I have read through hundreds of items in many different threads on this topic, but I have several specific questions where some of you may be able to help.
I am working on my son’s 1910 house with generally good condition lath and plaster walls (we will replace all of the ceilings with drywall). The walls appear to have several layers of wall paper covered with several layers of paint. In most areas the paper/paint appears to be tightly adhered and is a real pain to remove. Previously in my house (1902 vintage) we had similar condistions, but litttle or no paint and we removed all of the wallpaper. I followed the strategy below except for the priming of the walls prior to repairing them. That was 15 years ago and it seems to have worked.
Here is what I plan to do, and I will appreciate your comments.
Rather than remove all of the paint/paper, we will remove all loose areas (including some areas where the finish coat of plaster has separated from the base coat), wash down the walls with TSP, then prime them. In the past I have had good experience with shellac based primer, but all of the threads I have read recommend oil based primer. Is there any problem with using the shellac based primer?
Once the walls are primed, we will use “Dash Patch” (a plaster of paris/lime product) to fill in deaper cracks and holes, first wetting down the area. This product, whcih I have never seen mentioned in any of the threads I have seen, dries hard and fast, and it appears to adhere well to any firm surface.
We will use setting type drywall compound and fiberglass tape for filling smaller cracks (back cutting them first) and as a second coat over the “Dash Patch”. The final coat(s) will be premixed drywall compound.
The painting will be another coat of shellac based primer (maybe two) and latex based paint.
In areas where the plaster seems to have separated from the lath, we will use plaster washers.
The two specific questions I have are 1) the use of a shellac based primer, and 2) the wisdom of leaving the old paint and paper in place
Thanks!!!
Replies
All I can say is that my brother patched cracks in his walls and ceilings (not sure if he used joint compound or spackle) and then painted with pigmented shellac and the shellac disolved the spackle and made a huge mess! You may want to test a small spot to make sure this won't happen before you do the whole thing (though I think you said you've done this before in another house?). I see nothing wrong with your strategy, but others will probably have more to say!
BTW, I have heard that PVA primer is good on raw drywall--so it may also be good for sealing wallpaper. Maybe ask at a paint store--guys at honest to god paint stores seem to know what they're talking about (unlike the guys in big box or home center type stores--although I have had some there also give good advice).
I would use anything but PVA.PVA has the ability to seal the DW enough that difference in paper and mud does not flash through. But I don't think that it will do much good on other surfaces.I would want a bonding, stain sealing primer. Kilz or Bin. Or in the latex Kilz/2, Bullseye 123, SW PrepRight..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Maybe I read it wrong, but it sounds to me like you intend to leave some (but not all) of the old wallpaper in place. Then you intend to fill the voids where either paper, or paper plus plaster, have failed.
My opinion is that, regardless of the product you use to fill those voids, you're asking for problems.
My plan, and what I did for three houses of the same age, would be to remove ALL of the paper. Although painted paper is more difficult, at least you will expose all of the other plaster failures -- the ones that you can't see, but which WILL cause future problems.
Then repair the walls, and move forward.
Use a razor knife to cut a million scratches in the surface of the existing paper. Then spritz it with water. If you cover the floors well enough, you can use a garden-style tank sprayer.
Let is soak, then spray it again. Let is soak, and spray one more time.
When the stuff is saturated, it is likely to start falling off all by itself. If not, use a 6" scraper.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
I have a 1912 home and had the same with paint over wallpaper. It's a little tougher to remove but doable. The key is getting whatever your using as a wallpaper remover (steam, Dif, etc.)) under the paint and wallpaper to the plaster to dissolve the glue. The layers of paint just make it harder to get the remover under the wallpaper. Use a knife, paper tiger, whatever to penetrate the paint and wallpaper and go to to. I'll second that trying to patch over the wallpaper is asking for problems down the road. Get to the plaster and then make your repairs.
I've stripped several rooms of paint as well as texture coat over wallpaper with success.
Diane
Everything you mention is fine as far as I can see except for not getting rid of all the paper on the wall. I would get it all. Dashpatch is fine,and the rest is good. I tend to use oil primer but I have never had any problems with shellac primer either except for the fumes.
I've removed tons of the old wall paper you speak of, every bit of it painted several times over. What I do is get a 3" wide paint scraper, the type with a threaded hole in the handle so you can attach it to a painters extension pole, and a good heavy duty extension pole. Also a large medium/fine file. You'd be surprised how quickly the thick layers of paper scrape away when you're able to put both arms into it. The file is to sharpen the scraper after about every 6 or 8 feet, as the paper dulls the scraper real fast.
I leave the paper scrapings on the floor right where they lay, to catch any dripping water when I spray the remaining glue/paper with a mix of warm water and DIF (available at paint stores everywhere), or TSP. Use a 6" taping knife to scrape away the remainder of paper, and a course scrup pad to loosen the glue. Then rinse with clean water.
I use a pump sprayer (like bug sprayers use) to get the water onto the wall. Let it soak, keep it wet during the whole process. I work about an 8 or 10 foot section at a time, pausing occasionally to spray the next section so it's already well soaked by the time I get to it.
A couple of warnings: When soaking the walls, either by rag or sprayer, TURN OFF THE ELECTRICITY! Shut it off at the circut breaker and test the outlets to make sure they are off! You can run an extension cord from another room for a light and a radio. Another thing is if your wood is varnished you'll want to mask it off so you don't ruin the finish.
As for fixing the cracks, here's a link to where I star in an article I contrubuted to ehow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_2070730_permanently-repair-cracked-plaster-walls.html
Zinnser BIN primer is white shellac based and works really well for sealing old plaster. I think Kilz is alkyd based, and is also a good choice. Both of these dry real fast and release some serious noxious fumes. Don't even think of lighing a match, you'll blow the place up! Kilz 2 and Zinnser BIN 1-2-3 are both water based and also a good choice. Actually, healthwise, they are a better choice.
Hmmm... can I think of anything else? Yeah, wear a good quality dustmask while scraping the walls, as it creates a lot of dust in the air.
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