Over the past year or so, i have noticed that the bathroom paint on my 
bathroom wall has started flaking in parts.
Other parts of paint have been patched upwhere large "bubbles" of paint have 
come off (almost blistered)

My question is how can i remove the paintwork without damaging the plaster 
underneath. As i recall, there is an undercoat of magnolia emulsion also

Any help would be grateful
Craig

"Craig Keightley"  wrote in message
news:429d6612$0$294$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...

> Over the past year or so, i have noticed that the bathroom paint on my
> bathroom wall has started flaking in parts.
> Other parts of paint have been patched upwhere large "bubbles" of paint
have
> come off (almost blistered)
>
> My question is how can i remove the paintwork without damaging the plaster
> underneath. As i recall, there is an undercoat of magnolia emulsion also
>
> Any help would be grateful
> Craig
>
>


A steam paper stripper will also help in removing paint from the walls, and
must be used with a sharp scraper.  The scraper must be used gently though,
and the steam stripper kept on the wall until you see the paint begin to
peel.

It might not take all the emulsion undercoat off, but it will loosen it
quite a bit so it should peel off eventually.

If you want to paper on top of the paint, then score the surface with a
metal comb and apply a coat or two of size to it.  This gives the walls a
sticky top coat which will take pasted paper better.

i thought about using a steamer but wasn't too sure if it wiuld affect the 
plaster board and plaster underneath
What i intend to do is undercoat the walls with a damp proof paint as i have 
noticed that there are damp patches appearing through the paintwork
will the steamer affect the boards?


"BigWallop"  wrote in message 
news:UEgne.43232$G8.8420@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...

>
> "Craig Keightley"  wrote in message
> news:429d6612$0$294$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...
>> Over the past year or so, i have noticed that the bathroom paint on my
>> bathroom wall has started flaking in parts.
>> Other parts of paint have been patched upwhere large "bubbles" of paint
> have
>> come off (almost blistered)
>>
>> My question is how can i remove the paintwork without damaging the 
>> plaster
>> underneath. As i recall, there is an undercoat of magnolia emulsion also
>>
>> Any help would be grateful
>> Craig
>>
>>
>
> A steam paper stripper will also help in removing paint from the walls, 
> and
> must be used with a sharp scraper.  The scraper must be used gently 
> though,
> and the steam stripper kept on the wall until you see the paint begin to
> peel.
>
> It might not take all the emulsion undercoat off, but it will loosen it
> quite a bit so it should peel off eventually.
>
> If you want to paper on top of the paint, then score the surface with a
> metal comb and apply a coat or two of size to it.  This gives the walls a
> sticky top coat which will take pasted paper better.
>
> 

In article <429da7e4$0$292$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com>,
	"Craig Keightley"  writes:

>i thought about using a steamer but wasn't too sure if it wiuld affect the 
>plaster board and plaster underneath
>What i intend to do is undercoat the walls with a damp proof paint as i have 
>noticed that there are damp patches appearing through the paintwork
>will the steamer affect the boards?


Steamer should be OK providing the walls are dry, and obviously
providing you don't saturate them with too much water in the process.
However, if the walls are wet, the steamer can cause the moisture
in the walls to boil, blowing off the front face of the plaster.
However, it can also be a good technique for blowing off the paint
on the walls, i.e. wet it, let it soak through the paint, and then
steam it, whereupon the moisture behind the paint boils are blows
the paint off. I discovered this by accident on some heavily painted
lime plaster walls, and have used it deliberately quite successfully
a couple of times since. Probably depends on the type of paint though.

-- 
Andrew Gabriel

its B & Q bathroom paint and i remember it being laid on quite thick in some 
places and sparing in others


"Andrew Gabriel"  wrote in message 
news:429dad60$0$38038$5a6aecb4@news.aaisp.net.uk...

> In article <429da7e4$0$292$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com>,
> "Craig Keightley"  writes:
>>i thought about using a steamer but wasn't too sure if it wiuld affect the
>>plaster board and plaster underneath
>>What i intend to do is undercoat the walls with a damp proof paint as i 
>>have
>>noticed that there are damp patches appearing through the paintwork
>>will the steamer affect the boards?
>
> Steamer should be OK providing the walls are dry, and obviously
> providing you don't saturate them with too much water in the process.
> However, if the walls are wet, the steamer can cause the moisture
> in the walls to boil, blowing off the front face of the plaster.
> However, it can also be a good technique for blowing off the paint
> on the walls, i.e. wet it, let it soak through the paint, and then
> steam it, whereupon the moisture behind the paint boils are blows
> the paint off. I discovered this by accident on some heavily painted
> lime plaster walls, and have used it deliberately quite successfully
> a couple of times since. Probably depends on the type of paint though.
>
> -- 
> Andrew Gabriel
> 

"Craig Keightley"  wrote in message
news:429dcf89$0$292$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...

