Which filler?

shifty_uk

shifty_uk

shifty_uk

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I've stripped the paper from my walls hoping to paint directly onto the surface below but I've been left with the following:

hole1.jpg

hole2.jpg

hole3.jpg


Very nasty. Some of the scrapes and dents are deeper than others. Could anyone offer some advice or recommend products? I have a tub of that Polycell basecoat but I've heard it's not great and I doubt it's up to this job.

Thanks.
 
buy a bag of plaster and do it, easy enough to mix up and even if you cant get a perfect flat finish wait for it to dry properly and sand it down :)
 
Yeah looks like it needs re-skimming. Its very rare you'll fine decent plaster under paper.

You could try using a filler and leaving it slightly proud, then sand it down after to get it level, but it all depends how many scrapes and dents there are. Also the flaking paint could cause problems.

The other option is to use lining paper and paint that, will look the same as painting the plaster and wont feel cold to the touch either. Thats what i did in our living room.
 
Was hoping you wouldn't say that. :(

I have no idea how to plaster or paper and I'm on a budget so there's no way I'm paying £300 for some chap to do the whole room. There's only one wall that's fairly bad.
 
a replaster or reskim fairly pricy but would be much better.
Cheaper option but may not be as good finish, i would sand down the original, apply wall filler slightly proud of the wall, and sand.
But really if it is to a great extent reskim or resplaster.

Or really you could leave it and call it "charracter to the house"! ; )
 
I tend to use caulk along gaps (i.e. between a fitted cupboard and a wall).

Just get some fine-surface poly-filla and a black and decker mouse, really trowel the stuff on and then sand down with the mouse using finer and finer paper.

Makes a metric ****-ton of dust but is the next best thing to having an otherwise sound and flat wall re-skimmed.

edit: oh, and make sure before you do anything to sugar soap the walls - if you get any left over wallpaper paste residue left on the wall it can cause the paint you will eventually apply to blister and bubble.
 
yermum said:
There is a product called caulk, available from decorators' supply places. It was recommended to me by a professional builder when he was checking the settlement cracks in our house. Easy to apply and easy to sand back. This may help

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/appcaulk.html

It's pronounced like 'cork' btw
Click to expand...

Caulk isn't what he wants in this situation. Cork is used for hairline cracks, and sealing small surfaces.

Re-plaster the walls. Its the only way for a decent finish, polyfiller doesn't go completely solid, it has some flex in it which can make it chip easier too.
 
Is the whole wall like that? If it's only a small section then I don't think plastering will be too bad - you can buy ready mixed stuff from B&Q and DIY. You can also put lining paper up onto the plastered walls and paint onto that.

That's what I did when I had a similar problem last year - replastered the really bad bits of the wall and put lining paper up. Looks pretty good tbh :)
 
shifty_uk said:
Did you do the whole job yourself Scorza? How difficult did you find applying the paper?
Click to expand...

Rather embarrassingly, my Mum and Dad did most of it. The pair of em papered the room in a couple of hours and aren't decorators by trade ;)

Didn't look too bad really - got a cheap papering table from B&Q, and a wall papering kit. The paste was ready-mixed. I would have struggled on my own I think, but a 2 man/woman job should easy enough I reckon.
 
Just took a break from doing my parent's room now and they had holes larger than yours (from damp I'm assuming). I sanded it down, filled it with Polycell Polyfilla Multi-Purpose, sanded it down again and sealed it with Dulux Sealer. Left it for 24hrs, and have painted a white base coat on top. It's dried really nicely and has set really well. Will definitely do the job for you. The rest just looks like peeling paint which is nothing to worry about. I really don't think a re-plaster would be necessary as the cracks are minor.
 
Its not too hard wallpapering and there are loads of guides on the internet if you get stuck. Get a mate to help you as having someone pasting while you are papering will really speed it up.

Me and my brother got a big living room done in 2 days, this was while drinking beer so you can probably halve that :D.


Oh and just to mirror what others have said, if you do go the filling route don't use caulk. You want a fine soft filler that is softer than the surrounding plaster, otherwise you'll end up sanding the plaster away and leaving a bump where the filler is.
 
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i work as a decorator but i am just in from the pub.so i will add to this tomorro.but for now you need to remove all old wallpaper paste or your new paint will react.get some sugar soap and a green scratchy washing up pad and give your walls a good going over and a good rinse.get a screwdriver and use it to open up any deep cracks.the idea behind this is that you get the crack bigger than it will ever get by its self.so when you fill it there is no movment left in the crack.easy fill is a good product and readily avalible.i will tune in tommoro evening to see if i can help any more.
 
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