# Fixing bad plaster for new paint?



## toolman (Jul 4, 2008)

I was wondering if anyone hasany suggestions on preparing a large wall that had a terrible at best plaster job about two years ago. The wall is 10' high and about 33' long. The plaster contractor was just aweful. Currently the paint existing is a dark plum color that shows off all of the imperfections of the bad plaster and even worse Behr paint. Is there a way of fixing these spots with out having a new plasterer come in and re-do? I noticed Kilz has a new High Build product on the market. Has anyone had any experience with that product? The new color of choice will be a light blue color from Benjamin Moore. I know it will need a few rounds of primer before painting but any suggestions on the correct finish to help hide some of these imperfections? I need a pros take and help on this. 

Many thanks.


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## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Toolman

Its tough to say without seeing a picture of how bad it is and what your customers expectations are. There is no shortcut answer, finish wise. I would probably get some of the quick dry mud that you mix yourself and skim the worst areas. This stuff sets up fast and dries harder than regular joint compound, and to the untrained eye could blend in with plaster. Then, a solid coat of primer and 2-3 coats of paint.


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

Other than Original Kilz, which is a decent oil-based stain-blocker (not a primer in the primer sense of the word), the products coming out of the Kilz factory have been piss-poor to the point of real paint stores refusing to carry them for the failure complaints from professionals

My experience would have me NOT want to try any new latex products from the company
Hey...I dunno... maybe they finally got something right...but I'm not taking the chance

There is almost never any reason for more than one coat of primer on the same surface

W/O seeing your particular problem, it's hard to say if you'll need a "plasterer", or if repairs or a skim coat will cut the mustard
I suspect a skim coat will be in order, regardless


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## Housepainter (Jan 6, 2008)

As had been shared a plaster or wall compound will work fine. Do in several thin sets, rather than over doing the plaster or wall compound mix. All plenty of dry time sand smooth and prime. I would use a upper end professional quality paint with good coverage. Let your customer know this is a step by step process that make take a few days longer than just repainting the same area.


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## toolman (Jul 4, 2008)

Guys thanks for the tips. I have posted a photo thatwas given to me in the my photos link to show you what it looks like. Then picture that spread out on a 10x33 wall. Maybe that could help a little more. Also could you guys recomend another primer besides Kilz?


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

what do you want the finish coat to look like? All smooth, or still have some "character"?


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## toolman (Jul 4, 2008)

As smooth as it can pssibly be. I don't do a lot of painting and when I do it is either new or just a color change. For bad walls (especially when they are only two years old) is not my specialty, but now is as good a time as any to start learning.


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

for smooth I would sand with a vacuum sander. I think smooth would be hard to achieve with a skim coat and I would be worried about the drywall compound not soaking in to a painted surface and chipping off. Sherwin Williams has a new primer and top coat combo called builders solution that is supposed to hide minor imperfections. You might get a nice smooth job with a coat of drywall primer and a 30 mil coat of XIM peelbond on top. Or you could roll some SherTex on the wall, that would hid the other imperfections. If you can use flat paint as your finish coat that will also hide anything that is left.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Jeepers !!!

From that picture, I would have said the wall looked like a terrible wall-upholstering job that was painted over, but you say it's a newly plastered wall. Who was more plastered? The wall or the mudder ??

I agree that it needs sanding first. The high spots are just too high (from the picture) to build up. After you got the peaks and ridges knocked down, float a coat or two of mud to level and then sand to perfection. 

High build paint ??? Please! They already got burned by short cutting. 

Prime/seal and two finish with QUALITY products.

That job is an embarassament to any craftsman that ever held a wall finishing tool.


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## timhag (Sep 30, 2007)

Looks like you need to skim the **** out of that wall.


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

will the compound stick well enough to an already painted surface? I would be worried about little chunks flaking off. You could get a couple gallon cans of ready patch and skim it out but that would be a pain. still might flake. Drywall compound and plaster are not designed to skim over an already sealed substrate. This is why I would try to sand everything out I could. Or have them rip it down and rock it


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

tsunamicontract said:


> will the compound stick well enough to an already painted surface?


It should be primed first


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## toolman (Jul 4, 2008)

Believe it or not it is worse in other areas. That is the only one that you could get a new photo. The contractor him self out of S.E. Massachusetts has since lost his license. The roof leaked after 14 months and had to be completely re-stripped and done over. It was not a quality job. The state had to get involved, so I guess you can't expect much more from his subs. The worst part of it all is that this guy is still in business giving good people a bad name. He keeps changing his number and guys that work for him all the time.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Some of us here are from SE MA.

Would it be advisable to tell us which town this happened?

I'd love to know who the guy is, but naming names could prolly target you for legal action.


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## EricTheHandyman (Jan 29, 2008)

This might be overkill, but you could also consider covering the exisiting wall with 1/4" drywall, tape & mud, prime & paint. Probably easier to sand/skim though.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

If you are thinking about overlayment or such, consider flexi-wall

http://www.flexiwall.com/


or coating wall with Weld-o-bond and having a REAL plasterer give a skim coat.


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## rich78 (Jul 8, 2015)

If you can sand-down some of the imperfections, use a fast set to skim coat imperfections, roll a thick coat of primer as long as you don't get runs or compromise the priming step. If you can use a flat finish.
www.rainbowcustompainting.com


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

rich78 said:


> If you can sand-down some of the imperfections, use a fast set to skim coat imperfections, roll a thick coat of primer as long as you don't get runs or compromise the priming step. If you can use a flat finish.
> www.rainbowcustompainting.com


this thread is 7years old, come on


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## I paint paint (May 4, 2014)

Rich78, too bad you didn't provide a link … I am really looking for some click bait this morning … and your timely responses are VERY intriguing. :icon_rolleyes:


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

just report it and move on, doesn't appear we will be hurting the GD feelings of a long term contributor.


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## jacob33 (Jun 2, 2009)

I wonder what the oldest necro post is.


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