Plaster/Skim coating popcorn walls

[Tom1234]

It was considered a incredibly naff wall finish in the UK - when they had it there - a few decades ago.

[ShirleyNot]

@greenmount

*btw, I will never understand this obsession here, my parents had something similar last time in the nineties.

It’s one of those features that goes in and out of fashion. I’ve seen it coming back in a bit lately, most recently as a sort of feature wall going for that rough-skimmed cottage look in a barn conversion.

[lucy]

Thanks so much greenmount. I thought about trying it myself but I don’t have the skill or a lot of time to devote to it.
I believe ours was sprayed on in 2007 to save money and to hide any imperfections and the drywall could be installed quickly. Nevertheless, whatever the reason, I’m not a fan.
I’ve already contacted renovero and will see if I can find something that will work for me. I plan on selling in 7 to 10 years so I’m deciding whether I can live with it for that amount of time. It will be a big improvement for me but I doubt it will add any benefit when or if I sell.
Thanks again!

[greenmount]

@lucy

I plan on selling in 7 to 10 years so I’m deciding whether I can live with it for that amount of time. It will be a big improvement for me but I doubt it will add any benefit when or if I sell.
Thanks again!

7 or 10 years it’s a lot of time, if you have a bit of cash to invest in your comfort at the end of the day, why not? As for adding benefit if you sell, just keep in mind that your (future) buyer could be a foreigner who hates these “popcorn” walls as much as you do.

[Spinal]

@lucy

I’m working on the inside walls. I haven’t considered doing what you did but it sounds like it would be a lot less messy than skim coating. Most of my googling has led to loads of skim coating suggestions and how to videos.
Thanks for the feedback. I assume this is just as long lasting as skim coating? Are there any cons of doing it this way? Don’t you have to put a light skim coat on the plaster board before priming then painting for better adhesion of the paint? I know nothing about it.
Thanks again for your help.

The main downside is you lose ~10mm of each wall in room space…

As for long lasting, most houses in UK and USA are built almost entirely with the inside walls made of plasterboard

The only real mess is where you join the boards - check a few youtube videos to get an idea.
e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhXz4rFByhM

That said, I found that the panels from bauhaus are beveled already from factory - so no need to bevel them other than when you cut them, and there is a handy tool for that anyhow.

No skim coat on the plasterboard - the surface is designed to be painted (smooth) - the ones I used had something similar to wallpaper on them. You can get waterproof ones for the bathroom, or normal ones for non-humid rooms.

Put it this way, I did the whole flat (bathroom and ceilings included) - based on a few youtube videos… Never did it before, and the only spot that I am unhappy with (not smooth), is in the ceiling behind the showerhead. It’s smooth enough that noone notices, but as I made it - I know it’s there, and if you shine a flashlight across the ceiling, you’ll notice there’s a patch that isn’t smooth (I ran out of boards, so used 2-3 smaller pieces rather than run to bauhaus to buy another giant piece - which would entail borrowing my friends trailer again).

[Ace]

@lucy

Yes, thank goodness! Still hoping someone comes along that had their walls skimmed or did it themselves. I would love to hear their experience with it.

I’ve done it a couple of times over heavily textured surfaces, but never with the intention of producing a completely smooth plaster finish. Basically you’re going to need a lot of Crepi/Putz, a large trowel and quite a lot of work. It’s worth knocking off the worst of any sticky-out spikey bits first, although your description of ‘popcorn’ implies that it may not be too bad, but trying to sand it smooth is a waste of time and a huge dust-generator.

I’d start with a bulk product like this then finish with a smoother finishing coat like this . Apply with a large trowel not bothering too much about smoothness for the first coat, but you might need a second one depending on how deep the texture goes. For finishing coat you might prefer a smaller one, but that depends on what sort of finish you are going for.

There’s some very useful instructions on the Hornbach site as well. All availale in German by clicking the language button, but not in English.

[Tom1234]

@Ace

I’d start with a bulk product like this then finish with a smoother finishing coat like this . Apply with a large trowel not bothering too much about smoothness for the first coat, but you might need a second one depending on how deep the texture goes. For finishing coat you might prefer a smaller one, but that depends on what sort of finish you are going for.

The OP wants a smooth finish.

Your products are for a rough finish.

They need something like this, with a 0mm grain size:

Enduit à la chaux Kalkin 25 kg - HORNBACH