Preparing to paint the ceiling

[NewtScamandersNiffler]

Wiser people than me, can you settle an argument we’ve had with partner’s Dad? He wants to help (advise) on our diy.

He claims we need to dilute pva glue and paint it on the walls before putting up lining paper. The plaster is 40 years old, smooth and old paint scraped off. We think we need to dilute ordinary paint and do a mist coat and then we can put lining paper up.

Don’t get me started on the ceiling. We took the wallpaper down and found a layer of impossible to remove paint. Bit worried about damaging the plaster really. Can we scrape off the worst flakes and use the Zinsser cover/primer? Then add top coats? (Photo shows how bad ceiling is)

You need to size the walls with wallpaper paste afaik. Mist coating is for new bare plaster you intend to paint, not plaster you intend to paper.

Is that a dirty mark or mould on the ceiling. Providing that it is dry then you Zinsser and top coat plan sounds a good one.

The dark grey is the actual ceiling and the lighter grey is the old paint. Absolutely no damp or mould.

You can size the walls with....size, or wall sealer, but not paint.

Thank you. Ok so we size the wall (probably pva) and we will do that after we have cleaned the ceiling.

Kinda understanding why 2 professionals didn’t want this job.

A word of warning: if the paint on the ceiling is flaking it might be distemper which you need to remove before you can paint. Have a look online for info and how to deal with it. Wallpaper paste is fine for sizing walls - you just make it up to a different strength and the instructions will be on the packet. PVA is not recommended for many things these days.

please don't put glue on any surface you hope one day to paint.

Thanks to all. @piglet_john - DP’s father insists on pva before lining paper goes up and he won’t shut up about it. What else can we use to size the wall?

@wowfudge

We tried a heat gun. It’s old paint with a layer of less old wallpaper paste on top. Remarkably hard to shift.

Ah okay - so not distemper.

You use wallpaper paste to size walls - if you remove the paper in the future then it comes off.

I wouldn't bother! I think of this as optional, but that's me lazy

Agree with wow just the wallpaper paste, I mean nothing in addition to that

There are still a few people left who like to put PVA on walls. Most of them have been killed by angry decorators.