Marks On Walls - What are they??

harryg1991

Hi everyone,

Not DIY savvy in the slightest so apologies if its a silly question...

We moved into a property back in November and since moving in we've found these weird marks/dents on the wall, gradually getting worse.

Are they just wear and tear or poor plastering previously or something more sinister?

Sorry again if it seems such a silly thing to ask but my mind goes into overdrive thinking the walls are going rotten! 😂

Mark_d

It's most likely where damage to the plastering has been repaired with Pollyfilla

harryg1991

Mark_d said:

It's most likely where damage to the plastering has been repaired with Pollyfilla

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your response.

It's pretty much on all walls in the front room, not so much upstairs. What would cause it? Something to be concerned about?

Mark_d

Maybe, at some point, furniture was being moved and collided with the wall causing damage to the plaster.  Nothing to be concerned about but if it bothers you then you can get a plasterer to skim it so that it's completely smooth

harryg1991

Mark_d said:

Maybe, at some point, furniture was being moved and collided with the wall causing damage to the plaster.  Nothing to be concerned about but if it bothers you then you can get a plasterer to skim it so that it's completely smooth

Thanks Mark - the odd thing is, more seem to appear without anything banging into them that's what concerned me.

kimwp

I think it's a bit strange that they are getting worse. Definitely not an expert, but I would have thought furniture damage would have caused a dent when the damage was done and not changed since then. Are you sure they are getting worse? (have you measured them)

ThisIsWeird

harryg1991 said:

Mark_d said:

Maybe, at some point, furniture was being moved and collided with the wall causing damage to the plaster.  Nothing to be concerned about but if it bothers you then you can get a plasterer to skim it so that it's completely smooth

Thanks Mark - the odd thing is, more seem to appear without anything banging into them that's what concerned me.

Almost certainly you are just noticing more of them every time you look! There is nothing there to suggest an larger underlying issue - no cracks, no loose sections, now't.

Also, the angle of the light source can highlight them - a low angle very much more so.

And, the paint looks to have a sheen, so likely to be 'silk' paint instead of 'matt'; again, this helps to show up any blemishes.

How old is the house? Almost certainly just an accumulation of knocks and scrapes over many years. Possibly a poor skimming job. Possibly a DIY attempt!

You can make a huge difference to the finish with a bit of elbow grease. A 'pole' sanding block with sheets of 120 grit paper can be used to flatten off the slightly textured surface, and remove all the high spots - see yellow arrow for example.

That should also get the surface nicely 'keyed' to take a coat of matt paint instead, when you've finished the prep. Once 'flattened', you then go over all the hollow bits - orange arrow - with 'fine surface filler' and a filling knife. A final light sanding when set and dry to blend it all in.

Then roller on a good quality matt paint like Dulux Trade Durable Flat Matt - a very 'flat' and non-reflective paint which will help to disguise any remaining blemishes, and tough too to shrug off scuffs and scrapes. Not cheap, but should be transformative.

barnstar2077

Is it possible the wall is damp?  When a valve wasn't tightened properly in my loft it caused a curved indentation in the corner of the room (and eventual discolouration of the ceiling.) .  Took me ages to figure it out, especially as the wall didn't feel damp at all.

If on the other hand you just haven't noticed it before, then polyfilla and high grit sand paper and fresh paint will do wonders. 

Grenage

As others have said it's just plaster.  Likely down to careless wallpaper stripping and bad filling.

Could just be a bad plastering job

Albermarle

Then roller on a good quality matt paint like Dulux Trade Durable Flat Matt - a very 'flat' and non-reflective paint which will help to disguise any remaining blemishes, and tough too to shrug off scuffs and scrapes. Not cheap, but should be transformative.

Or as this is a MSE forum, you can buy a cheaper but similar paint from Homebase etc and give it two coats. I prefer two coats anyway, especially if you are trying to cover up blemishes/ significant colour change.