textured, plaster walls

17 years ago

HI,

Is there anything nice we can do to our living room walls?

Right now it has this strange "smoothish" stucco or plastered texture on the walls. I think the plaster guy said he could repair and refresh the walls and do skim coating. But The walls are kinda built up, and I dont want to make the moldings look flush to the walls. Should we go with another type of texture that is prettier, or try to smooth them out?

THX!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

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Comments (15)

western_pa_luann
17 years ago
I'd leave then as is... but then, that's what I have in my house!
momto4
Original Author
17 years ago
is this something that could be original to the house?
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vjrnts
17 years ago
This is what I have in my house, too, and I believe it's original. This house was built in 1922. I love the texturing!
ericwi
17 years ago
Plaster sticks to plaster very well, but plaster does not stick to paint reliably. Since your ceiling has been painted, or looks to have been painted, I'm not sure that skim coat would stick to the old surface permanently. I suggest that you discuss this with your "plaster guy."
momto4
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you so much! I will definately bring that up, Ericwi!

They are actually the walls, just a sideways pic. My plasterguy (and cousin and friend) said he could sand down the texture a bit and then skim coat over them. But I don't know if we should change the current texture pattern or just flatten/soften the look of what is there or if flat walls are most appropriate for the house. On another 2 rooms the finish is actually big, pointy peaks of plaster(or stucco?) Was that was a way to fix some walls that were in need of repair?
THX!
ericwi
17 years ago
I personally am not a big fan of heavily textured plaster walls and ceilings. So I can readily understand why you are wanting to make some changes. The problem with sanding plaster surfaces is that great clouds of dust are generated this way. The dust goes everywhere. You might be able to scrape off the old texture, and re-coat the walls with smooth skim-coat plaster, but scraping an entire room is going to be a major project, & could take several days. However, scraping has the advantage of generating much less dust, and if you lightly spray the surface with plain tap water before scraping, you can keep the dust to a minimum.
jan9
17 years ago
In the twenties heavily textured walls and ceilings were quite popular. After the usual three coat plaster the finishers would go over the plaster with a mix of plaster and asbestos to produce the textured effects. You might want to check on that.
momto4
Original Author
17 years ago
THANK YOU JAN! I have small kids and I would definately want to know about the asbestos factor! a million thanks.
fuzzywuzzer
17 years ago
In my house I have the same textures, original to the ca. 1928 house: the flat irregular texture in one room, and "pointy" texture in some other rooms. They are two different textures, applied purposely, not one made to repair the other. In fact, the flat irregular is the easier of the two to repair, because you just spread a blob over your boo-boo. I happen to like the textures. However, I didn't like it as much when we first bought our house and the walls were white. After I painted in a color, the texture looked so much different and I really loved it. You might try painting first and see if you change your opinion?
joyce_6333
17 years ago
I like it...I think if you painted it in a flat color, you'll like it much better. The enamel makes it more pronounced. Be sure to prime it with a good primer first.
fuzzywuzzer
17 years ago
Joyce 6333 is so right, the shinier the more pronounced. I used eggshell and I like it.
momto4
Original Author
17 years ago
ok, well the house was built in 1910, does that make a big difference timewise?

Gonna postpone the plastering for a few days...I've got to check on the asbestos thing, does anyone know if there could be a health threat there for my kiddos? And I would LOVE to see what the walls look like flat if anyone has any photos to share!
THX!
momto4
Original Author
17 years ago
"And I would LOVE to see what the walls look like flat if anyone has any photos to share! "
Painted over with a flat finish paint, that is! sorry
brickeyee
17 years ago
"The problem with sanding plaster surfaces is that great clouds of dust are generated this way."

The problem with sanding plaster is that it is so hard it takes forever, and the smooth non-absorbent surface layer is removed.
Plaster walls are not sanded at any time.
They are applied and tooled to the final surface.
Plaster is hard, not soft like pre-mixed drywall mud.
Durabond is a setting type joint compound and as hard as older plaster.
Easysand was introduced for the folks who cannot get a smooth job without sanding.
fuzzywuzzer
17 years ago
Momto3, I am so sorry that I don't have a digital camera or a way to upload photos on my computer. I was hoping someone else might come through with some pics.