Painting over newly plastered walls

8 replies

NutBiscuit · 20/04/2011 10:29

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for painting over newly plastered walls? How long should we leave the plaster to dry before painting it? (It was just a skim coat). And I've heard that you should paint with a watered-down solution of the emulsion first? Any ideas on how dilute it should be?
Thanks for any help!

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coastgirl · 20/04/2011 10:36

You can do a 50/50 emulsion wash, I think. Or just a couple of jugs of water in a big pot of paint - it's just that the new plaster soaks up the emulsion so you'll lose colour. We bought some trade 'new plaster' magnolia to use under our expensive paint - was about £8 for a huge tub from B&Q.

You should leave the plaster for aaaages really, like two weeks or so if you can bear it, even for a skim.

Original poster

NutBiscuit · 20/04/2011 10:45

Thanks! It's been about a week already for the downstairs rooms - we're having pretty much the whole house done so am really looking forward to the decorating!

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sunshineatlast · 20/04/2011 13:13

Our builders did a pva wash before painting.

mrshotrod · 21/04/2011 15:34

We left it a good three weeks and longer on the thicker patches to really dry out. Had heating on lots too, then windows open when it was off.
Water down your emulsion. There are usually instructions on the tub.
PVA isn't always seen as the way to do it now. check on Pro decorating sites.
Some stubborn bits of our plaster still have flakey paint pigment coming off. Husband refused to see the point to watering down the paint, and flakey bits were his areas!!

KirstyJC · 21/04/2011 15:38

We have just painted over new (skimmed) plaster - we left it just over a week, in a room which had the window open all the time.

We painted it with a 50/50 water/emulsion mix first, then once that was dry the next day we just painted the normal emulsion. I believe you are not meant to use PVA to seal it if you are painting - this is what you do for tiling but I think it doesn't work for painting for some reason?

Our walls look lovely so hopefully it has done the job!

Original poster

NutBiscuit · 21/04/2011 16:02

Ok, seems 50/50 mix is the way to go. Thankfully this lovely hot weather is helping to dry the plaster out nice and quickly! Thanks all for your help.

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sunshineatlast · 22/04/2011 21:33

that makes sense kirstyjc, it was for a bathroom

southeastastra69 · 22/04/2011 21:35

wickes do a special paint for newly plastered walls, takes longer to dry though

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