Questions on prepping walls.

[arg1975]

Hi. I've been prepping some interior walls and door frames for painting with matt emulsion and matt gloss. I've sanded (painted) walls and frames and started filling small plasterboard holes with Gyproc easyfill. However, the easifull started going off after about 15 minutes so I'm guessing it's out of date, so i stopped. I don't think the walls are in too bad a shape, but there are a few small areas where the paint has flaked.

I've got a few questions for the pros

Is easifill the right product to be using?
Can I use the easyfill to go smooth over where the paint has flaked?
I've come across a lightswitch box that's been patched over (badly), is it a good idea to fill this with the easyfill?
Should i prime the walls for a better finish and what should I prime with?

Thanks in advance

 

[misterhelpful]

Hi, arg1975, and welcome.

EasiFill is really better suited to bulk filling or for levelling out uneven areas but can be used for small holes in plasterboard. However, it's not really suitable for woodwork where you should be using a good quality proprietary filler such as Toupret, Trade Polyfilla, Red Devil, etc. You could use it for filling the lightswitch but in your situation I think I would just use the regular filler for everything.

As for the EasiFill setting too quickly, it could be that it is out of date or maybe you are using one of the quick setting versions (EasiFill 20, 45, 90), rather than the standard stuff.

You should seal (mist coat) the new patches of filler with some matt emulsion watered down by around 25%.