Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Painting and decorating, plaster mouldings, Artexing questions

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L-plates
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by L-plates »

Hadn’t really wanted to join yet another forum, but probably need tailored advice rather than assume some stuff read from a number of other threads here and elsewhere.
Jumping in with both feet, so here goes…

As a matter of trying to find the right shade of grey paint to go with, it soon became obvious that the living room walls would need to be painted white first! Not that we were painting over anything strong/dark – a Johnstone’s taupish colour (in mid-sheen, as that’s all the other half likes!)
Needless to say, the idiot in me (rarely makes an appearance, but he’s there) allowed himself to be talked into using Valspar Contract white matt… anyone got a time machine I can borrow?
Suffice it to say, we’re now back to bare plaster and the original magnolia from 2004, when the house was built.
The issue now is that in using a heavy duty scraper (I should mention that I typically don’t have much patience) to shear the shite off the walls, aside from some slight gouges, we’ve a fairly extensive amount of pocked marking where the magnolia took very small bits of the plaster with it.

In another thread I’d read someone suggest wetting the walls and stripping the original paint off, but I’m half wondering if I should opt for a drywall sander to smooth the plaster out and remove the paint quicker, after first becoming aware of such a thing just the other day.
I have a B&D palm sander thing, which the dust bin doesn’t stay in place or make a full seal unless jammed in with the aid of a finger, so more often than not, the room is like a snow globe after having been vigorously shook!
That said, however, it did a good job (with 120 grit, I think) on smoothing out the marks when we removed the last of the Valspar’d paint, so I’ve retreated from the notion that the only way forward was to have the walls re-skimmed.
So, I’m in two minds about whether to go for the likes of the Menzer unit with the triangular head too, or just a 5”/6” RO, if the water and manual scraping is going to be an arduous task.

After sanding the entrance area (1m sq), I’ve come to appreciate the smoothness of the walls there, and moving forward with the other areas of the house, they too will be getting smoothed as the current textured feel is bloody horrible. If the drywaller is a good choice of tool, then I may do that before getting in a pro to do the hall/stairs/landing – this experience really has put me off painting entirely, not that I was ever fond of it to begin with, least of all glossing!!
Suffice it to say that the Fein MM bought to make installing the square downlights a breeze will be getting heavily used to remove the crap she bought and used on the front door, and if the wood has a grain, it’ll be getting stained grey… but I digress.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my rambling, and sorry for it being so long.

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Pocked.jpg
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Dulux-Goose-Down-mid-sheen.jpg
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Not as grey nor as dark as the image portrays, there’s quite a bit of blue to it.

Downed-Goose.jpg
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Dulux’s Goose Down decided it didn’t want to bond with the Valspar.
OchAye
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by OchAye »

:welcomeuhm:

Thanks to you I looked up on Mrs Internet the drywall sander. Impressive stuff at the price and an equally impressive range of abrasives at a reasonable price for the quantity they have (e.g. 25 pieces). The catch with that is that beyond decorating which you obviously don't like doing, there won't be another use for it. If you consider a random orbital sander consider what abrasives you can use with it, those that are for bare wood will not get very far with paint and the cr@p from the two German supermarkets rips up as soon as you look at it. If you are into DIY you will probably have more use for the RO sander but chose something with the biggest disk possible as - in your case - you are likely to go through the wall as you you are a touch heavy handed :mrgreen: See photos #2 and #3 which are beyond sanding, they need filling now.
L-plates wrote: Fri Aug 16, 2019 6:56 pm Johnstone’s taupish colour (in mid-sheen, as that’s all the other half likes!)
Was the above on top of the magnolia, on which you painted the contract matt? If yes (and even if that was not the case), contract matt has no vinyl so it is quite porous. On top of a mid sheen or silk paint it will be like a coat of powder and you know the rest. It is false economy IMHO to buy cheap paint to obliterate a colour only then to put your more expensive paint on top. It is like removing the new tyres from your car and putting remoulds on because you have to do a long trip ... yup you will not wear the new tyres.

I tend to be a PITA that advices to use water and elbow grease, but that is when there is a layer of paint that has not adhered to whatever is underneath it and does not all get easily scraped off. Soft-sheen, mid-sheen and silk paints are much harder to penetrate with water and are also harder to sand.

=====================
It sounds like you have orange peel in the rest of the house. You can sand it down, fill it etc. but you are always in danger of recreating it because of high porosity and/or heat etc. Use a quality trade paint (not usually available in the sheds) a medium pile roller sleeve, and you can dilute a bit at least the first coat. Where you have bare plaster or that faint first coat of magnolia you should mist coat the plaster, i.e. either a thinned down first coat of emulsion or use a specialist plaster sealer (Gardz) which in your case will make the subsequent coats of paint produce a lot less orange peel.

A long post in reply to your long question :wink: Slow down and not get any deeper in demolishing the house and figure out what you have to do next.

