Priming wall after skimming?

[stargirl04]

Hi guys, I will soon be skimming a wall and want to know how I prime it (after skimming, sanding and before painting).

Do I need specialist primer or can I used a mix of 50% white matt emulsion with 50% water? The latter seems too cheap and easy a solution (and I am a pessimist)!

Thanks for reading.

Our decorator just said to use a mist coat of 50/50 white Matt emulsion to water (I used Dulux supermatt). She said if you don't get completely sprayed then its not dilute enough...

Aas above, always used watered down emulsion. Yes , you get covered in paint . If its too thick the plaster just sucks it up and it's really hard to spread.

Thank you folks

A 5:1 mix of water:pva is better

Bluevanman, sorry to be so clueless, but what is pva, and is the 5 parts bit water or paint?

PVA is glue. 1 part glue to 5 parts water. No paint.

The paint option is easier. Pva goes on clear.

Pva also stops the plaster breathing. I was told not to us it as it seals the walls by the plasterer and can cause problems in older properties.

Thanks for these tips chaps. Very useful. So maybe the emulsion/water 50-50 option might be best....

please do not put PVA glue on any surface which you hope one day to paint.

A few plasterers still recommend it. The others have been killed by angry decorators.

Our decorator just used pva on the bits of cornice that were crumbling/cracked yo stabilise it. The new plaster just needed the mist coat.

We used 50:50 water:matt emulsion for our newly skimmed ceilings. Did 2 coats before painting.

Thanks for these tips, guys. Very helpful indeed.