When I bought my flat 4 years ago I got some plastering done in my hall and living room. I knew nothing at all about plastering and assumed it had been done properly.

It turned out that the guy has plastered over lining paper - i had no idea that you aren't supposed to do that. This is why I have bubbles all over my living room walls. I can't afford to do anything about that right now but I want to get my hall (which is tiny) replastered. I've had some quotes and some of the plasterers said I'd have to remove the plaster and layers of paper underneath first. I bought a wallpaper steamer and it has been murder trying to get it off! I've spent hours and only managed to remove a small area. The last plasterer that came to see me said that I only need to remove the areas that have bubbled. This is conflicting advice - is it really ok just to remove the parts that have bubbled?

Also, that plasterer said that if I scrape off the bubbled parts of my living room walls a painter and decorater can fill and smooth those parts instead of having the whole room replastered. Is he right? My living room has a really high celing and I don't know how on earth I'd manage to scrape off the plaster and wallpaper there!

I'd be grateful for any advice.

if you get a bubbled area off quite easily.... then you can see the edge of the plaster and the lining paper underneath round the edge of the hole? so if you hold your steamer over this edge for say 30 seconds, and try and get your scraper under it, it doesnt budge, flake or otherwise?

it all depends on what you want, whether youre going to be happy with it or not.....

what im going to say goes against every rule in the plastering book... but if it wont come off with a wallpaper steamer (steam, as in hot water directly applied for a matter of minutes, followed by a good dig with a decent scraper) then its unlikely to come off in the near future.... (patronization not intended, just trying to illustrate a point)

so go with plasterer No. 2.... never going to be perfect, but will save you a lot of money..

if, on the other hand, you can loosen it.... then go with plasterer No.1... and pay some school leaver who doesnt know any better and could do with a kick up the preverbial anyway to spend a few days with the old steamer.... a good scraper would work wonders though....

good scraper

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http://www.peterborough-plasterer.co.uk/