Painting New Plaster. Which Paint To Use?

[Ed]

Just had my old kitchen walls skimmed with new plaster about 10 days ago. They look well dried out , so now I want to paint them before the kitchen furniture fitters come in shortly.

I am thinking of going with a 50:50 mist coat of regular matt emulsion paint/water followed by a couple of coats of undiluted matt emulsion.

Is an emulsion , like Wickes Trade just as good as Duluxe Trade Supermatt. Is there any significant differences between these when applied to new plaster? Or should I use some specialist paint, like a new plaster primer, to begin with?

Ed

[robgraham]

I have to say that over the years I've heard and read many bits of advice on this matter - all perfectly genuine, I'm sure. Two things stand out from a digest of all the advice and my own experience. Firstly, it's an unnecessary expense to paint the wall with neat emulsion on the first coat. 50/50 of any emulsion and water will do.

Secondly, a friend painted a piece of plaster I had done within the same day that I did it, and it's still fine 22 years later. i.e don't bother with all the niceties!

Rob Graham

[Ed]

Sounds like good way to go !!

You read that other reply I got that suggesting an oil based primer? What you think on that?

Ed

[robgraham]

I'm sure it would be fine, but then it would probably be fine without it! But I'm not here to knock other people's advice. I'm just speaking as I find. Some people would seal the wall with PVA diluted down. That'll probably work as well as anything. The thing is, the bare plaster doesn't half suck up stuff, so something cheap and cheerful as a first coat solves that problem. But a professional decorator (which I'm not) would come along and say "what rubbish".

[Barb]

Bare plaster does suck up paint! I'd use 1:5 PVA to water, cheap and effective. (I've never done a whole room, but part of a room skimmed after removing tiles - the diluted PVA gave a good, non-absorbent surface to paint on.) It also worked where a faint discolouration at the edge of an extension was "bleeding" through the plaster and paint.

Barb

[Ed]

PVA is not generally recommended though on new plaster? It doesn't allow moisture to escape?

[robgraham]

I've never heard that! Anyway, a few microns of PVA are never going to hold back much moisture.

Rob

[PeterC]

When my GF's house was treated for damp and the walls replastered to a height of about 4 ft., we were told to allow 6 months for drying and to use a water-based emulsion, not vinyl (this was full plaster, not a skim, though).

[Andy Champ]

Yes, but her walls were wet through - not just the plaster.

Andy

[PeterC]

True - and it was Winter and no CH for a week or so.

[A _L_ P]

The trick for stain bleeding - if it's an oil stain seal with water based paint, if it's a water stain use oil paint.

A L P