Filling and sanding walls

[didireallysaythat]

We've a wall papered house which room by room we'll strip and paint (only one layer of paint underneath). All the walls are solid with plaster (ie no stud walls so little plaster board I think).

I like smooth walls. I'm prepared to get a decent sander plus filler (this project is going to run for years - I'm not looking at a weekend make over).

So what do you recommend ? Belt sander, mouse sander or paper ? What is smoother than tube polyfiller (which I can never get to give a nice finish when sanded) ? Toupret ?

Any suggestions welcome !

TIA

[erin99]

I think you need to strip the paper off and see what you have to work with. If the paper peels off well, you might do better to stick with what you've got. IME the more you go fiddling, the harder it is to get right. Imagine you're cutting hair - a bit off on the right... Oops now the right's a bit shorter, better take a bit off the left... Oh no now that's shorter, need a bit more off on the right again... And that's just with one straight line not a whole 2D surface.

We sand by hand to get rid of last bits of paper. If it needs more than that we use a rectangular orbital sander. I agree with you that readymixed polyfiller is rubbish, but I think the powdered stuff is great. Generally though, I would get a plasterer in if the whole wall needed doing. Plasterers are magic.

[PigletJohn]

use a broad metal filling knife and far less filler than you think you need. Press very hard, with the knife bridging across from the wall on either side. There is no point in putting on anything that you are going to remove. Jointing plaster, thin as custard, is good for small defects, and sets very fast. Mix up much less than you think you need, in a perfectly clean plastic container.

Before it is fully hard, use a broad metal scraper to scrape down any excess above the wall on either side. It is quicker and less dusty than sanding.

[didireallysaythat]

Erin the paper comes off OK, but there are the usual divets and bumps in the walls (where furniture has bashed dents and where there's raised bumps presumably from when the walls were plastered). Not a big enough deal to get a plasterer involved but I'd hope a professional decorator would fill and smooth before painting so that's what I'd like to do.

PJ - I think you have it spot on - I usually put too much filler in and then sand it all off. I'll try jointing plaster (just checking screwfix)

Thank you both !