even out bad plastering job?

[Maggie]

Our 1941 home apparently went through a flurry of abombinable repair/remodel projects during the 1970s; among these, some replacement plastering here and there, due in part to the addition of central air. The plaster seems sound enough, but the surface was either not finish-coated or was done by someone who coudln’t do a smooth finish. The result is an almost quilted appearance, with roughly 1×2 foot swipes laid in almost a running bond “design”. Most of this replacement work is on the ceiling.

This unpleasing effect has been covered by a layer or two of paint and probably a layer of wallpaper here and there, which seems to be peeling up.

We’d like to know if there’s a spackling/finishing/skimcoating product we can use to try and even out the surface on top of the existing paint/paper layers, if we scrape off the few loose areas beforehand. We are not quite up to the suggested task of laminating the ceilings with drywall, and can’t afford to pay someone else to do this. Is there a product with enough adhesion to stick to the painted celings, and stay?

Thanks for any suggestions here.

Maggie

Richmond, VA

[John McElwee]

Drywall joint compound usually has enough adhesion to bond to what is there. Do make sure it is clean and free of grease, dust and the like. Make sure all the paint is well bonded because what you put on is only bonded as well as the paint. A bonding agent like PlasterWeld by Larsen’s Products or others might be a good idea. i lke setting type joint compounds like EasySand by USG because you can put on multiple coats in a single day. If you do this don’t try to sand until it is dry but you can put on another coat as soon as the previous coat has set (become hard). The better you lay it down the less sanding there will be. An alternative is to have a plasterer put on a new smooth finish. He would probabaly use the bonding agent but would use plaster that will lay down flatter and smoother and take no sanding.

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