Skim coat with building up Easi-Fill?!

Discussion in 'Painters' Talk' started by Danomite, Jan 7, 2019.

  1. Danomite

    Danomite New Member

    Hi,

    I have come up with a plan of action to tackle some difficult walls in my house renovation, I just wondered if there was going to be unforeseen issues that people may be able to point out now before I take the plunge! Or if it is considered abit yeehaa!

    The house is a 60's bungalow.

    So the walls have had wallpaper stripped off and underneath was a yellowish/brownish eggshellish substance that is most likely paint straight on plaster?! It doesnt seem like water based emulsion although maybe things were done differently back then?

    It doesn't cover the whole wall, its patchy and a bit flakey and brittle(I think the other bits came off with the removed wallpaper). So my misses painstainkingly has gone over the whole lot with a glass scraper and got all the loose bits off, now we are left with lots of islands that are not coming off, stick out and can not really be sanded off because its quite tough, lots tougher than the surrounding plaster spots.

    So, my plan is to use a 9 inch flat plastic fill knife and apply a thin coat of Easi-fill over the whole wall, when its dry, knock off the lumps and high spots and then repeat the same process maybe twice more. The idea being to layer up the filler abit so I can then rub it back with a sanding sponge to put a consistant surface that can then be painted.

    Is this a good idea? It is worth mentioning that I have already had a go on a wall and the finish was good. I am more concerned about the thin layer of filler coming unstuck from the wall in time?

    Any advice would be appreciated.

    P.s. I cant afford to get a plasterer in!

    Many thanks, Dan.
     
  2. Clive Batchelor

    Clive Batchelor New Member

    Hi Dan,
    Interested in your post. I have recently stripped the wallpaper off a house built in 1962 and found a very similar problem, a yellowish eggshell like substance painted onto the plaster. Unlike you I didn’t try to remove this covering as it was on all walls in the whole house.
    In the living room I got a plasterer to overboard with insulated plasterboard. This solved the problem there, and made the room much warmer as the poorly insulated walls radiated cold.
    In all other rooms I washed them throughly until the plaster was clean with no ‘slimy’ wallpaper paste feel. On one wall I tried a variety of approaches in patches. Mist coat emulsion, PVA, blocking paints and different paints for example matt and vinyl. None worked very well! For example the matt wiped off very easily with a damp sponge.
    The problem was solved when I tried Dulux Trade Diamond paint made up to the chosen colour at a local Dulux trade centre. It was a matt emulsion. It went on well, covered well direct onto the yellow wall and most important stuck very well. I even tried scrubbing with a nylon scouting pad and it resisted very well.
    All else failed, thanks Dulux.
     
  3. Wayners

    Wayners Screwfix Select

    Can you wash the yellow paint off.That will show it Is an old emulsion and binders are failing with age. Yellow/cream was common 50s and 60s and I have it on my walls. If I can get off top layers of paint I then easily 150mm orbital sand off the old yellow paint with 80 grit hooked on vacuum. Then you can prime with beeline sealer or acrylic printer undercoat following instructions. Duck tape and waste pipe used to connect vacuum to cheap DIY orbital sander will do and ware mask with summer fan blowing out window or door taking air out. Ready mixed wall smoothers may work better for you but seal walls first if rough before or after sanding. Posts here on forum about that
     
  4. Clive Batchelor

    Clive Batchelor New Member

    Hi Wayners,
    Thanks for the first reply, I only signed up the day before so such a rapid response was a big surprise, especially as the post from Danomite was from over a year ago.

    I put the post on incase anybody encountered the same difficult problem as me.

    The old paint was a problem. Even with sanding and Zinsser 123 sealer most paints just wouldn’t stick well.

    If it was an empty house getting the old paint off would have been worth a try. Unfortunately that wasn't an option as it was being lived in when the work was done, new rads in place, no doors upstairs etc.

    I was concerned about the possibility of lead in the paint, this would drift round the house so decided it was best to paint over it.

    Really impressed with the Dulux Diamond matt paint. I put it directly over the old yellow paint. It covered very well and dried to a tough finish.

    I have used acrylic primer/ undercoat on wood but didn’t know it could be used on a wall. Could you tell me more about that, what make it was please? What is beeline sealer?

    Thanks again.
     
  5. Astramax

    Astramax Super Member

    Beeline is a product name like Dulux, Crown etc
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice