Lining paper

[JBean]

We have just started painting walls in our Edwardian house. It's the first time we have owned an older property and so are rather baffled by lining paper.

Some of the walls have paint on lining paper. In lots of places we can just paint over the top. But there are areas where the wall is in a mess, both very uneven plaster that has had lining paper put on the top, and subsequent recent bodged repairs and unsanded filling. There are also some blanking plates that have been set at odd angles in the wall, which we'd like at least to straighten.

We are wary of removing the lining paper as it may well bring some of the old plaster with it. But we also don't want just to paint over and around some pretty horrible bodges!

Advice very welcome.

 

[Tony.]

Afraid you will never know until you try, it may end up with plaster coming away, but rather that completing the room and the walls get worse at a later date.

 

[mims&pip]

Hi JBean,

We've been dealing with similar in our house (1853, extended in 1924, last 'decorated' circa 1980s :wink: ) and have found that stripping first the woodchip (found on almost every surface, including the underside of shelves inside an original linen press :shock: ), then the predominantly painted lining paper, has revealed a mixed bag of plaster conditions. Some walls/ceilings (so far the snug, office and breakfast hall) are in a very good state of repair and have only required minimal filling, whereas some areas (kitchen, bedroom two and main hallway for starters) will need either skimming or a new layer of lining paper. We've got a long way to go with regards to stripping it all off, but the worst rooms at the moment appear to be those in the earlier section of the building. As Tony says though, you won't know till you try it, as we've previously dealt with Victorian houses with near perfect lime plastered walls......

Mims x

 

[JBean]

Thanks for the replies.

We already know we have a mix of plaster, some new and some original with laths. Our builder was warning us against gaily ripping off lining paper (as he'd be the one dealing with anything more than minimal skimming) but some of the walls are so rough in patches (and possibly 'blown' if that's the word?) that it does make sense to take the paper off at least in places and see what's there. Would we need to re-paper? Or if we skim, presumably we could just paint straight on the new plaster?

And at least we haven't found any woodchip! :shock:

 

[88v8]

Mmmm, painted. I am pained by painted walls in Viccy and Eddy houses.
With the possible exception of 'umble dwellings, and perhaps the kitchen and/or other service rooms, your house would almost certainly have been wallpapered.
Which incidentally does not need quite such a good finish.

Our previous house (1921) was originally wallpapered everywhere except the bathroom. Yes even the kitchen.

We had badly blown plaster on the staircase. It was hollow over large areas. I ignored it for 19 years, then In 1999 I covered it in scrim paper and papered over that with a William Morris, I think it was Standen. It was still fine when we sold in 2012.

Ivor

 

[MatthewC]

some of the walls are so rough in patches (and possibly 'blown' if that's the word?) that it does make sense to take the paper off at least in places and see what's there. Would we need to re-paper? Or if we skim, presumably we could just paint straight on the new plaster?

Blown plaster gives a nasty hollow sound when gently tapped with your knuckles, and in extreme cases you can actually see movement. If your plaster is blown over a good area, then you really do need to remove it, and backing paper will help that job be just a little less messy! Small areas can perhaps be ignored but if you are doing this job just once then you might as well do it right. If you intend to do a lime skim over the top then it is possible to remove patches of the blown old plaster with an angled Stanley knife so that you are cutting away from the sound stuff at 45 degrees. Then plaster the gap and skim over the lot.

If removing the backing paper damages the plaster then I would have reasoned that the plaster was not up to much, but I suppose it does depend how well the paper is attached (where "very well" is not what you want).

If you paint, I would commend using Earthborn clay paint with a roller.

 

[JBean]

Mathew and Ivor

Thanks for the advice and reassurance. I shall do some tapping and see what sort of sound I get!

In our defence, it is the kitchen we're painting, and the house was reasonably humble (first lived in by a tailor) so paint is not entirely inappropriate. And we have already discovered the delights of Earthborn clay paint!

