I have peeled off the paint to the plaster ...HELP

[ACurlyWurly]

I have removed some dado rails, coving and frames which were attached to the walls by the previous occupants by no nails. it has removed large chunks of paint down to the plaster (we are talking decades of thick paint) its left the remaining paint raised in areas and loose in others. i have filled the smaller holes but there are some bigger than my hand where great chunks have come off. these are lose at the edges and when i start picking off the loose bits it keeps going and i have to stop myself.

Can I stick these bits down, whats the best way to fill them? Would patching plaster get behind the loose parts and stick them whilst filling? I cant afford to have the room re-skimmed and sanding will leave me with dips rater than the previous smooth finish

its peeling off in large bits like wallpaper.

I'd be tempted to use some watered down PVA to paste on the loose edges....with a two-three inch brush....poke it under and paste it over. Thinly.

Water it down to 3 parts PVA 1 part water. Let dry then attempt to plaster over.

Go to Travis Perkins and get some builders calk. It’s supposedly better than polyfiller (so I’m told, haven’t used it).

Fill as best you can and fine-sand edges,then go for a really thick lining paper?

Thanks all....i considered trying to get it all off but its stuck fast in some places and then lifting in others, I don't want to strip a chunk and then find i cant move on

I've used Polyfilla One Fill successfully to patch holes in plaster. It's weird stuff and very lightweight, but easy to use. At first it seems spongy but it dries hard when fully cured. Screwfix sell it. It's very easy to use and get a smooth finish with. Use a dry paintbrush to brush any loose debris out of holes before filling. It isn't suitable for drilling into so bear that in mind.

I had a very ratty wall after removing wallpaper. I think you have 2 issues:
Plaster holes
Holes in old paint.

You can fill plaster holes if not too many and the rest of the plaster is good and stuck to the wall. If too many holes or blown plaster you'll need to replaster.

The layers of paint issue; I'm never happy with the finish when painting over patches of flaked paint. So I ended up scraping off all the old paint with a wallpaper scraper, then sanding and fine filler (Not poly filler) to get a nice smooth wall again.

Lots of effort, but worthwhile I think.

Beware plasterers plastering over blown plaster or old peeling paint. The new plaster will just come away with the stuff underneath over time.