Dear Shaun;
Yes, the horrors of some of the old paint finishes do come back to haunt us. The problem with a sponge finish is that if undiluted paint was used rather than thinned down paint you do get a thick, dappled effect over the smooth surface of the wall. I am afraid you will still see these sponge marks when you cover it with a roller. Don’t despair; there are a couple of options. One is wallpaper, which is the big trend at the moment. You will not feel these slight bumps under the paper. Or, if a fresh coat of paint is your option, then I would run over the wall with a sanding pad. Remember, it’s only paint, not plaster, so it will smooth down very easily. If your surface is very bumpy you may want to apply a skim coat of plaster, but this shouldn’t be necessary in your case.
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