Sanding down walls.

[Iotrez]

Hi all.

I am currently redecorating a bedroom in my house.

We had a plasterer come around to have a look at the walls and he said that they didn't need skimming.

I have stripped the wall paper off the walls and used polyfill on any cracks and holes, and I am now sanding the walls.

The plaster has a layer of paint on it and the sanding works fine on these areas and also on the areas where I have used the polyfill. The problem is that in some areas the paint has come off with the wall paper, leaving the plaster exposed.

When I try to sand these areas of exposed plaster they just won't go smooth. Should I try and seal them with some polyfill before sanding? Or is there some other method?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[JohnD]

Try a scraper on them. It is usually faster and less dusty than sanding. Plaster is not usually very hard, could it be a white or grey filler that you are having trouble with? And is it actually projecting beyond the level of the surrounding wall? If not you could spread filler or finish plaster thinly over it to smooth it.

 

[Iotrez]

And is it actually projecting beyond the level of the surrounding wall?

Thanks for the reply. No its not projecting beyond the level of the wall. I just can't seem to get it smooth by sanding and I'm worried that when I paint it, the roughness will show though the paint.

Should you be able to get plaster really smooth by sanding?

Cheers.

 

[JohnD]

you can get FINISH plaster very smooth by sanding or scraping, or applying it smooth. Other plasters are often rough apart from the trowelled finish as they can contain sand or fillers, it would be like trying to sand concrete to a mirror finish when it is made of grit and stones.

 

[Diyisfun]

If you are talking about a small area, just put polyfilla on, easy to smooth if you need to.

 

[Zampa]

I hope you have scrubbed and sugar soaped the walls down well too...otherwise the lot will be off as soon as you start painting.

By the time you have done all that, filling rubbing scraping touching up filling again etc the walls will be mullered...

Personally I would go for linging paper, which will give you a smooth uniform finish on which to paint over.

Oh and for a cheap filler thats great on walls...gyproc-easi-fil...you can get it in B&Q