large plaster walls

[Beatniks]

Just bought a building with large plaster walls (130 ft long and 20 ft tall) that need paint, but are bumpy, uneven, and have large "paint runs" in them

I'm not too picky how they are fixed, just looking for the easy/cheap way to make them acceptable for a bar or nightclub. The walls are old plaster and hard as nails. Over that are a few coats of old paint that are also very sturdy. On top of the old paint is a thick layer of latex that can be pealed off. Easily in some areas, not so easily in others.

My questions: Does the Latex need to be completely removed? And how?

Are there textured paints that are rough enough to hide bumps, lines and ridges in the old plaster? Would it look really tacky?

The thought of skim coating that large wall isn't pleasant. Would a happy medium between skim coating and rough textured paint be my best option?

I thought about furring strips and drywall, but by the time you add that up, it's about $3K per wall.

Thanks!!!

[JoeSpareBedroom]

This may seem like an odd question, but what's the likely age range of your customers, and what will the lighting be like?

[EXT]

Try a pole sander with coarse sand paper, it will take the bumps, nubs and paint runs off quickly, but if the wall is rough with bad patches and other problems it won't help much.