How to remove oil based paint on plaster walls in shower room

[Ohallright]

The walls of my small (and sometimes steamy) shower room were painted in flat oil, directly onto bare plaster and polyfiller.

There is no mist coat to seal the plaster and as I have been raking out the many cracks (which I thought were in the plaster) I have found the paint has come off the plaster in jagged chunks, leaving non-cracked plaster.

What is the best way to remove the paint, so I can achieve a good finish? It comes off easily in some places by scraping, but in others it is solid.

Lining it is not an option, because of the steam.

Has anyone else had this problem and a successful solution?

Thanks

hot air gun, scraper..

Thank you. I may just pop out and buy one! It has taken me 6 hours to clear a third of one wall 😡. I don’t think I’ll get a good finish without getting rid of it.
The painter who did it this way came back to fix it several times over the last 15 years, but has now retired. I thought I could do it myself. After all it is a small room........

Try to peel it away in sheets, playing the gun ahead of your scraper. you may find there are scraps or smears or burnt paint when you have finished. Use a very fine sanpaper, it is brittle and crumbly so should come off.

Don't overheat the plaster by holding the gun still, or it may pop off.

Hairdryer and blade here to scrape it all off and start again.

We did it in last years summer heatwave. I don’t know the person who thought it was a good idea, but having just scraped off a whole room of wallpaper to find this undeneath, I wished them physical pain

We inherited the painter, who I assume used this paint under instruction. His work was always good, except in this room - I know why now .

There is a special circle in hell for people who do this and/or varnish wood chip paper.

I’ve given up for the evening, but have blocked out the next week to sorting this. Thanks for all the advice.

Haha, your reply made me laugh as I spent all of yesterday removing painted woodchip from another room. Ah well at least we got it a bit under market value

We had this last year. Hell. You are doing all the right things. Then what was left we sanded over with fine sandpaper and used Wickes jointing compound as a skim coat where we couldn't get a good enough finish without.

www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Ready-Mixed-Plasterboard-Jointing-Compound---10kg/p/220995

That stuff was a lifesaver and is easy to use and sand smooth.

Well, that’s one wall done - 3 more to go!

The plaster is in good order, albeit with a bit of polyfiller in.

Does anyone know if I should go along the 30% mist coat, 20% mist coat, then 2 lots of emulsion, or should I go for an appropriate Zinsser primer as it is nor new plaster and may have absorbed oil from the paint?

Any help/ info appreciated.

I’m not up to skin coating it all. I can handle basic diy, but that’s a step too far....

Mist coats of emulsion.

That you! I’m getting a bit ahead of myself, but I should be ready to mist coat in a week (or so)