> its B & Q bathroom paint and i remember it being laid on quite thick in
some
> places and sparing in others
>

<<<snipped>>>

If it has any form of vinyl base in it, which I think these kitchen and
bathroom paints do, then it should be OK to use a steamer on it to loosen it
off a bit.

Having read your reply about the damp patches on the plaster though, I would
recommend using the steamer sparingly on these parts of the wall.  If the
plaster is loose and crumbling around these damp spots, then try just
lifting the paint off with the edge/corner of a scraper to see what happens
first.  If the plaster also falls away with the paint, then you really need
to make the walls good again by removing the old plaster board and fixing
what ever is causing these damp spots to appear.

Plaster boards are really cheap, sometimes cheaper than the paint, so it
isn't a hugely expensive job to replace the lot and start again afresh.

But it's still worth giving the steam stripper a try first though.

the damp patches appear as large circles on the wall
does any one have recommendations on how to treat these patches once i have 
removed the paint.

At present there are areas where the paint has flaked away from the walls.

 I intend to get all paint off and treat all the walls. A few nights are 
gonna be lost on this one!!!!
"BigWallop"  wrote in message 
news:mqkne.43401$G8.16544@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...

>
> "Craig Keightley"  wrote in message
> news:429dcf89$0$292$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...
>> its B & Q bathroom paint and i remember it being laid on quite thick in
> some
>> places and sparing in others
>>
> <<<snipped>>>
>
> If it has any form of vinyl base in it, which I think these kitchen and
> bathroom paints do, then it should be OK to use a steamer on it to loosen 
> it
> off a bit.
>
> Having read your reply about the damp patches on the plaster though, I 
> would
> recommend using the steamer sparingly on these parts of the wall.  If the
> plaster is loose and crumbling around these damp spots, then try just
> lifting the paint off with the edge/corner of a scraper to see what 
> happens
> first.  If the plaster also falls away with the paint, then you really 
> need
> to make the walls good again by removing the old plaster board and fixing
> what ever is causing these damp spots to appear.
>
> Plaster boards are really cheap, sometimes cheaper than the paint, so it
> isn't a hugely expensive job to replace the lot and start again afresh.
>
> But it's still worth giving the steam stripper a try first though.
>
> 

"Craig Keightley"  wrote in message
news:429f085b$0$304$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...

> the damp patches appear as large circles on the wall
> does any one have recommendations on how to treat these patches once i
have
> removed the paint.
>
> At present there are areas where the paint has flaked away from the walls.
>
>  I intend to get all paint off and treat all the walls. A few nights are
> gonna be lost on this one!!!!
>

<<<snipped>>>

If the plaster board is so bad that it is crumbling, then you're better off
replacing it.  You will have to make sure that find the source of the
dampness and cure it / fix it before you replace the damaged parts of the
plaster board though.

Could the damp patches be from steam condensing on bare parts of the walls,
or even running down from the ceiling behind the plaster board?  If it is,
then it could be as easy to remedy as squirting some sealant along any open
joints.

its the paint thats crumbling, the pasterboard looks fine underneath
 as far as i know, the plasterboard is attached to a brick wall behind (done 
before we moved in)


"BigWallop"  wrote in message 
news:7zEne.43956$G8.31092@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...

>
> "Craig Keightley"  wrote in message
> news:429f085b$0$304$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...
>> the damp patches appear as large circles on the wall
>> does any one have recommendations on how to treat these patches once i
> have
>> removed the paint.
>>
>> At present there are areas where the paint has flaked away from the 
>> walls.
>>
>>  I intend to get all paint off and treat all the walls. A few nights are
>> gonna be lost on this one!!!!
>>
> <<<snipped>>>
>
> If the plaster board is so bad that it is crumbling, then you're better 
> off
> replacing it.  You will have to make sure that find the source of the
> dampness and cure it / fix it before you replace the damaged parts of the
> plaster board though.
>
> Could the damp patches be from steam condensing on bare parts of the 
> walls,
> or even running down from the ceiling behind the plaster board?  If it is,
> then it could be as easy to remedy as squirting some sealant along any 
> open
> joints.
>
> 

"Craig Keightley"  wrote in message
news:429f1a49$0$296$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...

> its the paint thats crumbling, the pasterboard looks fine underneath
>  as far as i know, the plasterboard is attached to a brick wall behind
(done
> before we moved in)
>
>

If the plaster board is sound, then the damp patches are more likely to have
come from splashes or condensation on the surface that you can see, as
opposed to coming in from behind the plaster board.

If that is the case, then all the plaster board needs is dried out and
protected with something water proof (which I suspect is actually what
you're trying to do to it already).  The paint is already flaking off on
parts of the walls, so I do think the steamer will make an impression on
removing the rest it quite easily for you.

After using the steamer to get the old paint off, allow the plaster board to
dry out for a day or two before applying your new paint to it.  It might
also be a good idea to use a cheap under-coat paint on the bare walls first,
just to make sure the plaster has soaked up all it can and the surface is
sealed enough to make your top of paint stick and stay on.