Skimming over Lead painted wall

Hartsmansions

Hello,
I have been told that it is a pain to plaster over an interior wall which has lead paint on as it does not adhere and also ends up bubbling as cannot dry as well as other areas without it.....
I have tried scrapping it off wth the steamer and scrapper....but its really not happening!! I have read about some stuff called BONDIT....is this any good?? I have now got patches of lead paint n also patches of normal water based paint on the wall......What do i do for the best??
Do i HAVE to scrape off the paints or can it be plastered over as is??

Help me please

foxwales

Have you considered plasterboarding the wall? That's the easiest and cleanest method.

Lead paint can be highly damaging to health if it gets into your body, so you should cover everything in the room and remove as much as possible from the room as you can, as the dust will linger and can damage your health.

If you want a quick way of skimming the wall, get a piece of wood about a meeter long and bang some nails into it so it looks like a rake, run this across the wall in a criss cross fashion so you indent the wall a few mm. By doing this, you will help the plaster gain better adhesion to the wall and you can just skim over the paint instead of removing it all.

Don't forget to wear a respirator mask if doing this, your standard dust mask will not cut it for lead paint, I would also recommend wetting the wall before and as you do this as this will limit the amount of dust that will get into the air.

You will need to give the room a thourough clean once you have finished to ensure that no lead dust remains.

As for using an adhesive or bonding agent, these can be hit and miss. By scratching the walls, you will give the plaster a better bonding surface.

nickj_2

are you 100% certain it's lead paint on there , i've been a painter for 30 yrs and i can't recall ever seeing lp on walls - it was usually used for woodwork , so has your wall not been painted in that time

Hartsmansions

Hey Foxwales....i did think that may be an option but wanted to check....will it not make a difference on drying times as there are different surfaces....some areas with paint n some with jus plain wall?

Nickj....im NOT totally sure its lead paint..is there a way to tell?? This place was built in the 30s i think..... the whole bungalow is painted with a slimey green n a yellow thick paint.....It comes off the wall with the steamer n a whole load of elbow grease!! It comes off like gum?
I would love it not to be lead paint as i only came aware yest that its hazardous n have had a lot of building work done.....so have prob had a whole lot of it flying around in the air!

Thanx guys

Hartsmansions

Oh n i cant board the wall as i have had a loft extension done....n this is the hallway.....so the staircase will be out if i bring these walls out too much....i wish i could! So if i key it do i need to use a BONDIT or jus plain old pva?

DVardysShadow

Hack it off then skim.

phill99

If it is coming off like gum, it sounds like vinyl silk emulsion. This isn't a problem to skim over. And anyway, plasterers always paint a coat of watered down pva adhesive on the walls prior to skimming before they plaster. Have you actually had a plasterer look at the job or are you guessing about the lead?

ormus

as above,
if the walls are that bad, then skim over them, or PB them.
i wouldnt even bother spending the time debating if its LP or not.