No products in the basket.
- This topic has 13 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 6 months ago by
.
- Topic
Tried to post this in the DIY section, but it said the Forum ID is missing?
Having bought a house, I’m slowly discovering the issues that the previous owners left me with. Lights connected to the plug sockets, plug sockets drawing power from the lighting circuit. I don’t want to go digging much deeper in case I discover something even worse tbh!
Anyway though, I’ve peeled away the wallpaper in most of the house and have been presented with this:
https://imgur.com/a/b14wt (Bonus, you can clearly see plug socket from light circuit!)
As you can see, a touch of bate plaster and a lot of paint that is a bit peely, but not all of it. How in the heck am I going to get that all smoothed off nicely ready for painting? It’s going to take an age to sand that all down. Anyone have much experience with one of these? Or advice in general on how to prep that down?
Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
- Replies
I ended up like this with the walls in my mother’s bedroom after taking off some wall paper. I decided to sand the walls down and used a power vibratory sander – IDIOT!! Although I had sealed the room, it was a sheer nightmare and the problems can still be seen in certain parts. It took me days to rid myself and the room of very fine sanded pink plaster. Never again!!
In my youngest daughter’s bedroom we removed wallpaper which left us with the same effect as you show – this time we decided to re-skim the walls – heck of a problem in the aftermath clean-up. Looks great now though.
My brother and others I know have used this thicker than normal paint / emulsion developed to seal / cover over poor walls provided the problem is not too severe – he is happy with the final result.
Good luck.
The more you meet people the more you understand why Noah took animals instead of humans
THIS is better than the pole mounted version. Use a PLATFORM to get higher, rather than ladders. The more stable you are, the flatter the end result will be.
I tried to use the pole version when doing one of our houses, it had more ripples than a Mr Whippy ice cream!!
It’s worth getting a quote for a skim of plaster. It may work out easier, if not cheaper.
Edit – if you go the skim route, don’t forget to seal the bare plaster before painting it. You can use a diluted emulsion paint, with some PVA added.
Lights connected to the plug socket isn’t great, but manageable, so long as you don’t need to get the electrics certified. Sockets off the lighting circuit, however is really dodgy!! The average lighting circuit is normally fused at 6A, the average socket handles up to 13A.
You’ll find a 3A fuse in a table lamp for example, but a 13A fuse in a kettle or tumble dryer or dishwasher.
If you can, find a way to use another socket until the wiring has been checked and the socket re-wired or isolated.
Good luck.
The cable routing for the electrics could also be an issue. From memory ‘horizontal’ runs are frowned upon. I suspect the electrician will say the cables need to be rerouted and any power taken back to an appropriate junction.
I thought that it was now a requirement in all new builds and re-wiring jobs that all cables had to run vertically up from the socket in question – thus preventing a nail/screw shorting out a cable well away from the socket. Might be wrong.
The more you meet people the more you understand why Noah took animals instead of humans
IIRC on the ground floor it’s down from the ceiling and on upper floors it’s up from the skirting (allows you to have the main wiring runs in the ceiling).
Definitely get the wiring sorted before anything else.
My Leccy No.2 gson supports Dave‘s last post:
” IIRC on the ground floor it’s down from the ceiling and on upper floors it’s up from the skirting (allows you to have the main wiring runs in the ceiling). ”
Gson was horrified at sockets on the lighting circuit – he has recently qualified and is waiting to go through his Section 18 in February, apparently the latest Reg’s.
Just realised: I have one gson a network engineer and another a qualified Leccy, a gdaughter a chef and amazing cook. I feel blessed, but don’t suppose the last gdaughter wants to be an electric vehicle technician. Either an Astronaut, famous artist or a ballerina, she says. You gotta look to the future!
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.Living in a 100+ year house, iwas presented with walls like that. You can either get them skimmed or paper.
As we was skint when we got our house, it was papered and painted. As the years went on room by room we had them skimmed, and in some rooms taken back to brick, bored then skimmed.
Get the electric sorted first.
