Can I paint over these walls?

[Ellieboolou33]

Anyone know if I can paint over these walls? It's just a temporary measure until we have saved enough money to decorate properly.

It’s hard to tell what that photo actually is of, as in what’s the surface made of?

Yes it you want a recurring job. However there are flexible paints that may work if they are just hairline cracks.

Search for 'flexible paint'

I'd line that first. Lining paper and wallpaper paste is cheap, you just need a table to lay it on, 2 people and a strong marriage.
You can then paint it.

Marriage or relationship...or friendship...

Thanks, was trying to avoid lining paper as will only be 6 months or so before we have a full re wire, just didn't want to spend 6 months looking at bare walls, hairline cracks not deep. Guess I will just try one wall and see.

there is nothing in the pictures to show scale.

How old is the house?

It'll be fine but cracks will reappear. Why not just hang pictures?

@PigletJohn

there is nothing in the pictures to show scale.

How old is the house?

Agree, I’m surprised at people saying it’s fine without further info

Pin up full length curtains to cover it like theyre a wall covering (rich people did that for hundreds of years with tapestries, but unless you’re really minted those will be too dear)!

@PigletJohn was hoping you'd spot this!
The walls are in a room 15ft x9.5ft over them 😩

More pictures if it helps! Coke aw going to put Matt interior trade paint on them, I'm house was built in 1930's

Was going to - not coke 🙄

so the cracks are very small.

tap them with your knuckles to see if they sound hollow, meaning loose plaster.

Wash the wall down with sugar soap so dirt doesn't creep out of the cracks and mark the new paint.

A matt paint, preferably not white, will cover it reasonably well. you can get thick, elastic paints intended to hide cracks, but I'd avoid that unless you can't cure the problem.

If the paster sounds hollow, it wants pulling off and replstering. A skim will not repair loose plaster.

i can't make out from the pattern what the cause might be. We don't know the age of the house. Might be war movement. Doesn't look like movement following structural alterations.

Thanks @PigletJohn
Just tapped, ok sound solid, around the window frame probably will need filling a bit as sounds lose there, if that makes sense?

I've gone for boring but stable magnolia 😬

It looks similar to ours (also 1930s house). Ours ended up a mixture of lined, patched plaster repairs (back to brick) and skimmed. Around the windows in our house is all blown - just one tap and lots of plaster falls off. Hollow sound is a giveaway.
We have walls like this that we have lived with for a year... I get that not everyone would want to do that, but it seems a waste to paint walls for just a few months.
I've also lined rooms like this quite successfully , having never done it before.

@TiddleTaddleTat

It looks similar to ours (also 1930s house). Ours ended up a mixture of lined, patched plaster repairs (back to brick) and skimmed. Around the windows in our house is all blown - just one tap and lots of plaster falls off. Hollow sound is a giveaway. We have walls like this that we have lived with for a year... I get that not everyone would want to do that, but it seems a waste to paint walls for just a few months. I've also lined rooms like this quite successfully , having never done it before.

That's just like ours, we could even fit a blind as all plaster falls off over the windows 😩 It's my little girls room so really wanted to at least paint it for her. Thank you for all the advise, I'll sit tight and wait for dh to re plaster could be months knowing him

@Ellieboolou33 yes - it was trying to fit a curtain track in DD's room that caused half the plaster to fall off the wall.
DH was trying to line the room at the time, I was away with DD. He called me in a panic. I suggested he buy some plaster and have a go. He refused.
When I got home I repaired it myself. Twas easy! As I lined over the top it didn't need to be perfect. It's skimming that's really tricky. The great thing about plaster is it's so cheap, and you only need a flexible bucket and a couple of cheap plaster if tools. Worth a go.

@TiddleTaddleTat great! I'm going to have a go myself, getting so fed up of waiting for husband to do stuff, I just haven't got the confidence but think I'll try! I'm sure I won't knock the house down 🤣

I think a less-pale colour will hide defects more. have used "natural hessian" or something else like milky-tea colour.