Hi,
I've recently bought a flat in a grade 2 listed converted Regency period building.
I'm currently stripping off the old wallpaper, and the plaster is in a variety of states behind it, and I'm wondering what the best solution will be to give me a good finish to paint on.
In most rooms the plaster is patchy, with various bad filling jobs from over the years, and chasing of wiring and pipe work. Also, whilst mostly sound, there are areas where it is cracked or loose, and some where it has already come away from the wall back to the brick work.
Finally, in one of the largest rooms, the plaster isn't all that bad, but the paint on it is quite flaky/friable.
I don't think any of the walls are really good enough for painting as-is, but wonder what my options are. Obviously where plaster is missing it will need to be re-plastered, but for other areas I'm guessing my options consist of:
1) Filling and sanding
This will be time consuming, and will probably never result in the best finish.
2) Lining paper
Will require some filling and sanding first. Will probably give a better finish that filling and sanding alone, but I fear the lines will always haunt me.
3) Re-skim
Will give the best finish, but will probably also be the most expensive. Also, will skirting and picture rails need to be removed beforehand then replaced afterwards?
What option would you go for? or there other advantages disadvantages to each option, are there any other options available?
Also, where plaster is loose, is it best just to hack it down, or should I try and secure it (I've seen suggestions on the web of securing it with screws and washers).
Then there are the ceilings, I've spent about a day and a half trying to get the woodchip off the ceiling in the master bedroom, and most of the backing paper still remains. Underneath the backing paper the ceiling is looking quite old and cracked, and there is a fairly large area that seems to have come loose from the laths. One suggestion has been that I get the whole ceiling boarded over then skimmed. However, the room in question also has some original (though fairly simple) cornicing - and I'm guessing this isn't very compatible with re-boarding and skimming a ceiling. How can I sort it out? Is securing the loose plaster and then skimming an option (if so, I'm guessing I'll have to tackle the rest of the backing paper on the ceiling).
I've not tackled the other ceilings much, but they seem to be in a similar condition (though the paper is coming off more easily). Should I bother trying to get the paper off and then smoothing/filling/skimming/lining, or should I just board and skim? (the other rooms do not have cornice).
I now you probably can't provide a definitive answer without seeing the actual walls and ceilings, but I'm really just looking for general advice and help to best know what my options are and how much work would be involved.
I've recently bought a flat in a grade 2 listed converted Regency period building.
I'm currently stripping off the old wallpaper, and the plaster is in a variety of states behind it, and I'm wondering what the best solution will be to give me a good finish to paint on.
In most rooms the plaster is patchy, with various bad filling jobs from over the years, and chasing of wiring and pipe work. Also, whilst mostly sound, there are areas where it is cracked or loose, and some where it has already come away from the wall back to the brick work.
Finally, in one of the largest rooms, the plaster isn't all that bad, but the paint on it is quite flaky/friable.
I don't think any of the walls are really good enough for painting as-is, but wonder what my options are. Obviously where plaster is missing it will need to be re-plastered, but for other areas I'm guessing my options consist of:
1) Filling and sanding
This will be time consuming, and will probably never result in the best finish.
2) Lining paper
Will require some filling and sanding first. Will probably give a better finish that filling and sanding alone, but I fear the lines will always haunt me.
3) Re-skim
Will give the best finish, but will probably also be the most expensive. Also, will skirting and picture rails need to be removed beforehand then replaced afterwards?
What option would you go for? or there other advantages disadvantages to each option, are there any other options available?
Also, where plaster is loose, is it best just to hack it down, or should I try and secure it (I've seen suggestions on the web of securing it with screws and washers).
Then there are the ceilings, I've spent about a day and a half trying to get the woodchip off the ceiling in the master bedroom, and most of the backing paper still remains. Underneath the backing paper the ceiling is looking quite old and cracked, and there is a fairly large area that seems to have come loose from the laths. One suggestion has been that I get the whole ceiling boarded over then skimmed. However, the room in question also has some original (though fairly simple) cornicing - and I'm guessing this isn't very compatible with re-boarding and skimming a ceiling. How can I sort it out? Is securing the loose plaster and then skimming an option (if so, I'm guessing I'll have to tackle the rest of the backing paper on the ceiling).
I've not tackled the other ceilings much, but they seem to be in a similar condition (though the paper is coming off more easily). Should I bother trying to get the paper off and then smoothing/filling/skimming/lining, or should I just board and skim? (the other rooms do not have cornice).
I now you probably can't provide a definitive answer without seeing the actual walls and ceilings, but I'm really just looking for general advice and help to best know what my options are and how much work would be involved.
