I have a room with a mix of drywall & newly skimmed walls/ceiling.

Do I just seal it all with dilute PVA (which does not need to be waterproof?) then paint?

I give fresh plaster a 'mist' coat of half emulsion, half water to key it.

leave it for a few days to completely dry out, then just paint.

al we used pva and the a coat of decent paint

sslowpace – Member

I give fresh plaster a 'mist' coat of half emulsion, half water to key it.

Exactly what I do.

Left ours to dry properly and then just normal paint. Our ruddy builders managed to splash PVA glue onto the walls at various points, these are actually showing up paler against the rest.

Do a nice fresco ?

Hmmm not unanimous. Wil google.

Will it not suck the emulsion up something rotten if I don't pva it?

I'm concerned that the various finishes (skim, plasterbboard and joint plaster) may give different looks if not sealed before painting.

you use the pva solution generally to give a key coat for plastering or skimming/coating onto older walls. for decoration on new walls whether dry wall or skim use the mist coat as above then paint as normal. mist coat is put on to absorb into plaster so your first coat of full paint doesn't

Al, buy really good professional emulsion. Easily double the price of cheap stuff,cheap stuff is mince. I've painted acres of wall space in the New Town directly on to plaster with pro quality paint no trouble.

second that, buy cheap buy twice!

I usually just use a mist coat but my dad recently used a specific paint for new plaster and I was very impressed by just how well it covered. Personally I wouldn't use PVA unless I was painting on a very porous surface. I will never forget using a masonry sealant prior to painting my old house and then watching as the paint just slid off, the previous paint wasn't as weathered or as porous as I thought. It took the wife and myself a long hard day to sand the entire surface down again.

Dulux Supermatt is designed for use on new plaster, as it allows it to breathe. Dilute the first coat by 50%.

Be very careful of using paints that are not completely matt – if the plaster isn't completely dry then they can start bubbling, because the paint isn't porous enough to let the plaster dry out.

Sorry should have mentioned that the dry wall can be sealed with the appropriate sealer which means if it's ever wallpapered in the future then removing it with a steamer won't cause a problem.

ski – Member

sslowpace – Member

I give fresh plaster a 'mist' coat of half emulsion, half water to key it.

Exactly what I do.

me 3

Thanks all – I will use Johnstons, Dulux, Craig and Rose or Farrow and Ball!

Is there a proper sealer for the drywall….and I take it that would have to go on before any paint?

mist coat of 50/50 emulsion to water is all you need to seal, don't use PVA it will just put a skin over the whole wall and result in a nasty finish.