Walls with decades of layers of paint - scrape/sand/patch/paint or skim coat?
We’re renovating an apt that has layer upon layer of paint on the walls. In some rooms there is even paint OVER woven wallpaper (whyyyy???). The contractors we’ve spoken to have all suggested that we skim coat all the walls, but the quotes for the work are over-the-top expensive. Has anyone managed to make walls like this look decent just with normal wall preparation (i.e. scrape, sand, patch, repaint)?
Thanks!!
encarnacionroger
in Renovation 6 years ago
8
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8 replies
badefrancis | 6 years ago
@edg2103 do you have contact info for the skim coater you used? I got the same sheetrock advice from my contractor and do not want to go that route! The plaster has so much character and seems to help the house retain heat/AC better!
cate | 6 years ago
If you are not yet living in the space, having a professional strip the woodwork is the way to go. If you are already living there, I’d just live with the messy baseboards, because it’s nearly impossible to strip them without also removing some of the poly from the floor boards below. As far as cost, we’ve found professional strippers offer the biggest bang for the buck of any renovation work we’ve had done. We’ve paid around $40 an hour (not including materials) per person, with large projects involving several rooms coming in around $800 to $1200. Obviously if you’re not living there and you want a large crew to work as fast as possible, it’s going to be more costly — but so worth it. I had previously tried to strip our kitchen bead board without success and we ended up replicating and replacing it. Knowing better now, this was a huge mistake and one of my biggest regrets.
tsgrlc | 6 years ago
I’m also interested in aMarg’s question. I tried to do some sanding of the baseboards myself, and it was a horrible idea. I could never manage to sand them smooth and flat without destroying the details.
I’m guessing that a professional paint stripping company is the way to go, but I imagine that’s expensive. Replicating the mouldings might be a cheaper option, though just to get the router set up and the knives made you can expect to pay around $500 plus the per-foot cost of the lumber. You also have to rip all the old baseboards off the walls (some chunks of plaster will inevitably come off with them). And at least one of those layers is likely to be lead, so lead dust will get everywhere unless extreme precautions are taken.
Another thing: even if you’re on a budget, I would recommend against trying to skim coat and sand the walls yourself. I was present the whole time that the plasterers did their work, and they really earned their money. Not only is i t hard to get the plaster right so that the repairs last, but the sanding step is incredibly unpleasant, exhausting, and dirty work. Your back will ache and you’ll be coughing up plaster for weeks.
Guest User | 6 years ago
What about baseboards? Mine have so many decades of paint layers that the original detail is sadly blurred. What is a good way to get rid of the paint, or is the only option to replace the baseboards?
tsgrlc | 6 years ago
Agree with cate.
My house was in similar condition. Bulging walls. Failing (and painted-over) wallpaper. Alligatoring paint. Even some holes knocked out for quick-and-dirty plumbing and for anchoring drop ceilings.
Skim coat is the way to go. I got mine done for about $5000 for an 1850 sq ft house, ceilings and everything (not including the mouldings and medallions, which I ended up figuring out how to fix myself). I removed the wallpaper myself before they did the skim coat. It’s pretty straightforward, and any stubborn small bits of wallpaper that remained were not a problem for the plasterers.
Whatever you do, do NOT replace your walls with sheetrock (which a supposedly reputable contractor recommended to me). It’ll be a nightmare (have to rip out all the door and window casings, baseboards, etc), will turn out much more expensive, and ruin the character of the house.
cate | 6 years ago
If you want to skim coat, don’t go to a general contractor, deal with a plaster (not drywall) expert. They vary in price considerably, sometimes depending on whether it is a large or small operation and full time or moonlighting. We have generally found prices for skim coating to be on par with an expensive paint job (around $3 a square foot give or take quite a bit because of the variables of ceiling heights, etc.). Fixing fancy plasterwork and ceilings are a whole other matter. For wallpaper removal, I have found wood strippers to be very skilled and fast at this. (Also wallpaper installers.) If you are just dealing with a buildup of paint but the plaster and paint are in good condition, you might be able to skip the skim coat. If you have extensive cracking, alligatoring, etc., you need a skim coat and the plaster expert should start with a layer of mesh so the problems don’t return in six months. Have you had any painters in yet to check it out?
greenworks | 6 years ago
I too resisted the need to skim coat but in the end all the prep you’re talking about instead of skim coating will be just as expensive or more.
There are talented plaster workers who don’t charge an arm and a leg — we weren’t able to afford the artisans often recommended here (and whom we would have loved to hire) but some dogged research and time turned up a team that we loved and did an amazing job for a much better price. They just retired so can’t give you the info.
But ask everyone around for referrals. Neighbors, coworkers, random people walking down the street. You’ll find someone. We got our guys thru my coworker.
mattieweiser1
in Renovation 6 years ago
Is scrape, sand, patch, etc ‘normal wall preparation’? I’m not a contractor but I don’t believe you can scrape paint off walls without damaging it which will require skim coating anyway. Skim coating would be less labor for the finish you’re going for.