DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Complete newbie, please don't laugh too much :)

I have been stripping all the (varied, thick, patterned/woodchip) wallpaper off my walls (1930's house) and underneath I find:

- mostly, yellowish-brown surface, with brush strokes, seems to be a thin layer on top of plaster. Am I right that this is old PVA, or is it the surface of the plaster?

- In some places it has thin (water-based?) paint on top, some has come off with the paper

- In some places the top yellowish-brown stuff is flaking off leaving powdery-ish skin-colored surface (the plaster I assume!)

- In some places it has thicker paint on top which is not looking like it wants to come off...

The question is what do I do to get all this ready for painting (I assume I am going to have to put up lining paper)? Should I just sand it all in together as smooth as possible, or do I need to fill the patches without the yellowish-brown layer (and with what) or...?

Help! It never looked like this in the DIY books...

Mark :)

Hi,
The thin layer of powdery substance is probably old lime which they used to paint with back then,Health and safety would have a field day if they used it now!
I would suggest you strip of to the point where it is very stubborn to come of,then let it thoroughly dry out,rub the entire surface down, then cover with a P.V.A. bonding,then fill all holes and blemishes with a powdered filler,rub down again,and put on maybe 1000 grade lining paper.