To want to leave my bare plaster walls as they are?

[BabyMonitorFM]

I've just stripped the wallpaper in a room and I love the way it looks, the plaster is a lovely colour, mottled with a kind of mediterranean feel. I want to keep it and not paint over it. Has anyone done this? Can I just seal it with PVA (or something) and it will be OK?

Posted this in Home decoration but it's been 10 whole minutes and nobody's answered! [impatient]

its very now, that look. I like it myself.

I love plaster, especially that pinky shade! I think you can get a chalky emulsion called 'Fresh Plaster' or something like that. I remember searching for it a while back. I bet Fired Earth or similar compary will have it.

Ooh very Havana chic!

Not very helpful, but every room I have striped I have wanted to leave like that!

Marking place as my last attempt to recreate the colour using paint ended up looking like a calamine lotion sploosh party.

There's a farrow and ball one I think called 'setting plaster'. Also one called dead salmon (nice) which might look similar.
I know what you mean, we've just had bedrooms done and it looks so nice especially after bloody awful 80s decor previously.

Wall paper and paint are pretty recent additions.

For centuries people would have covered their walls with breathable plasterwork. Adding painted decorations like frescos for interest.

Alan Bennett stripped his wallpaper off and left the plaster bare - he may have sealed it with something. The Lady Article
Perfectly acceptable if you like it!

We've done this in various parts of the house and love it - had the same thing where we stripped walls and thought 'gosh, that looks lovely'. If you get bored you can always paint it later. Also, if you find it getting a bit florentine jail rather than venetian palazzo, we've got one room where we painted to around halfway up the wall (beware: you will definitely have a massive row about whether your tape line is straight) then the upper half is bare plaster. Or else paint some walls and leave plaster on one.

Sealing with slightly watered down PVA works, but gives it a slight shine. If you're really committing, you can get matte varnish, but that will make later painting a PITA. I'd probably not bother sealing it, and see any marks as adding to the general nice agedness of it.

Thanks everyone! shaska is the matte varnish specifically for plaster? I love Alan Bennett's room

I loved our kitchen before I painted the walls so I bought a paint that mimicked the colour (but not the finish). It really does look lovely.

I used to sublet a cool friend's house in the west of Ireland, and several of her rooms were just the bare plaster - I loved that kind of soothing greyish pink, and it looked wonderful with paintings hanging on it.

Any marks will really show up on bare plaster, it's porous and therefore not washable. You can buy paint that looks like bare plaster though.

Totally having the same thought. OH just pulled of a load of tiles in the kitchen and it looks awesome.

I don't want plaster coloured paint, I like the random marks and colours of the real thing. I never understand people painting the exterior brickwork 'brick' colour. Bricks aren't one colour, they are many colours and paint just won't look the same. I'm definitely keeping the plaster bare, just want to make sure it looks intentional!

Totally agree about not understanding why 'fake' something when you like the real version. The varnish isn't especially for plaster no - we've used it in one place though and it seems fine - maybe do a test in an out of the way corner first to make sure!

I explained why people use 'fake'. The slightest bit of grease (normal grease from hands) will show up and can't be washed off. It will only look good for a short time. It will look minty very soon.

Oh, and if you later decide to paint over it any greasy marks will come through the paint and you're looking at a full re skim. I know way more than. I ever needed to about plaster

I would love tadelakt walls, which is a Moroccan plaster technique. Tadelakt walls are gorgeous - google it.

Sorry, not much help for your dilemma, OP

bottleofbeer that's exactly why I was asking about sealing it, my DS will definitely get his mitts all over it in no time, it's a bit dusty too.
Tadelakt - how wonderful!

I know what you mean it does look really good. We had 3 of the rooms in our house replastered after having the house all rewired earlier this year and the colour of the plaster looks ace.

Yanbu if you like it like that but if you have bare plaster in a kitchen or bathroom it will absorb moisture and smell damp.

www.ideapaint.com/landing-pages/clear

Would that help.

'I'm indoors reckons you need a clear primer. Whatever one of those is.

Ok. I have an idea. I've been looking at Annie Sloan chalk paints. now they can be sealed with her wax coating. Which would work like a primer, but not give a shiny, chemically look.