Strategy for nice painted walls – experts, please advise

[Rabatts]

Background

Have stripped wall paper, walls are in quite good condition, but patches of emulsion underneath have lifted leaving bear patches.

It’s a nice house, full of character in an ideal location, so we plan to stay here forever. I know lining paper would be easier, but I don’t like wall paper or lining paper and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get it how I want it. Time is not too much of an issue – I enjoy DIY, but money is tight.

I have done lots of research, but there’s loads of methods and lots of conflicting advice, so I want to be sure this is ok. The bits I particularly need advice on are in bold.

Here’s the plan:

1. Remove emulsion – above the picture rail is coming away easily, it’s powdery (distemper?), below the picture rail is stuck fast.
I intend to experiment with:
• Heat gun & long handled, bladed scraper
• Ecover washing up liquid
• Paint Stripper (tempted to try Strippers NB-610 - claims to remove emulsion and textured masonry paint (a job for another day)
Has anyone had good results from any of these, are there any other methods? (I have tried sanding – it’s not a good idea)
2. Fit coving.
3. Fill imperfections with Easi-fill – I have just discovered this and think it’s brilliant. Do I need to widen the ceiling cracks for filling?
4. Sand filler.
5. Wash walls with sugar soap.
6. Coat with thinned down emulsion – 4 emulsion:1 water. The walls are very old (1934) and very dry, so does it need to be thinner or do I need to add some PVA? Is Wickes Trade Contract Matt ok to use for this?
7. Coat with Basecoat to cover any minor imperfections. Is Polycell Basecoat any better than Wickes Mastercoat basecoat?
8. Coat with Johnstone’s washable matt. I have always had good results with Johnstone’s paints, but last time I tried this one it reacted with the silk emulsion underneath, is it likely to react with the Basecoat? Lots of people seem to recommend Dulux, - is it better, I have always found it a bit too thick?

 

[Zampa]

1.....

Has anyone had good results from any of these, are there any other methods?

Dont use a heat gun on plaster..it couild cause it to blow, and possibly in you face.

Best method for removing distemper its plenty of hot water and elbow grease...using a scourer and a thin bladed knife like a filling knife.

Then give the wall a coat of thinned alkali resisting primer because distemper can be highyl alkaline and that may have soaked back into the wall..it also helps bind the surface.

3. Fill imperfections with Easi-fill – I have just discovered this and think it’s brilliant. Do I need to widen the ceiling cracks for filling?

Good choice of filler for thin/small cracks otherwise use polyfilla first...easifil will shrink in deep cracks..

Rake them out first so the filler goes all the way in and doesnt leave a void.

6. Coat with thinned down emulsion – 4 emulsion:1 water. The walls are very old (1934) and very dry, so does it need to be thinner or do I need to add some PVA? Is Wickes Trade Contract Matt ok to use for this?

I would give the walls a coats of thinned dulux stainblock primer to give a good base..then fill over it..(see below)

7. Coat with Basecoat to cover any minor imperfections. Is Polycell Basecoat any better than Wickes Mastercoat basecoat?

From what I have heard no base coat is much good..and dont go mixing different brands..if you have a problem no one will want to know.

8. Coat with Johnstone’s washable matt. I have always had good results with Johnstone’s paints, but last time I tried this one it reacted with the silk emulsion underneath, is it likely to react with the Basecoat? Lots of people seem to recommend Dulux, - is it better, I have always found it a bit too thick?

If you want dulux and find it too thick..thin it out.

Hope all that helps.....

 

[holmslaw]

Also, it is very tempting to do all the edges first and then paint the bit in the middle.

Paint each wall individually and do not overlap onto adjoining walls and don't stop once you have started.

 

[AndersonC]

By the time you've done all that a plasterer could have PVA'd and skimmed the walls for you.

It is well worth getting some quotes for having the walls skimmed, it could be cheaper than you'd think and would aviod all the messing about stripping paint, putting filler in holes etc.

 

[Rabatts]

Thanks for the replies.

By the time you've done all that a plasterer could have PVA'd and skimmed the walls for you.

Can't afford a plasterer - the problem is over the whole house, we were quoted £1k to skim the ground floor.

Dont use a heat gun on plaster..it couild cause it to blow, and possibly in you face.

Ooops…I have used the heat gun for a few hours this week and it worked well, but I'll try Ecover, paint stripper and wet & dry now I'm aware of the danger.

I would give the walls a coats of thinned dulux stainblock primer to give a good base..then fill over it

Just to be clear, is the best order rake cracks, use primer and then fill?

If you want dulux and find it too thick..thin it out.

I'm happy to use Johnstones and I can get it locally, but I keep reading it's cheap and crap and Dulux, particularly Dulux Trade, is loads better - any opinions? Zampa, I take you're point about mixing brands, if i stick with Johnsones I'll use their primer.

Also, it is very tempting to do all the edges first and then paint the bit in the middle.

Paint each wall individually and do not overlap onto adjoining walls and don't stop once you have started.

Do you mean let one wall dry before moving onto the adjoining one, or just edge the bit you’re ready to paint, roller the middle then move onto the next bit coating the whole room in one session?

Sorry for all the questions, I used to live in a new house and it was much simpler. Thanks again for all you’re support. I’ll let you know how I get on, but it could take some time!

 

[holmslaw]

I meant

"just edge the bit you’re ready to paint, roller the middle then move onto the next bit coating the whole room in one session?"

 

[AndersonC]

Thanks for the replies.

By the time you've done all that a plasterer could have PVA'd and skimmed the walls for you.

Can't afford a plasterer - the problem is over the whole house, we were quoted £1k to skim the ground floor.

Eek! Did you get more than one quote? If that's a truly representative price then I see where you are coming from. Elbow grease is free!

 

[Rabatts]

Only got one plasterer quote, but I have a couple of friends who have had rooms done and it's been around 100-200 per room, so it sounds about right.

The emulsion removing experiment has been a success:

The best results were with Homestrip - it's a non-solvent based stripper I spotted in Focus. It was about £12.50 for 1ltr. I only used about 1/2 the tub on the hall (it's fairly big), after 1 hour the emulsion came away easily with a scraper.

Strippers NB - 610 paint stripper was ok, but not as good as Homestrip, I'll save that to try on the exterior paint which is what I bought it for to be fair.

Diluted Ecover certainly worked, but it needed a bit of scrubbing which was a bit too abrasive for my old dry walls and it left the surface a bit gritty. This could be a good method on newer plaster though.

Wet and dry, used wet, left too much residue that just ended up being spread around and was also a bit too rough on the plaster.

I now hope to get the hall into good shape in no time - unlike the wc walls that I did with a sander, took a month and was not good for my health, the sander or the rest of the house which I filled with clouds of dust.

 

[andy2306]

Im doing the same kind of renovation to my house, I must say elbow grease is free, however, i think that in the long run a new skim will be easier to maintain, I did a similar kind of job at my old house and i was forvever filling cracks, touching up, and never got the finish i hoped for, this time around its a plastering in every room for me!!!!!

 

[Rabatts]

It's taken nearly a year but I have finished the whole ground floor and it's only cost about £50 for a good filler knife, Homestrip and Easifill, very messy though.

Can fully recommend Dulux Trade, it's so nice to use and well worth the extra cash.

 

[joe-90]

That's crazy. Work a few extra hours and get a plasterer in. It's not just about getting old paint off, it's about filling all the hollows and divets with plaster. You have got a substandard job and it's taken you a year. Crazy.

 

[noseall]

The question was aimed at experts joe.