If you've got an old plaster wall that's wavy, ridged, patched or otherwise defective, and you don't want the mess and expensive of ripping it out or putting wallboard over it, there are several painting techniques that will minimize the problem. In all cases, you'll want first to stabilize the wall surface, since any kind of paint will come off if the wall is moving or crumbling. When choosing your paint, keep in mind that lighter colors and high-gloss surfaces tend to show defects, so consider darker colors and flat or semi-gloss finishes.
Wall Preparation
However you decide to cover the wall, it's important that it be clean and solid before you start. Begin by scraping off any loose paint or plaster. If there are cracks or holes, fill them with plaster, smoothing it out with a putty knife. If there are areas where the wall is coming away from the lath, so that it moves inward when you push on it, re-secure it with drywall screws. In extreme cases, you may have remove that section of plaster, install a drywall patch, then re-plaster around it. If the surface of the wall is especially rough, you may have to run a belt sander over it.
Priming
Covering the wall with a good sealing primer goes a long way toward hiding the imperfections. Sealing primer puts a protective shell over the surface, sealing in any deep-set stains that might otherwise seep to the surface, while giving you a consistent color base for your topcoat. Primer is generally white but can be tinted toward the color of your topcoat by adding 1 cup of topcoat to each gallon of primer. Apply the primer with a brush in the corners and edges, and a roller on the open spans. Use two thin, even coats of primer rather than one thick coat.
Painting
Once the walls are prepared and primed, apply the topcoat of whatever paint you've chosen. This decision will be based partly on how bad the wall is. For a wall that's just a little ridged or wavy, use a flat paint, preferably of a darker color, to hide the ridges. Plan on two to three coats, and keep them thin. For more prominent ridges and patches, use textured paint, which has sand or other solids in it to give texture and depth to the surface and hide those problems. Both types of paint can be applied with brushes and rollers, in the same way as the primer.
Stucco
For severely scarred and wavy walls, consider stucco paint. This is more like colored plaster than paint and it will hide just about any wall problems while giving the room an old-world look. Spread the stucco on the wall with a trowel, at a depth of about 3/8 inch. Working in small sections, texture the stucco, either by swirling it in circles with your trowel, pressing trowel into the stucco and pulling out to create small peaks, or going over it with textured rubber roller design to imprint shapes into the stucco.
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