Preparing the surface before painting & decorating. Walls, Ceilings, Woodworks
No painting will be successful until the surface beneath has been properly prepared. Unless wallpaper is of a type intended for painting it is usually better to strip it off. and walls which have been stripped of their previous wallcoverings need a thorough washing to remove all traces of old paste. Make sure the floor is protected against debris by covering it with a dust sheet or sheets of old newspaper.
Emulsion-painted walls also need washing to remove surface dirt. In both cases, use warm water with a little household detergent added. Then rinse with clean water. If you decide to leave the wallpaper on the walls you will have to wash it down before you paint. Take care to avoid overwetting the paper, particularly at joins. When the surface is dry. check the seams; if any have lifted, stick them down with a ready-mixed paste.
Ceilings should be washed in small areas at a time and rinsed thoroughly before you move onto another section systematically. If the surfaces are leff in perfect condition, they can be painted as soon as they are dry. It’s possible that walls or ceilings may have been painted with distemper, which may only become apparent after you have removed the existing wallcovering.
Unless it is the washable type, you will have to remove it completely since emulsion paint will not adhere well to it. Use hot water, detergent and a scrubbing brush to soften and get rid of the coating; this is hard work, but you could use a steam stripper to speed up the process. With all the surface cleaned, the next job is to fill any cracks and repair defects such a as indentations caused perhaps by knocks or the blade of a carelessly handled wallpaper scraper.
Whenever a filler has been used it should be sanded down flush with the wall surface, once dry, and the resulting dust should be brushed away. If the plaster is in bad condition and obviously covered in cracks you should consider covering it completely with liningpaper. woodchip or other relief wallcovering before painting it. The paper will provide a good base for redecoration, and will save a great deal of preparation time. However, this can only be done if the plaster itself is still bonded securely to the wall.
If it is coming away in chunks or sounds hollow behind the cracks, then the wall should be replastered. Cracks which have developed round door and window frames are best filled with a flexible sealant, which will be unaffected by movement of the frames.
Acrylic-based sealants are available for this purpose and they can be easily overpainted. After all the preparation work has been completed, have a good clear-up in the room so that when you begin painting you do not stir up dust and have to work around numerous bits and pieces scattered overthe floor space. Re-lay dust sheets and set up your access equipment before even opening the first can of paint.
Make sure your brushes or rollers are clean and ready for use.