Patchy walls after stripping wallpaper

[xxlostxx]

Walls are a mess with large patches of peeling paint and lots of bare wall too.
I was hoping to paint them but looks like I'll need to do a lot of prep. Not sure what products I'll need and how to go about it. Would love some advise please!

Is that damp?

Wallrock fibreliner (200 thickness) is brilliant lining paper that gives a smooth finish.

Is it uneven? If it's just the colour, a decent primer should do. If very slightly uneven, I would seriously consider using roll-on plaster instead of paint. Dead easy to apply, you just use an ordinary roller brush, and leaves you with a slightly grainy structure just like plaster would. Colour is a bit off-white - if you were planning on white walls, no need for an additional paint layer over it.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Knauf-Proroll-Max-Plaster---13-5kg/p/166799

Lesssugarketchup it's bare plaster/wall, not damp.
AndTheSurveySays was hoping not to have to line, no experience and think I'd make a mess of it!
GrumpyPanda roll on plaster sounds great, didn't know such a thing was available.
It's not particularly uneven, just worried the patches will all show through. But hopefully a decent primer will sort it.

Looks like every wall we've ever removed wallpaper from. Prep to paint is a labour of love. Poly fill any deep holes. Use sandpaper to smooth don't paint until it's perfect or it looks three times worse when it's done.

People pay a lot of money for a distressed wall like that! You could make it even more ‘patchy, by rolling a diluted emulsion over it , or even two in close tones.

beware of the roll on plaster. It isn’t really plaster, it’s a very thick paint and is extremely difficult to get smooth, or to remove later ( there’s a lot of it in France where they use it in outbuildings and cellars for very degraded walls)

Painter / decorator out of the question?

I’m like you - no decorating experience but lots of reno experience
and the one time I did try - car crash and I ended up paying a professional anyway

People pay a lot of money for a distressed wall like that!

But like taking about the “just got out of bed look”

whilst looks effortless, it undoubtedly has required money and effort!

was hoping not to have to line, no experience and think I'd make a mess of it

The lining paper I've recommended is very easy to install. It's more like card than paper and you paste the wall.

I wouldn't line it. I'd work on it and work on it, endlessly filling and sanding, till it was good. It's all in the prep.

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen the roll on plaster is not a paint, it's more like a very fine filler, at least the one by Knauf mentioned by @GrumpyPanda. For a skim-type tratment I'd rather use Knauf Proroll Light (not Max). But yes, it's not just roll on and leave it, you'd need to sand to get a decent finish. It does sand easily, but the dust! 😬