Would walls like this put you off?

[Iwishilivedinfairyland]

My house was very unloved when we bought it. It's covered in bumps, scratches, chips etc everywhere. We removed the tatty patterned wallpaper to find it hid a multitude of sins. Really bumpy walls, damaged plaster etc.

So we have spent the last two years going room to room trying to repair the walls and all the damage. It has been dirty, exhausting and incredibly frustrating. We are coming to the end of it now, and I am looking at the walls thinking, what was the point? They still look AWFUL.

We tried to do everything right. We prepped the walls so much. Filling every dent and sanding, over and over again. Each time we thought a room was close to painting, we would discover more imperfections that we'd missed, so back to filling and sanding etc etc.

I've taken some photos...would these bumpy walls put you off buying a house that's NOT a do-er upper?

No, not in the slightest.

I think you guys must be perfectionists. You've been looking at them too long and are only seeing the imperfections.

Once you've added a few coats of emulsion, over the years, they won't even notice.

It wouldn’t bother me.
Why didn’t you get the walls skimmed by a professional plasterer?

Walls look fine. If you choose a flat matt emulsion it’ll disguise any minor imperfections.

Thick lining paper before painting will improve the surface further. 1700gsm is the thickest I have found in B&Q.

Could you not get them re-plastered / skimmed if they are that bad?

Have you tried an orbital sander?

I've been where you are. IME, unless you have the walls professionally replastered, you need to paper them with good lining paper before painting.

As most people will redecorate a new house, a few decorative imperfections in the walls would not be an issue - they're likely to paper the walls, anyway.

It’s just old house character isn’t it? The walls in my1930s house are still horsehair plaster and show their age.

if people expect perfectly smooth walls they’re welcome to buy a new build aren’t they.

No, it wouldn't put me off and I agree with the PP that you probably have higher-than-average standards.
I agree it needs to be re-skimmed if you are wanting anything better and don't want to line the walls, although if you do go for this option in future it is worth dropping a hint about your perfectionism to the plasterer at the quote stage to make for a happier experience for all.
What finish is the paint you've applied? Super-matt finishes hide imperfections much better than anything with even a slight sheen. And avoiding up/down lighters or any other lights than will throw a concentrated beam down the walls will help.

In future, if a wall is papered, it will almost certainly be in a condition that requires re-skimming or re-lining (because that's why the paper was put up), and even if it isn't and it was a previously smooth and sound surface, there is a good chance the act of removing the paper will land it into that category. As you have discovered, trying to fill walls in this state (rather than getting a plasterer in) will be incredibly time consuming and still not get you the results you want. It is a false economy if you want perfect walls.

Truthfully, yes. In a house that has just been refurbished where everything else was new it would make me think corners had been cut and things not done properly. Some of the photos actually look like someone has attempted to replaster badly. Less so in an obviously lived in house

No, it wouldn't put me off in a period house. I'd either think it's part of the charm or factor in the cost of getting the walks professionally replastered.

What age is it?

If it’s a period house, it’s characterful. If it’s a newer house, it looks like a bit of a bodge job.

It needs skimmed

walls are fine, you’ve done a good job.

Agreed.

I have a period house and the walls are also bumpy in places.

I never understand people who want to buy period houses but expect everything to look like a new built...

No, if I liked the bare bones of a house I could see past a lot. This is nothing.

I would have got the walls replastered. I guess they couldn’t be bothered so stuck wallpaper over the top. I’d still get it skimmed and start again because it will always annoy you.

Depends on the age of the house. As others have said, in my 1930's house I don't expect it to look like a new build. I like the odd dip in the plaster.

I wish ours looked like that! Unfortunately the person who renovated our Georgian cottage in 1965 used horrid grey modern (for the era) plaster, so virtually every wall is dead flat with no character whatsoever.

Just get the walls skimmed if it bothers you that much. You could have saved yourselves a lot of work by just getting this done in the first place. Or put up thick lining paper before painting.

In a period property I would be fine with this, if it was 1960s (for example) and fully refurbished with a price tag to match it would ring alarm bells as to what else in the house had not been finished well.

Looks like the walls in my (period) flat.
it wouldn’t put me off , no because I’d be thinking about how to decorate I to my taste

Pay for the most annoying room, to you, to be replastered and work out whether you think the cost is worth it. Personally, it looks like someone cut corners if the rest of the house has been renovated.

You are not happy with the walls so try something different than you have been doing. My plasterer charges £250 day rate plus materials and leaves the walls as smooth as glass. He also leaves absolutely no mess, I know, he is a rare man indeed.

No, it would not put me off. But we live in an extremely old house and all our walls are, er, interesting.

Easy enough to get them skimmed if it was an issue.