papering on non-plastered walls

[goalc]

We have just stripped the wallpaper off a bedroom and it took off a lot of the paint that was underneath which in turn took off the (very thin coating of) plaster. We have sanded the walls down to get rid of as much of the flakiness as possible.

We now intend to put lining paper up, with the hope that the patchiness underneath will be taken away before we paint it. Will this work, or will we still see the uneveness below ? (the plaster was only about 0.5mm or less thick, so there aren't any big ridges to speak of).

Also, can we put the lining paper directly on these dry plasterboard walls, or do we need to put something on first ?

Any advice is appreciated....thanks

 

[Zampa]

Id be careful with the lining paper..its doesnt cover as much as people think/hope for..even the thickness of a layer of paint can show through...make sure they are in good condition..it will be worth the extra time.

Lining on plasterboard...its fine but depending on how you finish it will have a bring on the preperation..

If you intend to paint it..for life then just ensure you sizize the walls well first using thinned out wallpaper paste or PVA thinned with 30% water

If you are going to aper over it with a finish paper then you need to seal the plasterboard...otherwise it will be wrecked when it comes to stripping it..id use a coat of primer sealer or thinned out oil based undercoat.

 

[goalc]

As it apears to be a nightmare to get the surface even, should I look at using something like Gyproc Easifill (as mentioned in some other posts) to smooth the walls out before applying the lining paper (and if I do use this, can I paint on top if this directly instead of using the lining paper) ?

If so, is this easy/quick to apply and how do you apply it and finish off ? Is it something I can get at B&Q/Wickes etc ?

thanks....

 

[Zampa]

It would benefit you to fill the walls first..be careful though, when your face filling theres a tendency to hump it on too heavy

You can paint over it if you like but youl have the problem of different surafaces, scratch marks in the filler etc..its not the ideal surface to be honest

You can buy the stuff from B & Q about a tenner a bag..good value compared to polyfilla.

Putting it on..use a plastic caulking tool or a wide bladed filling knife..just when its about to go off, flick some water over it and run a clean blade over it again ..this will help smooth it out and cut the rubbing down to a minimum.

To mix it..put 1/2 inch of water in a paint kettle..then add the powder stir it in then leave it for five minutes then stir it again..if its too thick then add a bit more water..dont mix more than you can handle.

 

[D.Ovenstone]

Hi Goalc
It sounds like you got a right problem there and you want to prepare the area as best you can as it will show through the finished wallpapering,
if I was you, and I do it all the time in my customers houses if they don't want me to plasterskim or texture the wall/ceiling is to buy a bag of texture powder, the cheapest that you can find and use this as a filler, the benifits are it bonds well to the surface if it is not laid on too thickly and the surface is sealed well and also sound, but when completely dry it sands down really easy

I don't know if you are familiar with a caulker, this is a flexible plastic but rigid filling/feathering tool that is available at most diy stores here in the uk! use one of these as your applying & filling tool

first of all, make sure that you take any loose plaster ect off the wall
this may now leave a fine dusty residue which is best washed with a damp cloth
when this is dry seal over the whole wall with a pva (unibond ect), depending on the porousity of the surface follow the instructions on the container, this prevents the filler from drying off too quickly thus preventing it from blowing/falling off

let this dry completely, now your walls are ready for the filling

put a third of warm water into a builders bucket (don't tell the builder that your using his bucket, he may be bigger than you)
add the texture powder, completely covering the water and mix this in, the idea is to have the finished mixed texture powder to resemble a thick but spreadable consistency, so that it does not run or fall off your scraper

lay this onto the areas that need filling, smooth as much as you can and also feather in the edges of the filler to the existing wall,
this will shrink back slightly when dry as does most waterbased plaster and fillers
but when it is dry to the touch, but not completly gone white, caulk/fill over again, but this time go over the area of filler wider than the first,

or, if you want to, put the first coat of filler on, let completely dry, sand the edges to blend into the existing wall, seal with a watery solution of pva (as for porous surfaces) then fill again

Using a sanding block is good to get an even finish, also don't forget that sanding down any filling material creates a bit of dust and it may be best to use a dust mask

When all this is completed and your happy it will become very porous when dry so it is best to use a watered down pva and give the whole area 2 coats, allow this to dry then you should be ready to decorate
Good luck
Regards
Dale

 

[Zampa]

I agree about PVA ing the wall should it need it..but experience as taught me that a lot of powdered textured materials, especially artex, are indeed easy to sand but leave a very dry and soft surface to paper over..I did it once many years ago..but found it was really hard going...even after it had been sized.

 

[D.Ovenstone]

Hi Zampa
this is true, the textured surface becomes very porous indeed, as people have problems even when they emulsion onto texture, but it must be understood that a well watered down emulsion or sealer sinks into the texture and not sits on top of it as there seems to be problems with emulsion flaking off, but please don't forget that it does need to be well sealed first before attempting any decoration on top of, even if this takes a few coats, and this will prevent the bubbling effect that is common with a very dry surface that has not been correctly sealed with the right amount of watter added to the sealer
All the best Zampa
Regards
Dale

 

[goalc]

Thanks for the advice, Zampa and Dale - sounds like I have a fun week ahead of me !

As it sounds like this will be a big job (the room is 4.5m x 3.5m, and I would say that the areas that need filling in cover about 35-40% of the wall area - some small areas, some really big) do you think I may be better getting the wall re-skimmed ? I dont know if you can reskim it with some paint still on, or what the cost would be, but would this give me a better surface ?

Do you think the time of doing all the filling in (unless this is easy and I am thinking it is a hard and long process) compared to the cost of a reskim makes a reskim a better option ?

thanks....

 

[D.Ovenstone]

Hi Goalc,
Skim probably would be your best answer for such a large area, it should not matter if there is paint on the wall as long as this is solid and sound because the plaster'er will pva the area first
If you intend to fill the walls yourself it would work out cheaper but if your not confident call in the plaster'er and he should get the perfect finish for you
All the best and good luck
Regards
Dale

 

[goalc]

thanks - any idea on an approximate cost that a plasterer may charge to do skim a room that size ? And if I do go that route, how long do you have to wait before it can be decorated ?

 

[D.Ovenstone]

Hi Goalc
I would presume you may get charged between £180-£280, but it would also depend on the condition of the walls and the area that your in as there are always various rates around the country, but look on the bright side, you should be able to paint the walls afterwards instead of papering them
when all of the plastered area has dried you will see that it turns one colour, this should be ok to emulsion onto
the exterior walls of the inside of the room may take a little while to dry out compared to the interior walls
it is best not to put vynil silk emulsion straight onto bare plaster walls as this may peel when dry
put matt emulsion on for the first coat but water this down first
Good luck & all the best
Regards
Dale

 

[goalc]

thanks Dale - after the hassle I've been through with this over the weekend, a few hundred pounds sounds fine ! I'll get calling a few people tomorrow...

regards
Goalc