Sealing wall for papering ?

[AMc]

...and it will shrink back and end up as beautifully flat as it was before you painted it.

Hmm no chance that it might get a bit flatter then ? Despite a heavy sanding I can still see the place where the new ceiling meets the old ceiling.
If I'd known I'd have stripped the whole lot before they plastered and got them to skim it all again - but I was on holiday

I've just put up the two long runs down the hall - 3.5m each and one with a fairly horrid "L" to make almost exactly halfway down.
I don't know of a single job that has made me swear so loudly, profusely or viciously.
A whole tirade of abuse as one end merrily unfurled off the ceiling while I brushed the other end into the corners.
Nice creases appearing in the middle but it resolutely refusing to fold up into the corners or trim with a brand new stanley blade over a metal straight edge.
Made me feel like Frank Spencer.

At least it doesn't have a horrible embossed diamond pattern on it and (for now) the seams are flat.

More questions...
The Solvite claims it can be kept for 4 days - I assume I'm alright just putting cling film over the top of the bucket?
Also somewhat bizarrely there are no clean up instructions - I assume I can wash the brush and bucket with soapy water when I'm done - hopefully tomorrow evening?

Thanks for your continued advice and support!

 

[Moo]

I can still see the place where the new ceiling meets the old ceiling

Oh, don't worry about a little thing like that - it'll soon become just another part of the history of the house.

I've only attempted to paper one ceiling and it was a horrendous experience, just like yours, which is why I've always paid someone else to do it for me ever since. I reckon that we mere mortals need an assistant, holding up the other end of the paper with a huge broom.

I've always found solvite very good-tempered stuff, quite happy to sit in its bucket for days and days without going off, and very easy to clean up after with a bit of soap & water. It's important, though, to be very thorough indeed when wiping it off architraves and skirtings and suchlike. As it dries it goes a nasty yellow colour and you end up getting the mop and bucket out again...

 

[Pford75]

This is one of those jobs where 2 people makes a big difference. Mrs F and I tend to tackle this 'a deux'...particularly long ceiling runs. Can you rope in a family member? It would make the whole job so much easier.

You can leave the soldier for a couple of days...cling film and stir before reusing.

If your ceiling is really bad, you could always cross line in the other direction with another layer.

 

[AMc]

Thankfully those were the only two long bits, the rest is filling in around the loft hatch and walls which I'm hoping will be a bit less horrible.
A second pair of hands would have been good - but isn't possible at this point as my partner is at the office earning the money to pay the mortgage and buy expensive lining paper

 

[Penners]

Despite a heavy sanding I can still see the place where the new ceiling meets the old ceiling.

I reckon that one of the hardest DIY tricks to learn is avoiding over-criticism of one's own work. You can agonise for hours over some flaw that looms large in your eyes, but that other people never even notice.

 

[AMc]

Well I've done the hall - the last few bits looking noticeably better than the first ones but not so much I'll be going around again.
To my irritation a roll I hung yesterday has shown a small patch of 'pips' sticking up right under the wall light. They are coffee granule size sin what looks like it might be a paste brush stroke. As I sanded the whole wall with my trusty bosch then washed it down before I started I know the wall 'was' perfect. Obviously the paper wasn't to blame which leaves the paste.
My guess is there were some undissolved granuals lurking in the bottom of the bucket and they got spread on the wall without me noticing.

Do you think soaking this patch will cause them to disolve/disperse or will it just cause more problems?
I'm guessing sanding is going to ruin the paper without creating a perfectly flat surface to paint?

The only other alternative is to hang a picture there as I'm not pulling it down and doing it again

 

[Penners]

I refer you to my post just above.

My bet is that only you will ever notice...

And yes, sanding is likely to wreck the paper.

 

[AMc]

I refer you to my post just above.

My bet is that only you will ever notice...

And yes, sanding is likely to wreck the paper.

I'll take that to heart. As I've posted before I'm impatient and fussy which is a bad combination with any kind of finishing.
I'll pretend I hadn't noticed it and hang a picture of it

 

[Penners]

I can't help feeling that hanging a picture of it will only serve to draw it to people's attention.

I should hang a picture over it.

:wink:

 

[AMc]

I'd love to blame auto correct - but I can't.
What I meant was I'll store a picture of the imperfection in the attic while the wall itself will appear unblemished. Unfortunately I'm not sure the new colour will stick to it as it keeps reverting to its previous colour

 

[Penners]

It sounds a bit like Adrian Mole's Noddy wallpaper!

Try painting over the offending show-through area with something like this, before you paint with the new colour: