Skimming walls V's Lining paper General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[Ritchie]

I have recently had a decorator to prepare and line the walls in my bedrooms (Edwardian House). The finished result is pretty good - you cant see the joins etc. I have just had, in my opinion, a completely ridiculous quote to do the hall, landing, stairs and 2 reception rooms (preparing walls and lining). I have been told that it might be cheaper to get someone in to re-skim the walls in preparation for painting directly onto the plaster. what i need to understand is, what are the benefits of lining paper over plaster? for example is lining paper going to keep the place warmer?? will plaster crack over time?

[fred mills]

I have been a decorator for some twenty years now and, over the last couple of years, some of my customers have gone for the skimming option. I have found without exception that some cracking does occur although this can be raked out with an old screwdriver, refilled and repainted. Most property is subject to some movement which could cause the skim to crack. If your walls are in a reasonable condition ( not too many divots or too uneven) lining with 1000 grade (or above) paper should give a satisfactory result assuming it is hung competently !

[Ritchie]

Thank you for your reply. In your experience, what option do you think would be A. more skilled and B. more expensive?

[fred mills]

Difficult to comment on skill - I suppose more people attempt papering than plastering - I have seen some pretty woeful attempts at both - even by so called "professionals" - anything looks easy to a competant tradesman - personally I would never attempt to replaster the area you describe for a customer.
Price ? - I expect a plasterer would have a larger "hourly" rate but to repaper the area you describe would take two, three or even more days depending on difficulty and preparation required.
To go back to your original query - lining paper would have minimal if any
effect on retaining warmth.