Hi all, I recently moved into a 1930's terrace, had a full rewire done and then all the walls re-skimmed. After getting a decorator in to paint the hallway I decided to take on the rest of the painting as sadly can't afford a pro to do the whole house. Anyways, the decorator mentioned that unfortunately the plasterers did a bit of a rush job on the walls (he spent a lot of time fixing their mistakes) so I'm now wondering how to best approach prepping the rooms. To give you an idea, I've spotted a few hairline cracks running along a couple of walls, there are a few areas where the plaster feels a bit rough to the touch (e.g. in areas where two walls meet) and a few small bumps. It's also pretty rough/patchy where the skim meets the windows and skirting boards. My slight dilemma is that I'm not sure at what point I should address these - i.e. before or after applying the mist coat? Originally my plan was to address all the above before applying the mist coat (e.g. opening up the cracks and filling them, sanding down the obvious rough areas of plaster etc.) and then to re-assess again after applying the mist e.g. more filling and sanding where it shows up as needed. However, I'm now not sure if this is the right thing to do as someone mentioned to me that sanding the raw plaster can cause issues with the final paint finish. Would be really grateful for any advice on the best process to follow to get a good finish.
Hi White Rabbit. You have a couple of issues to deal with - one is dips and cracks, and t'other is raised bumps. The dips and cracks can be dealt with at any stage, but the bumps really need sorting before painting. One pill will sort the cracks and one pill... soz. I would get a sanding block and 180 grit paper and go over the walls with wide sweeps, but paying more attention to any raised bits you can actually feel. Wear a dust mask... Once you have removed all the raised bumps, brush the walls down, sweep up and wipe it all with a damp cloth. What to do now... I guess it all depends whether these hairline cracks are 'fixed' (ie ain't going to move) or whether they are 'mobile' - say where there's a change of substrate under the skim - block to studwork, etc. - in which they might come back even when fixed. Anyhoo, I think I'd be tempted to get on with the mist coat first and then see what your wall is like. Pay attention to the hairline crack bits - go over that well so's the paint gets drawn right in - you might find they virtually disappear. Once dry, hold a light source low to the wall and look at it from the other end - look for blemishes such as hollows. Get a filling knife and some fine surface filler, and wipe over all these, pressing hard, and removing excess right away. Once dry, a further 180-gritting should flatten it to nigh-on invisible. Then add a first neat coat. Check again what it looks like - chances are it'll be fine...
As above, Easifill 20 every time Sounds like you've got a lot of filling and prep work to do so in terms of value, you can't beat it. Around £12 for 5kg bag, for generally filling and repairs, that's gonna go a long way Bear in mind the working time onced mixed is 20 minutes They quote I think 30 mins set time but that depends on several factors, ambiant temp and how deep is the repair as 2 Mixes easily nice and smooth, fairly fast setting time, easy to sand and working through paper grades, a silky smooth finish if needed .....oh and great value too You gonna be caulking around skirts, door frames, windows, etc ? These are prime areas for cracks to show and a quality caulk will help to minimise cracks appearing Good luck
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