I am currently attempting to refinish my dining room plaster walls in my 20's bungalow. I have scraped of the calcimite paint to reveal the original (lead) paint underneath. The walls have some bad areas: the brown coat is showing thru in places, there are holes and cracks to patch, other miscellaneous imperfections, etc. <br> <br>How do I correctly regain a smooth finish for the entire wall, not just patched areas? Can I apply a new finish plaster coat directly on the old painted surface? Or can/should I apply some sort of sealer and then apply a skim coat of joint compound? <br> <br>Thanks for the help. <br> <br>Brad <br> <br>

First repair any cracks by making them bigger. <br>YES making them bigger! Widen the hairline cracks out to at least 1/8 inch so you can fill them with plaster or spackle or even drywall compound. <br>Sand smooth. Fix other imperfections as you see fit. <br>Then sand the entire wall to roughen up any remaining glossy paint so the new paint will stick. (paint and plaster don't stick very well to a glossy surface) <br>Put on a skim coat of plaster if you want. <br>Prime. Use a good quality primer, it really makes a difference. <br>Paint. <br>

You could try adding drywall compound to the primer to help even out texture. A friend did that to blend new drywall with old plaster/paint in my kitchen and it really worked.

Brad, <br> <br>A few thoughts...these old walls will never be smooth like finished drywall. From my perspective, the roughness of the walls is part of the charm. Hence, I usually do not attempt to get the whole surface of walls looking smooth, but rather rough up the repair spots to look like the rest of the walls. This works best if the majority of a wall/room is not being repaired. The way to rough up a smallish area is to use diluted drywall compound (1/1 with water) and roll it on in a thin coat with a wide nap roller, go back over a half-hour later with a fake sea sponge to "knock-down" the peaks, then let dry and prime. <br> <br>If you are repairing most of the surface of the wall, then I highly advise that you sand the lead paint as little as possible. If you do need to sand, then sand with wet sponges and wear a respirator rated for lead. The best way to avoid the sanding would to skim coat the wall. Similar to above, you thin out the drywall compound and then apply and smooth out on the wall to fill low spots. Then wet sand. You can add some texture when skimming by doing the roller trick I mentioned above. This works for entire walls pretty well. Also, there is supposedly a new tool out there that a lot of drywall pros are gaga over called the "Magic Trowel". I've not used it, but I would buy it and try it out if I had to do large areas of skimming...it also is a help in reducing the sanding necessary, which is key with the lead paint concerns. <br> <br>Cheers, <br>Tim

One of the advantages to plaster is that -- if done right -- it is much smoother than drywall. Plaster is even smoother than a Level 5 finish which is the best drywall finish you can specify. Even as they are, most of the surfaces of my old walls are smoother than the best new drywall. But that's my problem, the repairs will stick out like a sore thumb if they aren't done correctly (like the other repairs the previous owner's have made). <br> <br>Everyone should read the Gypsum Construction Handbook from USG before doing any drywall/plaster work. You can order one from there website or download the PDF at <http://www.usg.com/Expert_Advice/pdf/handbook_complete.pdf>. The only criticism I have is that is written around new construction. <br> <br>So now that we have scraped off all the calcimine, we need to correctly repair the holes and cracks in order to repaint. <br> <br>Joint compound will not permanently adhere to plaster walls, it will eventually peel off. Plaster needs plaster reapplied to it. Joint compound is used all the time, but is not the correct solution. There is a lot of good info at <http://www.oldhouseweb.net/stories/How-To/Walls_And_Ceilings/Repairing_Old_Plaster/> <br> <br>I would like to just skim coat the entire wall after the repairs, but still haven't found any answers to my questions: Can new plaster be applied to an existing painted wall? Will is stick or do I need to apply some sort of sealant/bonder? And if there is such a product made, can I then used JC instead of plaster? <br> <br>The best product I have found so far seems to be Restoration Plaster from Master of Plaster Finishing Systems, Inc. <http://www.masterofplaster.com/product/restoration.html> which will go on a painted surface. <br> <br>Brad

Brad, <br> <br>Looking back at your original post, I see that you are asking specifically for plaster-based skim coating products. My direct answer to that is: plaster. Seems to me that if you don't wish to take the chance of having a drywall compound vs plaster adhesion issue, then the only solution I have to offer is to re-plaster. That's one I try to avoid at all costs, especially when the difference is degree of smoothness in the wall finish. It is likely a case where I have very modest tastes and don't mind a rough wall. It's the way all the plaster in my modest house appears, so that's my point of reference. In more stately homes, I can understand the desire to invest the time and money to get a flawless finish. <br> <br>Interestingly, I have read the references you cite, and I come to a different conclusion about drywall compound and plaster adhesion from you. I think it is acceptable to repair plaster with drywall compuond. In fact, at least one of your references -- Repairing Historic Flat Plaster Walls and Ceilings -- recommends using fast setting drywall compound in plaster repair. <br> <br>I have to admit that I am a little taken aback by your assertion that the only proper way to repair plaster is to use another form of plaster. I agree that this is the best solution for wide repairs, and have had success with applying plaster-based products in this case. Who knows, maybe I'm in for a big surprise in 20 years when my minor repairs with joint compound come back and peel off. I guess we'll see. <br> <br>Cheers, <br>Tim <br>

I have made repairs in my walls with joint compound and with plaster. They both give a more porous result than the original plaster and shows up when you paint it until you get enough seal coats on the walls to cover it. The original plaster is so hard and smooth it is even hard to sand without using extra course sandpaper. Did they used to burnish the plaster as it dried to give it that hard silky texture? I used to make some plaster scultpures and there was a method of rubbing with something that gave it a hard, smooth top surface. I just don't remember what it was.

If the finish coat is done right, it's so smooth it doesn't need sanding.

I made several repairs to my plaster walls with joint compound before I heard to stay away from JC on plaster. Now the bathroom is peeling after one year, I suspect accelerated from a reaction to the increased humidity (despite a big 300 cfm exhaust fan). The other room hasn't shown any signs, but I think that might have to do with fact I applied it in most areas over several coats of existing paint which acted as a sealant and bonding coat to the plaster. <br> <br>Although I can't find any specific reference in the USG manual (the de-facto standard) that says NOT to use JC on plaster, I don't see anywhere that is says you can either. It specifies an all-plaster finishing system. <br> <br>That web article is mostly an uncredited reprint of the NPS Preservation Brief for Plaster Repair <http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/briefs/brief21.htm>. The section under "Patching Materials" is especially helpful. It speaks of JC as a "do-it-yourself repair" for minor cracks and recommends plaster for a professional job. <br> <br>I probably should call my local USG rep. for some help. <br> <br>This has been a really good discussion! <br> <br>Brad

I couldn't agree with you more that plaster is best. After adding dormers and everything else you could possibly think of to our upstairs we ended up having to repair our ceiling plaster. Some the contractor paid for, some were sins previous to us, some were predetermined holes in the ceiling. We did not have any issues with the plasterers applying the plaster to a painted wall and they did everything,...including making our new upstairs walls out of ,...yes,....believe it,.....wooden lathe and plaster and they are perfect as are the repairs that they did. I am in love! I could go on and on about the energy cost saving (both heating and a/c) we have now or the quality of work. All I can say is I LOVE plaster and if you need a recommendation in the Chicago area - I have it. <br>Buona Fortuna, you are on the right path.

By the way, did you use latex or oil based paint in your bathroom?