How 'good' does a wall have to be to avoid using lining paper, also colour of paint advice please ?

[colette]

We moved into our house 2 years ago and thought dd's room was a priority ( unfortunately various other repairs became more urgent first ! )
So recently got back to her room - the preparation has been never ending, it had 5 layers of paper that had been painted over, holes in the wall , cracks above the window and had generally been mistreated over the years. Have stripped all wallpaper and paint , resanded, all holes are now filled.
DD wants Kath Kidston wallpaper on one wall www.cathkidston.co.uk/p-11622-cath-kidston-antique-rose-bouquet-wallpaper.aspx?referrer=category - over priced but feeling guilty about how long we have taken.
I feel the walls are pretty good now , as good as they can be without getting a plasterer in - which we don't have the budget for.
So how do I know if the wall ( other than the feature wall) would be o.k with just paint , would testing a matchpot show me coverage etc ? What type of paint would hide any minor faults , what colours should the other walls be ? The room is north facing and dd really wants blue/white . I would prefer painted walls if poss.

We are not v. experienced at decorating so am grateful for advice -thanks for reading the ramble

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Think it has to be really very good to get away with just paint and no lining paper, unless you want a rustic, lumpy look.

Matt emulsion paint is not very forgiving. Lining paper shows the bumps a bit too. You can get thick paint to act as a basecoat which can fill minor cracks, have a look at B and Q.

Getting the wall skimmed may be an option. Not as expensive as a full replaster.

Thanks , I thought I might be being optimistic .
DD wants to put pictures on the wall and I can see the lining paper coming off Will look at B and Q website

I have just stripped the wallpaper off 2 bedrooms and painted the bare walls. The plaster is very old and not good but I filled the cracks and holes (including the large one from where ds1 tried to knock a hole through to next door, using a hammer) with Polyfiller, sanded them flat, and painted. It's definitely "rustic" looking but I like it, and dses will no doubt cover the walls with posters again fairly soon.

You can buy something to paint on to even out cracks and small bumps. I used it in the bathroom but TBH I spent so much time stressing over whether it was smooth emough that I've not bothered with it again and I wish I hadn't bothered.

If your plaster is bare (unpainted) be prepared to apply an undercoat first to seal it, even if it's had a couple of generations of wallpaper paste on it. I'm just waiting for my 3rd coat of paint to dry before I clear up. First coat was watered down 1 part water to 4 parts paint for undercoat but it still took 2 more to get even coverage. Don't believe the hype about One Coat paints either, the last time I used one it dried too fast and cracked as I was still painting. Manufacturers told me to water it down, which did stop the cracking but meant I had to apply 2 coats .

And don't forget that whatever you paint now, next time you do it it will be sooooo much easier!

HarrietSchulenberg- I kept telling myself that when we change the colour scheme ( in the distant future !)it will be so much easier.
With what you've said I'm tempted to try a test on one wall. Our house is 1950's so the plaster is pretty old.

Yes, do a tester wall or even just a section. To be honest, I really like my pitted, knobbly walls and I find newly plastered brickwork a bit too characterless. I like finding shapes in the plaster, bit like cloudgazing only indoors. My plaster truly is appalling but I like it.

The better the wall the better the result.

You might find that skimming the walls isn't as expensive as you think. We recently have had our huge kitchen ceiling done for £300....

Lining paper is easy to put up. Get the thick stuff. Stick it on the wall and fold over then score with a ruler (etc) top and bottom to get a sharp fold line. Then leave to dry like that (much easier to cut the excess off when the paste is all dry). Leave a 1 mm gap between each sheet then fill with Polyfilla and sand flat before painting.

You may find blue or white makes room look bit cold if north facing.

What about a very pale pink?

thanks for all the tips.
Re. colour I will try and introduce alternative colours but she is sure she wants the paper linked above( in the blue backround ) so will look at matchpots .