New plaster - diluted 1st coat of paint.

[Paul]

Searching the posts on the first diluted emulsion coat on a new (dry) plaster skim, several recommend a 50:50 dilution of emulsion and water. However my Dulux Trade Supermatt emulsion says dilute the first coat 'up to'

1:4 water:paint . However a 1 part water 4 parts paint mix doesn't look much different from undiluted paint.

So, what do you all think, should it be 1:1 or 1water:4paint ?.....Does it matter?...

Thanks for any opinions. Paul

[garryb]

Dulux would say that - you use more of their paint! I always seal new plaster walls, always, either with a 5:1 PVA or a highly diluted emulsion mix. I'd say 50:50 is minimum, but it largely depnds on the state of your emulsion before you start, some are thinner than others. It can get a bit messy, depending on how diluted you go, but it's well worth the effort. I aim for a thick milky/single cream type texture. Dust sheets are your friends.

Garry

[Mike]

Probably not. In fact using Supermatt without water still achieves a good result.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Actually, 1:5 makes a big difference to the paint, and even 1:10 is quite noticable. With 1:1 you would end up with most of the paint on the floor without it ever getting as far as the wall;-)

[garryb]

Agreed. But that's the difference between ya average DIYer and ya real pro tosher :-)

Garry

[Christian McArdle]

I used the recommended 1:4 with Dulux Trade Supermatt and it came up lovely. Subsequent undiluted coats went on fine, without excessive suction or cracking.

Christian.

[Mark]

Not necessarily. New plaster can suck the water out of paint very quickly. I used 50:50 mix on some walls and ceilings and it still dried out too quick.

YMMV Mark