paint on cement vs plasterboard

naf123

Whilst getting some quotes to strip wallpaper from the bedroom and give it a lick of paint , a builder pointed out that the walls are cement without plasterboard .

He said the cheap way is to paint on the cement but it won't look perfect or as nice as plasterboard.

To make it look "perfect" then needs plasterboard and paint.

Is he correct? The price different between painting on cement and getting it plasterboard is massive.

I am not sure if there is such a thing as a cement wall. What are alternative names for it?

Many thanks for any advice!

Tom99

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Your builder is talking rubbish. I expect the walls are plastered brickwork like most houses.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Perfectly normal to take off wallpaper and paint the plastered wall. If the plastered finish is not very smooth then you can put up lining paper.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]There is no need to put plasterboard over the top of plaster. [/FONT]

Doozergirl

As above! Why is a builder decorating?

You fill any holes in the existing plaster and prep, prep, prep.

bris

It's difficult to get old plaster to the once gleaming mirror finish and so technically he is right, painting straight onto it will look crap.


I use an repair plaster to fill any holes and dents, sand it all as best I can then as already mentioned use a lining paper. The grade of lining paper can suit the plastered finish. The lining paper will act like plasterboard and give you a good finish.

Pa_Ja

I'm not sure why he's suggest plasterboard rather than just plaster. Maybe that's outwith his skill set or just more work for him.
If the wall is not smooth and has dents / chips then they will show. Make sure you buy a Matte paint and not silk. This will give a smoother finish if the wall is bit rough.
Any larger holes can be filled (With filler) and smoothed over, then painted.
Ideally though you'd want to plaster those walls but that can be costly.

naf123

Thanks guys for your advice.

So the wall looks Grey. Can pre-existing plaster look grey? Or is that some kind of mould? (Its a wall by the windowsill where the paper is peeling off already so i can see what it looks like.)

Pa_Ja

So you'll have the brick work on the outside and the render plaster on the inside. This will be the gray you mention.
If it were me I'd look to get it skimmed over with plaster.

FreeBear

Pa_Ja wrote: »

If it were me I'd look to get it skimmed over with plaster.

Agreed - If it is indeed a cement screed on the walls, it will be an ideal base to skim over the top. Putting plasterboard up is an expensive & icky solution. A proper job would still need a skim coat, a poor job will be "slap some jointing compound on and sand smooth".

Get an experienced plasterer in to quote on the job.

ceredigion

Reading between the lines I suspect it is a lime finish.

FreeBear

ceredigion wrote: »

Reading between the lines I suspect it is a lime finish.

There is that possibility. Depending on the original source of lime and the sand used, it could look very much like a cement screed. The age & construction of the property would provide some clues.

If it is indeed a lime finish on a solid brick or stone wall, then plasterboard and/or gypsum plaster is the last thing that needs to be stuck on the walls.

naf123

Thanks all. I do not think its a lime finish as the property is 1950's