 

[Feltwell]

I heartily recommend Vario Non-Woven lining paper, put up with a strong ready mix adhesive. Not cheap but very very strong and hides a multitude of sins - much better than "ordinary" lining paper I've found - plus it's quite easy to put up, you paste the wall and the paper doesn't shrink or stretch with the moisture. Walls here are definitely not good enough to paint straight onto, but generally haven't got blown plaster, they just have sufficient lumps, bumps and knocks that even with filling they will never be good enough to paint straight onto.

http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/m/MAVNWLPV/

http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/r/READY_MIXED_WALLCOVERING_ADHESIVE/

I've found the above ready mixed adhesive to be better than the usual "bag of crystals" Solvite that you mix up yourself - that always seemed to dry on the wall too quickly, even if the wall was sized with dilute paste first.

 

[JBean]

Feltwell, thanks for the tip on products.

I have tapped and there is only one patch near the window that sounds horribly hollow (and indeed moves when tapped!). So we may get away with just cleaning out and plastering that part.

 

[kreyszig]

Mmmm, painted. I am pained by painted walls in Viccy and Eddy houses.
With the possible exception of 'umble dwellings, and perhaps the kitchen and/or other service rooms, your house would almost certainly have been wallpapered.
Which incidentally does not need quite such a good finish.

Ivor

what are your thoughts on painted wallpaper ? and/or painted textured wallpaper?

 

[mims&pip]

Mmmm, painted. I am pained by painted walls in Viccy and Eddy houses.
With the possible exception of 'umble dwellings, and perhaps the kitchen and/or other service rooms, your house would almost certainly have been wallpapered.
Which incidentally does not need quite such a good finish.

Ivor

what are your thoughts on painted wallpaper ? and/or painted textured wallpaper?

You didn't ask for my thoughts......but, imho you can certainly get away with *some* painted wallpaper and/or textured paper in small doses, the caveat being that the latter should be lincrusta or similar

Our last couple of houses (Georgian & rebuilt Tudor) were decorated with a view to selling, although they were not purchased with that intention. That's not to say any corners were cut or botches allowed. Nor did we skimp on the finishes used, which you'll know if you've happened upon any pics of those houses on here, lol (but for example, Villeroy & Boch and Hansgrohe classically styled bathrooms, hand painted timber kitchens etc), but we decorated with an eye to future buyers so held back on our use of flamboyant wallpaper. Instead we employed pattern more sparingly - I'll admit to doing a couple of *feature* walls, although these involved hand blocked or reproduction Voysey papers. Elsewhere we painted walls in solid (historic) colours, which still looked very nice. Iirc we decorated one room only with wallpaper throughout - and I blooming regretted using it in that property, as it was a wonderful gold peacock feather on a deep blue ground that is no longer made.....grrrrr!

In a previous (late Victorian) home (again this has been linked to here), where we intended to stay long term, I hand painted several friezes in period style - not stencils.....I hate stencils unless an all over pattern - and also used lincrusta throughout the porch and large hallway.

This house the jury's still out on how long we'll stay - if I could pick up house and garden and move them to West Sussex or the Surrey Hills I'd do it without a second thought - so again we're not going overboard on expensive wallpaper, but this mid-Victorian house was redesigned in Arts & Crafts style when it was extended in 1924 and as a result I'm going for a Baillie Scott meets Voysey look which can take plainer walls in more creamy, earthy colours. There will be a few exceptions.......but certainly no textured paper (I'm currently removing a sea of woodchip - the devil's own decorating material!) and no magnolia :lol:

Mims x

 

[88v8]

[what are your thoughts on painted wallpaper ? and/or painted textured wallpaper?

Depends on the house. But for Eddy and Viccy -

Embossed patterned ceiling and frieze papers , overpainted - tick.
Lincrusta, painted - tick.
Embossed patterned wallpaper - maybe.
Lining paper or plaster painted - unlikely.
Everywhere painted - arrrgh.
Everywhere painted beige with engineered floors and downlighters - the builders have been at it.

Ivor

 

[kreyszig]

Good news, I think we might pass the test. Although we have done one room (a bedroom) in lining paper + paint. That was previously wood chip, so we have improved it no end by getting rid of that. We have had some shrinkage and lifting at the edges in a couple of places :-(
I like the idea of pasting the wall.