Help! I need to repaint a room that was last painted 10 years ago over a terrible spackling job. Basically it was never really sanded and has lumps, bumps, and crevices over a large area on each wall. I tried a strip sander with 100 grit sandpaper to no effect. It's a really old sander and I'm willing to purchase something else if I should, as long as it doesn't break the bank. Any advice on how to deal with this? Thank you in advance!

 

If the walls were not finished properly to begin with, they probably need to be skim coated with joint compound once or twice, then sanded... primed... and painted.

 

I agree! Once j/c has been painted it's very difficult to sand. Latex paints tend to melt when it's aggressively sanded. I'd scrape off the high spots, maybe give the wall a quick scuff sanding with 80 grit and then skim coat. If you thin the j/c slightly it will spread easier.

 

Thank you both- I'll do my best!

 

Regarding skim coating you may want to investigate using a veneer plaster as it containes a fine aggregate and will build up the level a lot quicker.

Dont thin your joint compound down too much it will make it weak. Make your mix as per bag instructions and start out small. Or if you go for premix about a cup of water per 5gal pail is ample - always mix with a drill first before adding water as it brings the mud in the pail to life so to speak.

Also it never hurts to use a bonding agent. Larsens Plaster Weld is probably yhe best for a DIYer. Also for a home owner Id suggest maybe estimate doing two walls a day. Always let your coats dry nicely before doing the next one.

I do this for a living and I highly reccomend USG Sheetrock EASY SAND Light Weight Setting Type Compound, or Durabond for high traffic areas, I haven't used Structo Lite, but from what I can tell it should be a good one for going over texture. Id use dry bag for base coat and pre mix for top coat. I usually do three coats and minimal sanding.

If in doubt about anything plaster always search**********