Plastering, Doors and Skirting

FaceHead

ashe said:

FaceHead said:

Fingersoffish said:

FreeBear said:

Take the doors & architrave off and have them dipped & stripped - Spent a whole day stripping just one door here, and decided my time was worth more. Had someone come and collect 9 doors to dip'n'strip, just as the pandemic hit. Despite the delays, it was still worth it.

For your walls, fill the cracks & holes with Easifill (go for Easifill 60 as it sets a bit slower), and sand back. If the finish is still not acceptable, a heavy gauge lining paper will hide most things. Getting someone in to hang the paper would probably be cheaper than a divorce.

I had heard Easifill is good - Is it easy to work with for a total novice?

Yes. I was a novice not long ago, and have found easifil great to work with from day one.

Once you fill the hairline cracks, they will continue to recur if you use a filler that dries hard (like easifil) and has no flexibility, as movement underneath will continue. Easifil is excellent for larger dinks. 

Controversially, I've had a lot of success caulking hairline cracks and repainting. I think a bit more flexibility in the caulk prevents a hairline crack recurring compared to something like easifil. 

Interesting, I've had a similar experience with Easifill; it looks great once its done but a few months later tiny movement means they're back. Any specific caulk you use, and do you need to prime over it with something special before using the standard paint?

I use screwfix's no nonsence caulk, becuase it's cheap and seems to have always worked for me. The caulked-and-painted solution does give a slightly different texture to painted plaster, so the repaired crack is still visible to the careful eye (who knows where to find it  because they fixed it). For me at least, its way better than the otherwise never ending whack-a-mole of chasing cracks around.