Getting smooth(er) historic plaster walls is a simple matter of filling holes and sanding ... sanding ... sanding high spots ... really. That's all it is. Oh ... and then cleaning up the DUST ...
After pulling all the paint and paper off the plaster in the parlor, I now am in mid-patch and sand mode. One thing I already knew is that sanding dust - especially spackle and dry wall mud sanding dust - is "sticky" and it gets everywhere.
I covered the 2 doorways to the room with plastic sheeting (one opening is 9 feet tall and 12 feet wide ...) to contain the dust a little. No amount of prep will thwart it, though. It's all about limiting, not eradicating. I know I'll need to clean it up later, I just don't want to spend 3 days doing it and having it end up in my bedsheets.
One thing I discovered is that you can sand a small patch of spackle with a damp sponge, which really cuts down on dust. This morning before work I "sanded" a few areas that way and then this evening I'll actually sand the whole wall one last time before priming it just to be sure to get it as smooth as possible before skim coating.
This weekend I'm diving into the skim coating part ... cross your fingers.
Or, you leave the walls in the condition you find them and tell guests, "No really, that's what the walls looked like after I stripped the paper. Who knew they were so chipped and wavy". That's what I did at my house and I'm OK with it. :) Best of luck to you.
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