Gritty Walls

[atalanta]

Interior walls have been covered with what looks like a mixture of sand and paint. Some of this is coming off in bits. The owners suspect this surface was put on to conceal cracks underneath, but wish to put up wallpaper. Does the gritty stuff have to be removed, and if so, how ?

[boxtops]

Unless you want the bits to show through the smooth wallpaper, yes - I'd give it a light sanding first, and see what it looks like.

[albaqwerty]

Agree with Boxy, but what are the walls made of?

Is it plasterboard? Are the walls covered with wood-chip and painted?

More info please

[boxtops]

Aw, not the dreaded woodchip......

[albaqwerty]

hopefully it's not Boxy x

There's a textured paint on the market with sand in it (I think)

[bhg481]

Could they have been painted with Sandtex exterior wall paint? As the name implies, that has sand in it.

[atalanta]

The underneath surface seems to be the original plaster. Or plaster-board, as the case may be.

[albaqwerty]

Is there brick behind the walls or is it timber-frame type stuff?

[atalanta]

The house is fairly modern - probably not more than 20-25 years old - and looks as if it is made of traditional materials, so I imagine that beneath the plaster/board is breeze-block or just possibly brick. Certainly not wood.

[New Judge]

I had this problem in my house. The stuff was so gritty it drew blood if you brushed against it even lightly.

I tried removing it but could not achieve a decent surface so in the end I bit the bullet and had the room replastered.

[SirCreamy]

Remove all the loose stuff,fill in and Bond with PVA,2 Coats!

[carrust]

Sounds like it's the dreaded polytex that was on the market in the 70's & 80's. I'd try different methods of removing it. Apply warm water with some fairy liquid & give it a good soaking, then get a 1" filling knife to try & get between the plaster & the textured paint. You could also try a steam stripper. Sanding it with an orbital sander. If all else fails you might have to have the walls re-skimmed.

[albaqwerty]

I'd suggest hiring a steamer (unless you have one) and see what happens.
Alternatively, get a paint scraper and scrape off.

If it was put up to hide cracks, then the 'paint and sand' would also crack surely?
(I don't know about that though)

[jomifl]

You may be on to a loser trying to sandpaper sand. If some paint has flaked off just feather the edges of the 'holes' with acrylic decorator's caulk using a spatula and a damp sponge. If you paper over with a matt finish or slightlyy textured paper the 'holes' won't show. Just doon;t use thin or shiiny paper.

[ummmm]

We had something similar in our hall and we plastered over it.

[boxtops]

It sounds like the sort of wall finish they used to have at Butlins in Minehead. You turn over in bed at night and take the skin off your arm :-(

[ummmm]

Lol Boxy...I went there...

[BRIGHT SPARK]

If its polytex and you want a quality finish, then the only action will be to unibond, then skim the walls with finish plaster.

[The Builder]

It might even be ordinary emulsion mixed with a handful of fine sand. (An old trick to hide cracks and imperfections.)
Even if you scrape, it'll most likely leave a rough surface.

Dilute PVA (Unibond is one), then have it skimmed with Multi-Finish skim plaster for best results.

[atalanta]

Thanks everyone, I'll pass on all those suggestions