Red Plaster

[Jock74]

After scraping the wallpaper off our hallway walls the plaster underneath has red colour through it.
I notice if it’s damp it stained my fingers red so just wondering if anyone can tell me what this is and if any steps were needed before I painted over it?

 

[Wayners]

Rub with meths. Probably come off easy as I think that's red emulsion. Meths Is a mild paint stripper.
Can get a better look at what's under which looks like multi finish plaster to me

 

[ree]

OP,
Sand off every trace of the old wallpaper before doing anything else.
Ask on the painters forum for how they would treat the coloring.
There's no "multi finish plaster" or any other finish plaster showing?

 

[RandomGrinch]

It looks a little like the rather colourful distemper I found, when I removed the wallpaper from my lime plastered Victorian walls.
If it were distemper, a test would be to wipe it with some warm soapy water on a sponge - the sponge will quickly change colour if it is!

 

[Alastairreid]

Don't sand anything as that looks like old artex under the red emulsion.

 

[Jock74]

After scraping the wallpaper off our hallway walls the plaster underneath has red colour through it.
I notice if it’s damp it stained my fingers red so just wondering if anyone can tell me what this is and if any steps were needed before I painted over it?

 

[Alastairreid]

Poster #6 sorry sir my mistake ti's the remains of the wallpaper.
No glasses on.
The red stuff on the wall emulsion, red ochre, Satan's blood..don't know or care it's irrelevant.

 

[Wayners]

Old emulsion. No vinyl in it (PVA) it's just a chalky old red emulsion over plaster. Maybe lime plaster not modern gypsum mult finish.
I dustless sand that sort of surface.
Might need a breathable paint over it if lime plaster

 

[Jock74]

Thanks RandomGrinch, sounds very similar. Did you re paper the walls or paint?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Thanks RandomGrinch, sounds very similar. Did you re paper the walls or paint?

I'm afraid I cheated, I covered it with panels to make a feature wall!

As others have said above - hopefully the paint is emulsion, you can then fill, sand and over paint.
However, if it is distemper (and hopefully it isn't), it will all have to be scrubbed/sanded off, as emulsion won't adhere to it.
As before, try rubbing it with a sponge and see how easily it comes off. Alternatively, if you wet a larger area with warm water, and after a while the surface feels sort of soapy, then again it may be distemper.

 

[JohnD]

I don't think it is distemper, because the colour is very strong. Distemper is made of powdered chalk plus glue and a tint, so usually in pastel colours.

It can be scrubbed off with very hot water, but not with cold. It has a distinctive unpleasant odour of dead horses hooves when you scrub it hot, which you will always recognise again.