Should a decorator be able / willing to remove a picture rail and make good?

stuart45

How much wider is the measurement above than below? Is it a chimney breast?

shinytop

silvercar said:

shinytop said:

I would think your main problem is going to be the wallpaper (if it is wallpaper and not artex) above the rail.  It's going to be hard to get that to look right with the rail removed. 

The (expensive) plasterer quote includes removal of plate rack/ picture rail and plaster above picture rail to level off. maybe that is why it is expensive?

It sounds like that's what you need.  Plasterers are about £300 a day plus materials where I am and that's going to be at least a day to do that properly. Speaking as a reasonably competent DIYer with lots of tools who can fill and sand holes quite well, I wouldn't be confident doing this job myself. 

silvercar

shinytop said:

silvercar said:

shinytop said:

I would think your main problem is going to be the wallpaper (if it is wallpaper and not artex) above the rail.  It's going to be hard to get that to look right with the rail removed. 

The (expensive) plasterer quote includes removal of plate rack/ picture rail and plaster above picture rail to level off. maybe that is why it is expensive?

It sounds like that's what you need.  Plasterers are about £300 a day plus materials where I am and that's going to be at least a day to do that properly. Speaking as a reasonably competent DIYer with lots of tools who can fill and sand holes quite well, I wouldn't be confident doing this job myself. 

I’ve been quoted 2 days work and I wish it was only £300 a day! London outskirts here so the price will be more and this is the only plasterer that has been recommended and has quoted. I got my trusted handyman to take a look and he said he wouldn’t touch it himself, so that tells me that I need a specialist.stuart45 said:

How much wider is the measurement above than below? Is it a chimney breast?

2 cm from memory. It’s not the chimney breast, it’s measuring between the 2 widest walls.

WIAWSNB

This ain't rocket science. 
Of course a plaster should be able to blend in a new strip of plaster - it's what happens when, say, replastering over a lower tanked level. 
Yes it's tricky, more so than skimming the whole caboodle, but a competent DIYer can do this. 
There are things to watch out for, such as ensuring the existing lower skim doesn't flare out as it reaches the rail - it'd need levelling off first if so, but a straight edge would soon highlight this, as well as set the new level for the upper section. 
I don't see the issue. I've done such patching numerous times. Yes, this has often required additional sanding once the mist coat has revealed the feather wasn't perfect, but that's the difference between a DIYer and a pro.

secla

I also have a 1930s house that had picture rails/deep skirtings.
As they didnt have rawl plugs in the 1930s they put bits of wood between bricks to nail the rail into. try and pull on the rail and it will more than likely pull out these bits of wood instead of the nails which will bring a chunk of the plaster with it, assuming its lime 100 year old lime plaster still on the walls there will probably be a lot of it quite loose as well so i would take the picture rail off and then assess what needs fixing.
We ended up stripping back most of the limit plaster and tearing down the ceilings and just boarding and re-skimming

stuart45

WIAWSNB said:

I don't see the issue. I've done such patching numerous times. Yes, this has often required additional sanding once the mist coat has revealed the feather wasn't perfect, but that's the difference between a DIYer and a pro.

Pro plasterers don't get a perfect join. Gypsum expands slightly as the crystals lock together as it cures, so you get a slight ridge which is visible when painted.
With modern joint fillers like Easyfill and Knauf fill and finish it's really easy for the painters to get a perfect join.
I'm sure I could do that job myself, and plastering isn't my main trade. I think about a specialist plasterer when talking about running in a floral cornice etc.

silvercar

A professional plasterer has been booked. Thanks for all the advice, we decided it was the safest option.