How should I go about painting fresh plaster?

[DDS]

Hello

The ceiling has had plasterboard fixed to it, and skimmed over with plaster on Weds evening.

The walls have had the loose finishing plaster taken off, then they've been sealed with PVA wash, then they've been skimmed over with plaster during Tuesday daytime.

Tomorrow and Sunday we want to paint them - do we have to get some special primer, or would we use a PVA wash, or just watered down emulsion?

The walls and ceiling *look* dry apart from one or two corners and one or two blotches which still appear damp, so presumably we're OK to start emulsioning.

Advice appreciated !

Thanks

[Cash]

DDS,

Even though you plaster *looks* dry, I would recommend that you leave the painting for another few days to let the plaster properly dry out - and then start with a 50/50 (water/emulsion) mist coat and a couple of coats of undiluted paint, leaving the paint to properly dry between coats.

If you paint the plaster too early, the paint will not properly adhere to the surface and is likely to come off.

Cash

[The Natural Philosopher]

watered down emulsion. Its so close to PVA and it has some pigment in.

even when damp its ok with the piss coat. Its not thick enough to stop the wall drying out

But hold off on the final coats.

[Andrew Gabriel]

No. Wait until it's completely dry, and then a few more days to be sure. If you really can't wait a few more days, there is a special matt emulsion you can buy for painting on new plaster whilst it's still drying, but you are restricted to that one finish (because the paint has to be porous) and probably only one or two colours, but I've never used it.

Also, note what others have said about using watered down emulsion to start with. The more polished the plaster finish, the more watered down it needs to be. (Doesn't matter if you over water it, but it will make more mess applying, and you don't want any runs which might show through later). There are bare plaster primers available too, but I've never tried one.

Don't use PVA under paint, as some paints won't paint over it well afterwards and you've then got a right mess to sort out.

[A.Lee]

Get a good quality emulsion from a Trade paint outlet. Crown Obliterating emulsion, or Dulux Diamond are both made for going over new plaster. Other makes do it too, I've used Macphersons before.

Alan.

[PeterC]

I had to emulsion a room that had had damp-proofing treatment and new plaster up to about 4'. The instructions were to leave it for at least 6 months (this was in December) or use only non-vinyl emulsion. I did the latter as the owner was moving in in 4 weeks.

[Alan]

In message , Andrew Gabriel wrote

On every house makeover TV programme I've watched they are painting the plaster minutes after the plasterer has run the float over it. On some of the programmes they plaster and finish painting within the allotted

60 minutes.

[Huge]

Yes, but they don't give a shit how long it lasts once the cameras have stopped rolling.

[thirty-six]

They wont have the flack to deal with next week.