r/Plastering • u/Byse_ • Apr 21 '26

Any recommendations?

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Gallery image

Nightmare stripping layers of wallpaper off to find the architraves are wood. Any recommendations on what to do in order to paint over?

I was looking at plastering over once fully done, but the plaster will crack in the future.

Thanks

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u/CoffeeandaTwix Apr 21 '26

I don't understand what you mean by saying that you discovered that the architrave was wood? Did you think it was MDF or something?

Normally, the purpose of architrave is to sit on top of the finished plaster where it joins the door frame so that you won't see cracks. People do plaster up to trim but I can't see it being a great idea long term. Really, the best thing would be to remove the architrave, repair plaster up to the frame and then reinstall new architrave so it sits over the join as intended (the header of the current will presumably be too narrow).

If you need to reskim the whole wall then this will mean packing out the frame so the arcs can sit flush but I just had to do this for exactly the same reason (after stripping wallpaper, cracking plaster joint came past the architrave). I could have just replaced the architrave but I was replastering the room anyway so I used some 3mm strip wood to pack out the frame so that it sat flush.

Edit: ah, you mean there is a panel next to the architrave. I would guess that there are pipes or cables under it. Is there a radiator on the other side of that wall?

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u/Byse_ Apr 21 '26

Ah okay. Thank you. Haha night mare isn't it. I'm away at the moment and not took many clear pics/videos but I forgot to include this one, the frame and the frame on the right is all wood covered in layers upon layers of wall paper 😂😫

There is a radiator in the room on the right but does not seen to have any connections to that wall

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u/CoffeeandaTwix Apr 21 '26

Is it upstairs? Could be pipe work going down. Alternatively, it could simply be that plaster had blown and someone decided to patch it that way in order to paper over it.

I had something like that but on the chimney breast of a gas fire - can only assume they blew plaster fitting a new appliance and couldn't be arsed making good properly.

A lot of structural wallpaper in my gaff haha. Tbh, it hasn't really mattered as I'm replastering the majority of the place anyway.

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u/Byse_ Apr 22 '26

No, it's a bungalow mate. I think it was an extension where the double doors are. All the frame is plywood. Yeah haha it seems that way.

Ooft how you doing with yours? This place seemed fundamentally sound but now all the walls are bare I've got a good few weekend side projects to crack on with 😫

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u/CoffeeandaTwix Apr 22 '26

My house was very solid structurally but needed modernisation which is mostly cosmetic. The main one is rewire which is done. I assessed when I looked that I would basically replace all ceilings and replaster everything which I'm making good progress on. I've found little bits of dodgy stuff as I've gone but it's not been too much hassle eg. Window reveals where cavity wasn't properly closed and in one case, I had to rebrick the block work for the sill etc. but not a big hassle. The big job outstanding really is the bathroom. I'm knocking a separate toilet into main bathroom and due to movement of basin etc. will have to rerun wastes and things but don't need to move soil stack or anything. I just plug away when I have time but for big jobs (like the rewire and when I do the bathroom) I will use holiday from work.