Viewing 29 posts - 1 through 29 (of 29 total)
  • painting fresh plaster
  • UrbanHiker
    Free Member

    My parents have just had their walls re-plastered, finished about 4 weeks ago. The decorator has just cancelled. I’ve (probably stupidly) offered to start the repainting work. Last time I did any painting was decades ago. So, anyone got an idiots guide?

    I’m looking to go from plaster to top coat emulsion on the walls. Celling not re-plastered, but need to be tidied up, and refreshed. I think the woodwork is pre-painted, or at least primed, need to check that.

    Celings first?
    Is it still the done thing to do a 50/50 pva/paint first coat on fresh plaster?

    Any info gratefully received.

    dannybgoode
    Full Member

    Specific fresh plaster primer and then undercoat or a couple of coats of white emulsion mixed 50/50 with water. PVA works also.

    mick_r
    Full Member

    I’ve found breatheable / permeable trade emulsion better than PVA / standard emulsion so that any remaining moisture isn’t sealed in.

    https://www.toolstation.com/leyland-trade-super-leytex-matt-emulsion-paint/p20896

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    bruneep
    Full Member
    UrbanHiker
    Free Member

    Those bare plaster paints, do they need a different top coat, or are they also suitable for top coats?

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Would not recommend the bare plaster paint for a top coat. You’ll want to paint over it with a top coat.

    But I would recommend the stuff in bruneeps link….wonder where he got that idea from ;).

    Far better at the job that watered down emulsion ime.

    eskay
    Full Member

    MY father-in-law (ex painter and decorator) cocked up my newly plastered ceilings, the paint started peeling in places and when I try to roller over the paint pulls off on the roller. I can’t remember what he used.

    When I had some more ceilings plastered in the house I asked a mate of mine who is a decorator what is the best method and he described the following (which worked a treat).

    Start with a mist coat but use a paint that does not have plastic in it (Dulux Super Matt). Water it down really thin so that it looks like coloured water (it will go everywhere!).

    For the top coat you need something with plastic in (Dulux Vinyl Matt)

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    The plasterer who did our living room over summer recommended a coat of cheap white emulsion then the top coats. Got a massive tub for about a tenner at B&Q.

    It worked well enough for us.

    Previously I’ve used a PVA and water mix but he told me not to bother.

    jamiemcf
    Full Member

    I’ve been doing the whole house up and every room has been plastered.
    I’ll go round teh whole rooom and give it a light sand with 240 grit to catch any wee splashes of plaster, next wash it down with a wet sponge.
    as i work round the room i’ll responge the wall to get it nice and wet then apply the 1st mist coat (equal shlosh paint to water),
    Go round the room and tidy up any runs, splatters etc at the plaster will suck all the moisture out of the mist coat very rapidly.
    2nd mist coat (slightly bigger slosh of paint than water)
    Go round the room again checking for unsightly bits
    3rd mist coat (even bigger slosh of paint than water).
    crack on with 3 coats of chosen emulsion, ceiling first then walls.

    gallowayboy
    Full Member

    Make sure plaster is evenly dry. Carefully brush it down, caulk any wee gaps or cracks at the edges.
    Mist coat of 5:1 paint water (non vinyl emulsion), close to the colour of your final coat. Then one top coat should do.
    There’s a lot of plaster primer/paints on the market, I’ve been advised they are not needed. Just done a new ceiling myself, mist coat plus top coat of Dulux emulsion in white-ish, looks great.
    Edit after Jamiecf I did consider fine sanding the surface, but it was very even and smooth. And I did wash lightly a couple of mucky bits. Interesting the variation in mist coat ratios…

    johndoh
    Free Member

    And don’t get your paint form a DIY store – get proper stuff from a trade counter (I prefer Johnstone’s/Leyland myself). It costs more but it won’t take 376 coats to cover new plaster like the watered down shite in B&Q.

    And if it’s in a high traffic area, get the Endura stuff – it’s bloody brilliant.

    twinw4ll
    Free Member

    Just put 10% water in paint stir well and crack on, Leyland paint is the best.
    Don’t use PVA or rub it down or any other mad cap bollocks.

    slowol
    Full Member

    New paint plaster from Screwfix works. It may well be the same as other paints but having tried the pva thing once and had paint peel off and have to sand the whole of a fortunately small shower room it makes life easy.
    We probably mixed it wrong or used the wrong paint on top but never had an issue since with the special new plaster paint from Screwfix or wherever. For the price saving and not having it go wrong since as an amateur I’d recommend it.
    Would also agree that decent quality paint is worth the extra cash.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Leyland paint is the best.

    the watered down shite in B&Q.

