Painting Wall & Paint Sticks

[Goblin28]

Hi,

I am seeking advice on painting a ceiling which has recently been replastered. Presently, applying the paint means it just dissapears into the plaster. ISTR reading walls should be 'prepared' using some kind of glue, possibly 'upvc'. Does anyone know about this? Can you offer me some advice on where to get such glue? or any alternatives to use?

Also, does anyone have any experience of using a 'paint stick' as sold by qvcuk.com to apply the paint, any tips on usage and where to buy one from as qvc don't have stock and the people at B&Q have no idea what I'm talking about. For reference, it's like an oversized syringe with a roller on the end, you dip the stick into a pot of paint, pull the handle and this draws paint up the handle of the stick, you then push on the bottom of the handle and the paint comes out at the roller end.

Thanks.

[Phil L]

You are over complicating a very simple job. What you need is a roller and a pole, a brush, some emulsion paint and a roller tray. Do the corners with a brush, and also around any light firttings - yes the first coat will soak right in, but this simply means that you can give it 2 or 3 coats in the same day, less cleaning up, less wasted paint, less wasted time, and at the end of it all, a better job done.

Don't bother with pva sealant - no painter in the trade uses this - it simply stops the first coat sticking to the plaster and makes it dry unevenly, making subsequent coats a pain in the arse.

[The Medway Handyman]

Dead right. IME any gadget designed to make painting easier & sold on the telly will be rubbish. If any of these gadgets really worked pro painters would use them - and they don't.

[John]

I tend to agree, BUT, the best 'gadget' I ever bought (from EBay so it was cheap) is an Earlex Cordless Paint system

It is an absolute Godsend when painting the Hall, Stairs & Landing. No more balancing a tray on the plank you are walking on or having to get up and down ladders all the time. It uses D cell batteries but a set of Duracell type last ages. I wouldn't use it on a small paint job though due to the cleaning up etc, but if you can get one cheaply enough I would say "Go for it".

Cheers

John

[Lobster]

US, but might lead to something? Never used one - I use rollers myself.

David

[somebody]

In message , Goblin28 writes

[snip]

Hi,

You are quite right to avoid 'sealing' the plaster with PVA. What you should do is apply what those in the trade would call a "piss" coat. I assume it is so called because it is as runny as treacle? :-)

For your first coat on fresh plaster, mix your emulsion 50/50 with water. It will flick and fling everywhere but will take the suction out of the plaster.

Some say the second coat should be 75/25 paint/water followed by the final 100% paint coat. I've read the same instructions, but not done it myself.

Personally (and believe me I've decorated shitloads of m2 of fresh plaster), one 50/50 paint/water piss coat followed by one (or depending on paint quality, maybe two) final coats of paint should do you.

Hth Someone

[Brian Sharrock]

In the midst of painting ceilings one Sunday two years ago, I saw the paint-stick demonstrated on QVC and thought ; - 'that looks good'. By the time I got around to ordering it was 'Out of Stock'; a coupe of minutes with the computer revealed that a near-by (ish) branch of Argos had one in stock - I reserved it -popped onto a bus - cheaper than parking - and an hour or so later - I was paint-sticking the ceiling! I'm convinced that the time-out was recovered using the paint-stick. Cleaning is not as quick as they claim; or I've not got the knack. My wife can't use it - the full paint stick is very heavy to raise above head level - it requires a knack - and a certain strength - to push the plunger and roll the roller while keeping contact. Nevertheless; I think it's a good _addition_ to a painting inventory of brushes, rollers and pads. Using it one can get an enormous area covered very quickly.

[meow2222]

or read

a faster alternative to the piss coat.

NT