living room decorating

[yogavo]

i've recently decided to redecorate my living room.

i've pulled up the awful carpet and sanded the floor to my best ability*

i've stripped the wall paper (in some places 3 layers) and i've been left with this awful orange stuff half way up the concrete walls. my intention is to paint the walls white, but i am concerned about this orange stuff, which i've sanded by hand, it is very stubborn to remove, i am pretty certain if i paint the walls, the orange will be still visible, also the walls aren't great and the finish won't be very good, does anyone have any ideas as to what i should do?

 

[deanibusmaximus]

Just how bad are the walls?

If you could post a photo it would help.

 

[yogavo]

the walls aren't in the best shape. i think if i could remove this orange stuff i'd have a better idea of how good the walls actually are.

 

[deanibusmaximus]

I wouldn't be too concerned about the orange colour as you can always use a stain blocking primer such as Zinsser 123.

The main thing is to get the walls smooth. Sand as much as you can back to a sound surface. Then if the walls are not smooth get a big bag of powder filler. i think B&Q do an economical one called easifil. I dont have a B&Q near me so not sure.

then invest in a wide filler knife, mine is about 10" wide, and then go over the whole wall with filler pulling it fairly tight as you go. the idea is NOT to leave a skim coat of filler over the wall, but rather just fill the imperfections and cover any raised edges of previous coatings.

once dry put a mask on and get sanding. you can always touch up with more filler if needed.

the 1st coat of paint should be a watered down contract emulsion(read the tin for exact dilution rate)

The alternative is to get a plasterer to quote for skimming.

 

[Pigeon85]

That's the way I go in these situations, I like to give the wall a coat of white first to highlight the bad areas

 

[yogavo]

really appreciate that deanibusmaximus