You can get solutions to smooth walls from pollyfiller etc.. But unless your gifted with a float and want to spend days and days sanding, avoid them and get some decent anaglypta wallpaper to paint.
Cheap, Â fast and covers a multitude of sins.
“get some decent anaglypta wallpaper to paint.”
But a pig to remove when you get tired of it. Lining paper is much easier to remove and cheaper too!
Your thinking of wood chip. Whatever they stuck that stuff on with in the 70s mush be banned now.
Anaglypta is easy to set off, with or without a steamer. The secret to getting Woodchip off is one of thighs s our ingredients wheels, that pierce the paper but not the plaster, then use a steamer. It’s still a pig, just less so. More a pigglet.
The issue with long paper is its meant to go under, flatter posher (patented non paintable  paper) to minimise the cracks etc showing through. . On it’s own it’s just thing crap that shows the contours of the broken underwall. But yes it’s easer to remove.
Personally I’d wallpaper it and paint it. And when you have the funds go room by room replacing the plaster compleatly, that way you’ll never have to think about it again, and you’ll have your perfect finish to paint.
Personally I’ve gone through the painted wall fad, and am back to wallpaper as it’s more warmly and homely. Modern housed that are just painted plaster, may look nice but they have zero atmosphere, cream perfect boxes.
Hay but on the other hand, they are not old and drafty, like houses with character are.
In the summer I’d take my house, come December, I’ll be changing my tune lol.
The plug is going to be removed, don’t worry. It’s at about head height, installed for a wall mounted TV, but I’ll definitely not be leaving that in.
I’ll start in one room sanding it down and see how far I get. I had a good plasterer who did a wonderful job on the other bits. Unfortunately, mine was his last job, as he’s been forced into retirement by needing two knees and a shoulder replacing!
But I have a few other numbers, but loathe to go this route as it would be almost every room need doing!
Thanks for the advice all!
Your thinking of wood chip. Whatever they stuck that stuff on with in the 70s mush be banned now. Anaglypta is easy to set off, with or without a steamer. The secret to getting Woodchip off is one of thighs s our ingredients wheels, that pierce the paper but not the plaster, then use a steamer. It’s still a pig, just less so. More a pigglet.
The previous owners had woodchip on a ceiling that needed replastering, they also had it on a bedroom wall. I learnt to brute force my way through the first layer. Then go over it again with a spray of water and it slipped straight off. I’d wished they’d done it everywhere as it’s much easier to deal with than these paint flecked walls!
Pubs are full of plasters that work Saturday and Sunday mornings.
My old man’s plaster mate, use to say ill be there at midnight leave me a crate of Stones and it will be done when you wake up.
He would then go home, have a nap and be in the pub by noon.
He was in high demand as he was excellent. Now plastering is the one trade I’ve never been able to turn my hand too. This guy couldn’t speak, or walk straight, but could plaster line the beat of them.
Probably dead now ?
Them and carpet fitters, pubs are full of them to work cheap weekends.
Wood chip all over our bungalow lounge, hate the stuff. When the landlord was finally forced by our old MP and Environmental Housing to fit GCHeating, the big, useless, ancient Eco7 heaters had to go. Landlord just removed them and left big patches of old plaster. I got so fed up with trying to match it, spoke to a decorator mate up the road who occasionally takes me up in his microlight (another story!) and he gave me a good price on decorating the lounge. Then an even better price on the whole bungalow, which we had done whilst away on a Danube Cruise. Now I have moved the TV down the wall to a new shelf and removed the wall mount, I have holes to fill and paint to apply. Some of the wood chip is going to have to be repaired.
I have some great mates here in the village. This guy has a large local deco business and a huge house about 500 yards up the road, in beautiful country and a fair few acres. First spoke to him when I first came here, he is ex-RAF and me ex-AAC, we got on. Took me up in the microlight, then SWMBO, who loved it. This is my lady, who had helicopter lessons 21 years ago for her 50th birthday, now wants a balloon flight and a Glider flight. Not your everyday little old lady, you would not suspect how truly bonkers she is. ???
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.
Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
