Skimming walls - Help!

[Kevlar_]

Hello all,

I am redecorating a bedroom and the walls could do with a skim of plaster but I'm unsure what I need to do to prepare. I know zip about DIY, and I've got so many questions whizzing around in my head I don't know where to begin.

Three of the four walls are plasterboard, and one (dividing wall between our house and next door) is concrete, but looks like it's been finished with plaster. All have been painted over several times over the years but haven't been stripped for as long as I can remember. I have stripped in the inside corners because there were large bubbles and the paint looked warped. On closer inspection there was paper tape underneath the paint and I'm guessing this is what had warped and bubbled so I removed it along with some surrounding paint, which came away unbelievably easily. A 10 second blast with a heat gun and a quick tug and an A4 sized piece of paint just peeled off the wall. Naturally, this didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

What I want to know is:

1. Can I just get a plasterer to skim over the paint? Or as the paint is coming off so easily, would it be a safer bet to spend a day or two getting as much of it off as possible?

2. What was the paper tape I removed? Will it have to be replaced? I am guessing it was there for a reason. If so, will the plasterer do that for me?

Any advice appreciated.

-Kev

 

[brist]

Just get a plasterer to skim the walls no prep needed

 

[Micilin]

Personally, I would get anything loose off. The new plaster will only be as sound as the substrate onto which it adheres.

That paper tape , I don't like either. If it comes off easily now, it might be worse when it gets wet.

So , I would get anything off that is loose, so that the plaster is stuck to a decent bacground either with PVA, SBR or Bondit.

I would also seal the walls up at least 24hrs before, with 4:1 PVA (or SBR) to water, or better still with Thistle Bondit

 

[Kevlar_]

Thanks for replying guys.

Another question: Whilst peeling back the paint on the plasterboard walls, I noticed the layer underneath is papery to touch and in fact in some places the paint took off what looks like tissue paper with it. Is this bare plasterboard? If so, does that need to be PVA'd or not?

 

[Tunni56]

You on some sort of wind up brist? That's the only explanation for such plain stupid 'advice' If your answer is due to a total lack of knowledge/experience then you should not offer an answer that would screw someones home up!

 

[roughcaster]

To be honest,I think there is a fair old bit of prep required here.I agree with Micilin ,there would be no point plastering onto a surface that is in anyway questionable.If you get a plasterer in to redo the walls,he should replace the tapes in the corners with scrim or fibre tape,but point it out to him,just to let him know what you are looking for.These tapes were put there to cover the joints in the corners.You did the right thing in removing them if they were loose. If, as you say you spend some time preparing the walls yourself,the plasterer would do the rest. Any scrapes or minor damage to the plaster-board caused by removing loose paint etc would all be PVA'd and plastered over on the day,so you should have no concern at all... Just a little tip Kev.....If you're having a job done in your house,never tell anybody you know nothing about diy,make them think the opposite.

Roughcaster.

 

[Kevlar_]

Thanks for all the advice.

I have to remove the skirting and do a couple of other jobs, and luckily I have the next couple of days off so I think I will just go ahead and get as much of the paint off as I can.

roughcaster: I thought that's what the tape was for, wasn't sure though. I'm glad I did the right thing in removing it. The corners I haven't gotten to yet don't seem warped but I will remove the tape on those anyway - better to get everything done afresh. That tape has been up there for at least 20 years, if not more.

I will try and pretend I'm an expert when I get the plasterer in. Luckily my aunt knows of a plasterer she has used several times over the years and raves about his work, so I won't have to worry about a cowboy doing it. And her son is a surveryor for Rok and knows all the builders, carpenters and electricians so I'll be set if anything else needs doing.

Thanks again to all. I will start another thread if I have any more questions.

 

[brist]

Tunni56 **** off you KNOB

 

[roughcaster]

Bristy,
Not a nice reply.I think you should have taken it on the chin.What Tunni56 said was fair comment.We put ourselves up on here to offer advice to the best of our ability.This time,probably without thinking,you said what you said, and Tunni56 gave his opinion of your comments.He said it in a fair and honest way,you should accept that.Let it be and move on to your next post.We'll be looking out for you.

Roughcaster

 

[brist]

What i was trying to put accross was leave the basic prep work to the plasterer it takes very little time for the plasterer to scrape and prep the wall to his liking so best leave it to him. Any decent plasterer will prep the wall before skimming to the standard he requires