Remove remaining paint from internal walls.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

We've just pulled the wallpaper from an upstairs room, only to find that half the paint (emulsion, I'd guess) has come with it. I suppose my only option is to try to remove what's left, and unfortunately, the bits that remain don't come off as easily as the bits that have already done so. I know I can't just paint over it, since I already tried, and it looks awful. So, is there some kind of brush-on stripper that will get it off? My hot air gun does it, but it's going to be a slow job if I have to use that :-)

[Martin Bonner]

Is this paint underneath the wallpaper on the walls? Or paint on adjacent walls? Or paint on adjacent woodwork?

If it's paint on the adjacent woodwork, it's very unlikely to be emulsion. It will be oil or water based wood paint (in which case Nitromors or similar will take it off).

If it's from the walls, it's probably some sort of acrylic. If you can send a sample to

they will tell you what gunge you need to buy from them.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

It's on the walls, under the wallpaper. Thanks for the link!

[Tim Watts]

Nitomors?

It'll be tedious though.

One option is to put lining paper over and paint that. The other, is perhaps trying to feather the edges with a sander so it is not so visible. Going to be horrid dusty work.

Another option, if it is really bad, is knock off the loose paint, PVA and skim plaster it. This would give the nicest finish.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

I'm sure it would work, but I think a few walls' worth would cost a small fortune. Martin Bonner's link

has a few things that seem a better bet.

I'll do anything to avoid dust, these days. I really hate it.

I'm a hopeless skimmer, so this would require me to actually pay someone :-) Might still be the best bet, though.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Have you used it recently?

I bought some to use for the same sort of job I'd used it for before. And it no longer worked. At all.

[Chris Bartram]

When I had this problem, I scraped the loose stuff off, feathered the edges with filler, then sanded.

[Tim Watts]

I've seen the lining paper trick - it works well enough - it'll look as decent as any modern place that is plasterboarded (without a skim coat). The joins can be made nearly invisible with care.

Well - if you can clear the room and sheet the floor through to the nearest outside door and stick "Yoozy boxes" under the switches and sockets (and clingfilm them!) it'll all be over in a day and you can paint it in a couple more in this heat.

[Tim Watts]

Surprises me not... Last stripping I did used a hot air gun which I always preferred unless the job really did not suit it.

[Capitol]

A steam stripper may well work. Yry a bit and see.

[Roger Mills]

+1

You beat me to it. If it's ordinary emulsion which has hardened, a steam stripper will soften it and allow it to be scraped off easily. Quicker than using a heat gun.

[Tim Lamb]

I hope it is not distemper!

[stuart noble]

I've found the 4" scraper

very useful for such things. Sometimes tapping the surface with a small hammer can cause the coating to crack

[newshound]

Another + for steam stripper, but if it is distemper won't the wetness ensure it all falls off?

IME there is a lot to be said for good quality thick lining paper, especially on Victorian or older plaster. You get a smooth surface which takes paint perfectly, while leaving the "character" undulations of a cottage. Especially on ceilings, though I have it on walls as well. Far more satisfactory than woodchip which now looks so dated. Not to mention Artex!

[tabbypurr]

yes, the heat will too. Distemper varies, some comes off with cold dish soap solution.

If the OP doesn't want the work, just paint over it as is & draw lines round all the patch edges. :)

NT

[mail-veil]

I was horrified at the price of Nitromors now and discovered this;

on ebay. One and a half cans completely stripped two 1980s garage doors down to bare metal and now look like new again.

Mike

[tabbypurr]

You can still get the proper paint stripper, its just not sold as that any more. I wouldnt use it for this though. The fumes are quite antisocial.

NT

[News]

In message , newshound writes

Agreed. I am doing exactly that here, where the walls are Victorian, and not as flat as they could be. Hanging lining paper is simple, and quicker than removing an old paint surface.

[Andy Burns]

Someone here recently recommended Wallrock Fibreliner (available from toolsatan) I got some free samples, and the Fibreliner Premium (not available from toolsatan) seems like it would be considerably smoother for painting onto.

[alan_m]

I had distemper in two rooms of my 1905 property. A previous owner had attempted to wallpaper over it but I guess the distemper had sucked all of the water out of the paste and the paper was barely held up by magic.

I found lots of soapy water helped a lot. I used a garden sprayer and wetted down a whole wall half a dozen times over a timespan of around an half and hour before attempting to scrape/wash it off. Even with a lot of effort the wall still had some remnants so I painted the walls with a water-proofer/stabilising solution designed for exterior use.