampa]

Right then...

I have bene in after people who have done their own prepping and frankly it not normally enough or its wrong..this causes problems for the decorator.

Having said that, everyone is on a budget of some sorts..

If you have considered going to the expenses of getting a plasterer in then you might want to consider getting the decorator to do the prep work..it will probably be cheaper

Failing that, give the walls a really good wash down, then a thinned coat of dulux stain block, that will allow you to see the bad bits on the walls and apply the filler easily.

Dont attempt to fill deep holes in one go...build the filler up in thin layers instead

Use easi fil from b and q not ordinary poly filla it will work out cheaper

DONT use ready mixed ordinary filler...its a nightmare to rub down.

Its difficult to be specific with telling you what and how to fill as all rooms require different amounts of prep work

 

[spice]

Right then...

I have bene in after people who have done their own prepping and frankly it not normally enough or its wrong..this causes problems for the decorator.

Problems! not half, I appreciate the client is trying to save money by doing it themselves, but IMO I would rather they didnt, as the times I have spent half the morning of the first day going back on the stripping the bits they missed, or rubbing down thier filler which looks like its been slapped on with a shovel, and then having to do lots more.

If you have some cheap white emulsion around you could put that on, that will show up any filling that needs doing.
You could cut the hairline cracks out, and do a light bit of filling, like Zampa says build it up.
If you just fill lightly the first time, it will dry quite quickly, then you sand it down, and you will see if it needs more filling, then do a bit more.

This will help the decorator, as he can then do a bit more filling if he feels that the cracks, indents need it, its better this way than great blobs of filler, and takes ages to rub down.
It shouldnt hold him up too much, as he could be measuring where he wants to start, knocking up his paste, plumbing his length, and even cutting some lengths, so by the time he's set himself up, the filler that he might had to do again should be dry.

 

[Zampa]

yep to that plus..

It often works out the same price when you get someone in especially when its a full room.

I have done jobs where the customer has stripped the walls..ok even if they had made a good job of it all that would remain to do on the first day would be emulsion the ceiling, fill the walls, rub down and undercoat the woodwork...probably amounting to half a days work.

Unless the decorator has got something else to go to he or she will have to charge you for the full day...they could have been stripping the walls too.