    Which is it then lads. Seeing as you can buy paint with a Leyland label on it in bnq one of you is talking shite or your both being very vague with your recomendations.

    For max hilarity. Bnq reviews on the latest batch of Leyland paint I bought at bnq…..were horrendous reading the reviews you’d not paint your chicken shed with this stuff. It’s absoluatlely fine paint. The heaps of bad reviews I read all talked about how the paint went on really thin and took loads of coats…… Probably work better if they let the paint dry before writing a review. Sure it goes on very translucent and you can see through it but it drys really nice and thick. 2 coats over my bare plaster paint and we were good to go…… Even the two tester spots where I had tried face mask blue……and the terecotta behind the cooker only.needed two coats. Failed to see what all the bad reviews were for.

    skellnonch
    Free Member

    Mist coat, normal emulsion just make it piss thin, done loads of bare plaster, just water it down wouldnt bother with pva, does the job fine. When its dry emulsion as normal

    twinw4ll
    Free Member

    Leyland Super Latex.
    Back in the day before you could consult Single-track the font of all knowledge I learnt by just cracking on and learning on the job. If you don’t want multiple versions of the divine truth, don’t ask.

    jeffl
    Full Member

    I used the Screwfix plaster paint on the dining room, lounge, hallway and landing. Seems to work.

    riklegge
    Full Member

    @trail_rat apparently the large DIY chains demand to buy at certain price points, meaning the paint companies produce the paint for them to a price. As a result, even though its the same brand name on the tin, buying direct can mean buying a superior product (heard second hand from a DIY “expert” so I can’t verify how true this is, but the experiences above would seem to indicate it might be).

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    I do know how it works. It was more humour

    coconut
    Free Member

    For the finish coat – “Dulux Trade Diamond Eggshell”, not cheap but great to work with as it’s a really thick paint. The Dulux Trade is much tougher than standard paint and will not mark as easily, worth the extra money.

    bigh
    Free Member

    Professional here.

    Pva is not recommended, alot of people will say but i’ve never had a problem which is fine, but why take the risk.
    There are alot of emulsions labelled contract which are nice and cheap and cover alarmingly well, they are very soft and you can easily wipe them off with a damp sponge when dry, they were developed as a cheap breathable paint to let any dampness come through on new builds. They are ok UNTIL someone decided to wallpaper on top of them, then they can cause issues.

    Plaster primers are good, but, you may as well use one tin right? Furthermore if you are painting the walls in a strongish colour you will be adding another coat to the job

    Dulux vinyl matt, first coat thinned well. Followed by two (probably) further coats.

    hugo
    Free Member

    My mate, who’s a plasterer, recommended watered down dulux super matt, as also recommended above. Did the trick.

    Then just regular (quality) emulsion.

    funkmasterp
    Full Member

    A lot of the above sounds like very hard work. Recently repainted a section of newly plastered wall after an idiot drove in to the house leaving a lovely big hole. Just did one light coat with the leftover paint from when we last decorated. Left a couple of days, did a second coat. It’s completely fine

    duckman
    Full Member

    Not read the rest, couple of coats of cheap emulsion to take up the suction then onto the nice paint. (I’m a plasterer to trade.)

    gavjackson1984
    Free Member

    I’ve had a bad experience with the screwfix fresh plaster paint. Seemed too thick to me. Anyway 2nd coat started peeling all the paint off so had to strip it all back and start again. I wouldn’t use again but seems to be ok for lots of others.

    In our new house we’ve renovated had every room plastered and I just used watered down emulsion as a mist coat. Think it was leylands as it was cheap at the time from screwfix. Anyway one mist coat then 2x coats of normal paint after. Did the job for me. It’s messy tho!

    gastromonkey
    Free Member

    We had a load of plastering done on the house about 3 years ago. I did 2 or 3 coats of watered down cheap white emulsion. The plasterer recommended watering down the paint to the same thickness as cream. Let it dry properly between each coat then a couple of coats of paint, again letting it dry properly before applying the next coat. It went on like a dream and left a good finish.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    This was done on wet plaster, so doing a wall ought to be a doddle!

    granny_ring
    Full Member

    Lots of variations on paint mixing ratios there!

    bigfoot
    Free Member

    ratio isn’t that important, just needs watering down enough to soak into the plaster rather than dry on top. some one had previously painted a wall im my house with no mist coat and most of the paint just flaked of easily with a scraper in big sections.
    i’m replastering my house room by room and i just use contract matt about 70/30 for the mist coat then 2 full coats of vinyl matt

Viewing 29 posts - 1 through 29 (of 29 total)

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