PS. Never ask for advice at P&Poo.
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by Bob225 »

Anything with latex will peel like that unless its preped correctly, as for the pits. face fill with a fine filler like Toupret (i have had success with wickes Patching plaster fine powder (600 421)

A few light mist coats of white matt should cover it then the colour over the top - The pattern/peel in the paint looks like roller marks from either a heavy coat or to much pressure on the roller

- Just a Diyer
L-plates
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by L-plates »

Thanks for the reply OchAye, and thanks to the other thread where a member suggested spraying the wall with water – that, in combination with the heavy duty scraper is working a treat! Will still need to sand the walls to remove the pock mark effect and reduce some of the slightly deeper gouges. Wish I’d known about this before now, but at least it’ll put the room into a position whereby we can actually move forward and complete.

We had a painter round this morning to quote for the stairs area and the roofline exterior, and he’s suggested than MacPherson’s Eclipse is the best paint for creating a base. I presume we put a mist coat on the bare plaster, then another coat at normal strength, before top coating?

Regards the “orange peel” on every other walls internally, that is something I definitely want eradicated, although we won’t have the smooth feel of the currently sanded walls in the entrance unless we have the walls sprayed, instead of rolled. Is that the case, or is a matter of using a short pile sleeve?
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by L-plates »

Thanks Bob, that was the other thing the chap mentioned this morning, which I couldn’t remember the name of.
How does it differ from “Polyfilla”? Do I need to mist first then patch or can it be used direct on the newly bared plaster?
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by OchAye »

Just use Toupret! Do not use the sander trying to remove the deep marks, just sand over them to make sure the surface is clean and no more. You must fill the indentations because if you try to sand them out you will end up with a very uneven wall. Use the sander to remove any stick out bits, esp, remaining paint. When you fill you sand again (and fill and sand until you are happy).
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by wine~o »

L-plates, :welcomeuhm: as it happens I do have a time machine, I might have mentioned it before on this forum..



Tardis exterior finished (2) resized.jpg
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Your walls do indeed need sanding, then a fine surface filler such as toupret as advised, You may fid it easier to use a wide filling knife, wet the hole/s first using a wet brush (decorating not broom) then push your filler in and scrape up with the clean damp filling knife.

Leave to dry, sand as necessary and refill if required. Sand again if not happy.

By now you will be back to some bare plaster, mist coat (Contract emulsion diluted according the destructions on the tin normal maximum is 20/25% water)

Leave to dry, then 2 topcoats of trade vinyl emulsion. Medium pile microfibre roller will be fine.
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by OchAye »

If he has left over paint on the wall and mist-coats with contract matt he will end up where he has just been. It is not necessary to use non-vinyl paint to mist-coat, it is only necessary when the plaster is still drying out. Just sayin...
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Advice sought on internal walls issue.

Post by wine~o »

OchAye wrote: Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:34 pm it is only necessary when the plaster is still drying out. Just sayin...
I'd assumed he was stripping back to bare plaster, bare plaster is still porous and needs a mist coat. More so if it is dry.

Just sayin'
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Post by OchAye »

We agree on both things ... my concern was where he does not get to bare plaster.
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Post by Bob225 »

Parrot stuffing is a brand name aimed at the diy market wieght for wieght it's very expensive
my concern was where he does not get to bare plaster.
It depends how bad it is you can always top coat it with a water based primer eg. zin bullseye, that stuff covers most stuff
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Post by L-plates »

Fear not OchAye, the tip mentioned on the other thread is proving to be spot on.
The plasterboards enclosing the entrance area are now bare, the party wall is half done, and I’m thoroughly bored now… so the rest’ll get done tomorrow.
I’ll get some Tourettes on Monday (ran out about half an hour ago!), after sanding the pocked mark bits back, and fill in with Lidl’s finest Japanese filling knives.
Now that I’ve exposed the metal corner on the plasterboard, and along the top of the window recess, do I just paint with emulsion, use a metal primer, or try to re-create a 90º edge with the Tourettes?
Presumably, I sand it by hand, with a block and 120, 180, 240 grit or finer still?
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Post by L-plates »

@wine~o — Given I’m on L-plates, maybe borrowing that wouldn’t be such a good idea after all. Knowing me, I’ll wind up back in the Mesolithic Period!
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Post by OchAye »

L-plates wrote: Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:12 pm Now that I’ve exposed the metal corner on the plasterboard, and along the top of the window recess, do I just paint with emulsion, use a metal primer, or try to re-create a 90º edge with the Tourettes?
Use a primer over the metal beading, although the chances are the metal would have been plated (galvanised?) by now you have to assume the plating has been scratched off so it may rust. Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 is suitable. Feather the edges of the primer onto the plaster when you paint the beads...

Sandpaper, I use mostly 120 grade but adjust how much pressure you apply, for a smoother finish 180. Don't bother with finer grades for plaster/filler.

Use a wide filling knife, they also go by the name of taping knife to fix the surface on photos 3 & 4 above.
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Post by Bob225 »

Tourettes - The all new top of the F****** Range, D*** filler - Its the dogs B******* :lol:

Auto correct strikes again
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