How do I paint interior exposed stone walls?

[kitsmummy]

Hi, our house is an old pub and has lots of exposed stone walls inside, which generally I really like, but in the playroom I'd like to paint them white and really brighten it all up (that side of the house is darker and whilst it suits the dining room, the playroom looks a bit dingy).

I've got a suitable test area so that I can see if I like the look before I commit to the whole thing, but I'm not sure how to go about it? I assume the stonework will need to be sealed with something before I start? I've tried googling but am not sure what I need.

So if anyone knows how to go about this, would be very grateful if you could let me know. If there's a certain product I need, it would be very helpful if anyone could tell me exactly which one, as there seems to be a lot of sealants out there but I'm not sure which one is suitable for this job?

If it helps, there are pics on my profile of the stone walls (not the actual playroom walls but they are basically the same as the playroom walls)

TIA

the thing about painting is that once done it will have to be redone at intervals...is there any chance of eg bleaching or sandblasting instead? (though I know that would be horrible indoors)

Have you considered putting 'tapestries' over the top - colourful sheets in whatever decor you like (although medieval castle type stuff would really suit depending on the age of your DCs). Sew a heavy cane into the top and bottom and hook onto the wall.

That way you won't ruin the lovely stonework and can change the decor later on as your DCs grow up.

hmmm, I can't face the thought of sandblasting tbh and I've never heard of bleaching stonework? I think it sounds a bit full on though for what I was after, I'm thinking I need a fairly simple solution that's not too labour intensive :-)

Ref tapestries, I've already got a fair few pics in there, and just wanted to lose the heavy stone look, rather than cover up by pics etc. There's actually only one stone wall in there, so it's not really such a big makeover. The room's a mixture of plastered wall, old wood covered walls (painted white) and one wall of stone. There are also a couple of gargoyles on the wall and wooden carving within the wooden wall...it sounds such a hotchpotch doesn't it? really it's quite nice, just a bit dark.

thank you both for your suggestions anyway

I used F&B casein distemper for painting stone walls. They recommended this and it is very easy to apply. You don't have to clean the stone or anything.

But now I am wondering if I did the right thing, as I painted one stone wall and it looks really adhoc next to the unpainted ones. And i do prefer the look of the unpainted ones... Wonder if I can remove the paint easily and repoint instead....

"There are also a couple of gargoyles on the wall and wooden carving within the wooden wall...it sounds such a hotchpotch doesn't it?"

It sounds fab! I would have loved a playroom like that as a kid....wouldn't mind one now

thanks flatbread, I'll look into the F&B paint then. Love your dog pics by the way, I had a look at your profile in case you had any pics of the stone walls on there!

port

Thanks, kitsmummy. I have just put a photo of the painted stone wall on my profile.

ah great, thanks! I do like the look of that wall

The gargoyles and wood carving sound fab... it's a bit criminal to paint it!

How about installing a sheet of plasterboard in front of it, and painting that instead? That way it's easy to remove later. You would lose a few cm of room that way of course so it depends on the size of the room.

I agree that gargoyles and wood carvings sound fab! I see no harm in painting them, i think everything white will really brighten the room.

We used Pointing casein distemper, Kitsmum. Since the stone below is so dark, it appears a bit bluish white vs. buttery white. If we had to do it again, we might choose a warmer shade of white.

Is it listed? You might need consent if it is. Lime wash is your best bet- don't seal the stone as it needs to breathe and sandblasting might damage the stone and would damage any carvings etc. think very carefully about doing it as there is no going back...

Limewashing is a good idea, although can be messy. The f&b casein distemper is for breathable surfaces, such as lime rendered and exposed stone walls. We do get damp, and it has stayed on beautifully, unlike the modern emulsion version in the kitchen area, which is flaking at the bottom.

The no going back is the scary bit. Personally, I am not sure we made the right decision aesthetically, but technically it work beautifully.

Oh, but a downside, I read somewhere that it marks easily. Haven't tested that yet.

Hi everyone, just to re-assure you I won't be painting the gargoyles or carving! The carving is within the wooden wall and the gargoyles I'd leave as stone. It's not listed either so there are no problems there .

flatbread - interesting what you say about the Pointing, I've used that previously and always thought of it as a creamy white

I'll get the rest of the room done first (really black beams are becoming off white, but that's a 4 coat paint job, yuk) and the plasterered magnolia walls will be white eventually and I'll re-paint the white wooden wall. I'll then decide whether to commit to the stone being painted white, maybe it will look so much better with the rest of the room brightened up that I won't need to. If I go for it, I'll take a photo and put it on my profile so you can see, as I see some people are intreagued by the gargoyles!

I'm a bit shocked that people are using distemper.

I will guess that these are people who have never tried to decorate over it

Would love to see the room when finished!

Kitsmummy, we have used Pointing elsewhere and it s a lovely creamy white, but because the stones are so dark, it seems to show the blue undertones from the stone, iyswim.

Piglet, I find the F&B distemper very easy to use and it is also quite easy to remove as it is water based. We got some paint accidently on adjacent walls and just washed it down with a sponge and it was ok. According to F&B, it is like their normal water based paints, only a lot more breathable. And from what they told me, I could repaint over with their normal emulsion (not that I would, as there is some damp when it rains a lot and the normal paint could blister)