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A Substrate Nightmare & A Critical Deadline
This project in Owhata began with a significant challenge. An Australian buyer purchased this property just weeks before Christmas, only to find the interior walls were in a severe state of disrepair. The previous owners had committed a common renovation sin: they had painted over three layers of old wallpaper.
For a professional painter, this is one of the hardest starting points. The top layer of paint seals the paper, making standard stripping methods ineffective. With the holidays approaching and the client needing to move in, we had a strict deadline to turn these rough, damaged walls into a showroom finish.
The Turning Point: From Rough Board to Smooth Canvas
This image captures the critical transition phase of the project. You can clearly see the contrast around the socket: the rough, stripped area reveals the damage that was hidden by layers of wallpaper, while the adjacent section shows the restoration beginning.
Between these two stages, a crucial "invisible" step occurred. We applied a full coat of Pigment Sealer to the bare board. This sealed the old adhesive and created the stable base necessary for the Skim Coat you see here to adhere perfectly. This "sandwich" of sealer and plaster is the difference between a quick fix and a lasting restoration.
Block Sanding for True Flatness
To achieve a Level 5 finish, we applied two full coats of skim coat to the entire wall surface, not just the joints. But the secret isn't just in the plaster—it's in the sanding.
While the industry standard is to use orbital sanders for speed, we insist on Block Sanding. Orbital sanders can follow the waves in a wall and leave subtle ripples. A block sander is rigid; it cuts the high spots and bridges the low spots, forcing the wall to be perfectly flat. It is physically harder work, but it is the only way to ensure the wall is dead straight before paint touches it.
Airless Spraying for a Glass-Like Surface
A true Level 5 finish cannot be achieved with a brush and roller, which leave a "stipple" texture. We masked off the entire home—ceilings, floors, and frames—to create a spray booth environment.
Using professional airless sprayers, we applied a specialized surfacer followed by two topcoats of premium acrylic. The paint is atomized onto the wall, creating a surface that is completely smooth to the touch. The result was a transformation that exceeded the client's expectations: walls with zero imperfections, completed on time for the New Year move-in.
True transformation is best seen on these walls
Owhata Interior Restoration FAQs
A Level 5 finish is the highest standard for interior walls. It includes a full skim coat over the entire surface, meticulous sanding for flatness, and spray finishing to remove texture so walls look perfectly smooth under all lighting.
Old wallpaper adhesive can react with plaster and paint. A solvent-based pigment sealer locks in residue and stains, creating a stable surface so skim coats adhere properly and won't bubble or peel later.
Yes, we can plan a crew and staging to hit a deadline. Once we inspect the walls, we'll give a realistic schedule based on drying times and the number of skim and spray coats required.
Yes. We offer on-site assessments and detailed, no-obligation quotes for wallpaper removal, skim coating, and Level 5 finishes in Rotorua and surrounding areas.