Hi,
The walls of the house we bought are very textured. How do we smooth them out and prepare for painting? We also want to paint over the coloured sections
Hi @oach,
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.
There are two main ways you could go about making the walls smooth. You can either sand the existing texture back or apply a skim coat over the top to create a new smooth surface.
The first step would be working out exactly what the wall is made from. Is the textured surface rendered masonry, or is it plasterboard? From the photos, my guess would be render, but it is difficult to say with certainty.
A simple way to get an indication is to tap across the wall. Plasterboard will generally sound somewhat hollow between the studs and more solid directly over them, whereas a rendered masonry wall should sound consistently solid. You can also check around a power point, light switch, doorway or other exposed edge. Plasterboard will typically be around 10–13mm thick with a paper face and gypsum core, whereas render will be a solid cement-like coating over brick or blockwork.
If it is render, I would generally lean towards skim coating over the existing texture. Trying to sand render perfectly smooth can be a considerable amount of work, whereas a suitable skim coat can be applied over the surface and finished smooth.
If it is textured plasterboard, sanding would likely be the better starting point. You could sand down the high points and assess the surface from there, using topping compound to fill and smooth any remaining imperfections before priming and painting.
With the coloured plaster features, I'd be inclined to recommend contacting a professional painter for assistance. There is a lot of intricate detail there, and getting it ready to overcoat without affecting those details could be quite delicate work. It would be a shame to lose or damage some of that craftsmanship in the process.
If you can confirm what the wall is made from, we'd be happy to offer some more specific advice.
Jacob
Given the unknown nature of the walls, it would also be wise to have them tested by a NATA accredited lab to ensure no asbestos is present prior to conducting any work.
You might like to have a look at the Australian Government's guidance for householders and home renovators for further information.
