Wallpapering uneven/cracked wall

[Blokky27]

Hi all

Another day, another diy challenge...

ive bought a very old house that’s not been decorated for a long time...

I’m taking the embossed paper off in this room and as you can see there are vertical and horizontal cracks (not a surprise given the age of the house - and the cracks themselves will be very old too - not worried there).

So I’m looking to put a (lightly) patterned paper up. I’m thinking of some mild repairs to the plaster and then lining paper horizontally before putting the patterned paper over.

Will this be sufficient and cover the worst evils below? And do I have to remove every trace of the old embossed paper? As you can see some of it has come off complete, but in other places just the top layer. I’m cautious about using a steamer to remove it as could this make things worse still with the plasterboard that is already not good...???

thanks in advance all

 

[Captain Nemesis]

1. How long do you plan to stay there?
2. Do you have to keep costs to the absolute minimum?

The last photo (the external wall?) looks to have a cement render, not plaster, and looks basically sound. The other wall is a mess of poorly installed small p/b sheets which it might be best to remove and start again. I wonder if underneath is a stud wall put in to divide the room....

 

[Blokky27]

1. How long do you plan to stay there?
2. Do you have to keep costs to the absolute minimum?

The last photo (the external wall?) looks to have a cement render, not plaster, and looks basically sound. The other wall is a mess of poorly installed small p/b sheets which it might be best to remove and start again. I wonder if underneath is a stud wall put in to divide the room....

1. It's a keeper.
2. Down, but not minimum.

Which I guess answers my question as you have, i.e. do it properly! In which case, yes I'm sure you're right - probably easier and quicker to replace the plasterboard. Hope I don't find anything nasty in there. After replacing can I paper directly onto the plasterboard or do I need to apply anything else first?

The last photo is the same wall but was just to show the embossed paper I'm dealing with, but in fact that section does appear to be a lot more solid and could well be a section of the original lathe and plaster which is I think, as you say, more like a concrete type material than modern plaster? So that being the case, I will need to try and strip this bit properly I guess.

 

[Captain Nemesis]

The last photo is the same wall but was just to show the embossed paper I'm dealing with.

OK - I just couldnt see any paper on the big wall, only around the window. Guessing you took it before you finished stripping?

Anyhow - Id say remove all that sorry plasterboard, and see whats underneath. Maybe ask on the plastering forum depending on what you find.

If you dont want to pay to have it skimmed, then you should be able to get a reasonable finish with taper edged boards, scrim tape and filler on the joins, then heavy duty lining paper, before the final decorative finish. That window is always going to be a source of problematic illumination - any visible joints or lumps etc will be unforgivingly highlighted by being lit from the side. Finishing with decorative wallpaper or with another embossed paper, e.g. a hessian effect, before painting would be a good idea. If you want a smooth plastered painted wall, youll have to get a plasterer, but if you do all the boarding it shouldnt be expensive.

Think about sockets and light switches and wall lights before doing it/getting it done....

 

[Blokky27]

So it turns out the section in the middle of that wall (with the horizontal crack) was not badly applied plasterboard, but badly applied cheap hardboard. As you can see I’ve removed most of it to see what was hiding behind. To the right appears to be lathe and plaster in decent condition and to the left (greenish) plasterboard. Presumably best bet is to plasterboard where the hardboard was?

the hardboard goes down behind the skirting so as it’s nailed into the framework it’s hard to remove any further so I’m thinking of simply cutting along the top edge of the skirting and leaving alone below that cut.

 

[JohnD]

before covering it up, you could add sound (or thermal and draught) insulation.

If you need noise insulation, IME lime plaster is pretty good, so you might want to use two layers of plasterboard. Banging nails in may shake old plaster loose, so use screws.

You can use pink fire foam to seal any gaps or cracks before covering up.

include any wiring before you cover it up, e.g. for extra sockets, broadband, or TV aerial.

With the amount of work you are doing, taking off the skirting for a better job is trivial.

If you're not going to have the plasterboard skimmed, IMO giving it a few coats of vinyl emulsion after filling and smoothing, will make it easier to hang and strip wallpaper in future

 

[Captain Nemesis]

So it was originally lath & plaster.

What's the surface like on the other side? Is now the time to bite the bullet & remove that too?

If you need noise insulation, IME lime plaster is pretty good, so you might want to use two layers of plasterboard. Banging nails in may shake old plaster loose, so use screws.

You can use pink fire foam to seal any gaps or cracks before covering up.

include any wiring before you cover it up, e.g. for extra sockets, broadband, or TV aerial.

With the amount of work you are doing, taking off the skirting for a better job is trivial.

And add some noggins.