Advice on painting newly plastered wall.

[Mavan1984]

Hi everyone.

We had a garage conversion done a few months ago, the walls were plastered and now we are finally ready to get the room painted.

The plasterer didn't do a great job and then we had to get some more electricity sockets installed so a lot of polyfilling and sanding were needed to get all the surfaces looking smooth and ready to paint. Also where the power points were installed the shade of plaster looks different to the rest of the walls.

I went to B&Q and was advised to use a contract matt as a base coat. Would this need to be watered down before applying? How many coats will be needed and does each coat need to be watered down?

If I can still see all the imperfections in the plaster after I've done the mist coat, how can I rectify it?

I'm going to be using dulux trade paint as the final coat (in timeless). How many coats of this will I need to do?

Thanks everyone.

I just painted a newly plastered wall ( a few weeks ago). Took 2 coats of standard dulux matt paint and look great

Make sure you do a diluted mist coat (or two) first - if not you run the risk of it looking great at first but flaking and impossible to rectify later.

New flats are often painted without a mist coat and for years later the ceilings are rubbish because if you try to repaint them the original paint comes off in layers on your roller! The builders don't care because they look great when people view and it is quicker for them.

Did you dilute the paint before applying?

What % of water would you recommend?

50/50 for the first coat. Paint is not going to cover up bad plastering. If you see imperfections in the walls the only solution is to correct them, paint won't do this for you.

Id recommend Dulux Trade White, it's very slightly warmer than any of the brilliant whites.

Dilute 50:50 for the first coat, 70:30 fir the second coat, then 100%.

Have you thought about doing a distressed finish if you are worried about the wall not being perfectly smooth?

it’s not difficult, and is a nice backdrop for pictures.

No need for messy mist coats now, our plasterer recommends No Nonsense from Screwfix that is specifically for new plaster, it’s a breathable paint that comes in White or Magnolia. Under £30 for 10ltrs.

Screwfix new plaster paint

Paint needs to be consistency of single cream. I'm on a mission with 4 bedrooms to mist and paint. Done the mist, leaving for 24 hours and then plan to do 2 coats of eventual paint. My arms are killing me.

paintersworld.co.uk/painters-advice/best-paint-for-plaster

Hi all thanks for all the advice so far.

I went with the screwfix plaster paint in the end and have just applied the first coat. I've noticed after it's dried that the repair patches and the bits I filled with polyfilla are still visible. Will these go away after a second coat? Or do I need to resand the surfaces before repainting with the second coat?

Thanks all.

Having painted 6 newly plastered rooms in this house we used 1 coat of undiluted contract matt, just the cheap Leyland stuff. Worked a treat as the first layer then 2 layers of the normal paint. Had no issues with flaking.

I'd recommend a coat of Dulux Plaster Sealer. I painted a recently plastered ceiling recently and was worried that a mist coat of diluted emulsion would be too messy. This stuff was still a bit messy but did the trick, and no need to worry about how much water to add as you just paint it straight on.

I feel your pain! I've just done the ceiling and walls of one room and I'm about to die. Don't know how you will manage 4 rooms!

5, including the bathroom. I'll manage because I must. And I'll eat cake.

Having done quite a few plaster walls without issue, I really don’t see the need for a specialist paint for this job. The screwfix stuff seems to get mixed reviews, some love it sone don’t.

As with most things diy, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, but I prefer using a decent Matt (Dulux trade for instance) and diluting that. Ratio of about 2/3 paint 1/3 water but you don’t need to be super precise. I think 50:50 is too diluted.

The advantage of doing it this way is the paint can also be obviously used as a topcoat too, the screwfix stuff you will need to buy two buckets to get the job done. A few reviews I’ve seen saying it’s not very durable on its own so will need a different paint on top to give a hard wearing surface.

Same subject being discussed here
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/painting-fresh-plaster/

Never bothered with diluting on new plaster, just do the first coat very thinly and let it dry properly before the next coat . Never had any problems.