How to restore old plasterwork

Give your old plastered walls some attention and restore them back to their former glory with this easy-to-follow guide.

Level of difficulty

Level 2: Intermediate

What you need

• Paint brush
• Putty knife
• Putty
• Fine-grade sandpaper
• Primer
• Paint
• Old toothbrush
• Mild detergent
• Stiff-bristled brush
• Rag
• White spirit

The steps to follow

1. With a painting brush, remove any dust or debris on the plasterwork.
2. Sometimes original details of the plasterwork are hidden beneath layers of paints. To reveal this detail, you can strip the paint off the plasterwork.
3. Once the paint is stripped, fill in any cracks and chipped detail with putty. Use a putty knife to spread the putty onto the cracks.
4. Let the putty dry.
5. Smooth the surface with fine-grade sandpaper.
6. Apply a coat of primer and start painting the plasterwork with the colour of your choice.

Washing and restoring plasterwork

Note:
Sometimes all you need to do to restore the plasterwork is to give it a wash with a mild detergent.

1. Use an old toothbrush dipped in mild detergent to clean the surface of the plasterwork.
2. Let the surface dry thoroughly.
3. Scrape water-thinned painted plasterwork surface with a stiff-bristle.
4. Clean the surface with white spirit and let the surface dry.
5. Apply a coat of primer onto the plasterwork.
6. Let it dry before you paint a new coat of paint.

Related articles

• How to repair plasterboard
• How to plaster a wall

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