Things You'll Need:
- Sandpaper
- Palm sander
- Primer
- Paint
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Step 1
Remove any dirt and dust from the wall using a tack cloth. Try to avoid water as much as possible because it will affect the finished look after you paint.
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Step 2
Repair any holes, cracks or other structural problems with the wall. If you need help with this search other ehows for help.
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Step 3
Before you can paint rough plaster you need to smooth it out. Think of the plaster as a series of high spots and low spots. There are two ways to smooth this out, lower the high spots or raise the low spots.
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Step 4
If the plaster is very rough you may need to take 80-100 grit sand paper and sand the wall corner to corner. This is effective but time consuming you will also need to wear a respirator to avoid inhaling the dust. This helps lower the high spots. A palm sander is recommended.
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Step 5
Use a tack cloth to remove all the dust from the rough plaster walls.
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Step 6
Now prime the walls with a high grade primer. This will helps fill in the low spots before you paint rough plaster. If you aren't quite happy with the smoothness of the wall you can add a second coat of primer.
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Step 7
Now paint the formerly rough plaster walls.
