Hi folks, this is my first post here, but I should be around a lot from now on.

I've inherited a dingy little apartment that needs a lot of work, and I'm trying to deal with one problem at a time, starting with the walls.

There are places on the walls throughout where large sections of thick paint have peeled off, and it feels like I could spend a whole day just peeling and peeling and peeling. I am presuming this has to be dealt with before I move forward to priming, painting, etc.

First, is there an easier way to peel of this old paint?

Second, do I have to do any sort of patching once I get to a place where the peeling is done since the surface will now be uneven.

What do I use for this patching?

Thanks a bunch in advance. And please use the simplest language possible. I am truly a beginner.

 

Yeah, you're going to want to remove all the loose paint first. Not a pleasant task. After that, you would want to skim coat with joint compound to smooth the walls. If there is any exposed gypsum after you scrape the paint, seal those areas with Zinsser Gardz before you skim coat. After that, prime and paint with equipment and supplies from a paint store, not a paint department.

 

How old is this building? Is there any danger of lead based paints?

Scraping is really the only way to remove the loose paint. You may not have to skim the entire wall but you would want to atleast soften the transision at the peeled edges using joint compound.

btw - welcome to the forums!

 

Huh. Never thought about lead. Nice catch, Mark.