# Fresh Plaster, what now?



## fozzy (Oct 22, 2009)

So I just had the upstairs of our 1930's house plastered along with new ceilings, now the father-in-law who's is an expert (on everything bless him) swears we should PVA it before starting to paint, online it says a 50/50 emulsion/water. The 50/50 mix sounds like a much better plan to me but anyone hear done either?

Cheers


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## ffrs1444 (Jun 7, 2008)

Let dry then a watered down paint let fully dry then paint


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## robsri (May 1, 2006)

Whatever you do, don't PVA it!

Make sure the plaster is dry then use a 50/50 emulsion mix. Use Matt not silk/vinyl paint though.

Screwfix sell new plaster paint for an easy option

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-trade-bare-plaster-paint-brilliant-white-10ltr/51004


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## fozzy (Oct 22, 2009)

Cheers guys that's what I figured I'll get some mixed up this morning, only 3 rooms and ceilings to do


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## rojer386 (Mar 15, 2008)

I had a few rooms plastered around a year or so ago and the advice I was given was to buy the cheapest white emulsion I could find and cover the walls/ceiling in that. I went for B&Q own branded paint and it did the job. Once the plaster was covered we then painted it the colour we wanted.


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## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

As above cheap emulsion as the new plaster will be quite thirsty


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

It is really important to use something very watery or well watered down for a first coat so it can soak well into the top layer of plaster and provide a good key for subsequent coats.
If you do not the paint will just sit on top of the plaster and eventually crack/split and then start to peel away.
It is a nightmare to correct when it happens.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Definitely a watered down coat

PVA will stick for a while and then start peeling off - the paint sits on top of the PVA and that'll come off with the PVA!


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

ffrs1444 said:


> Let dry then a watered down paint let fully dry then paint


And you may need 4/6 coats before it looks fully covered


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

50/50 water and emulsion mix, let that completely dry then paint it

most important thing is make sure the plaster is bone dry! did a cut out for a customer last week and plastered new reveals in. Told them to wait till its bone dry then 50/50 and paint etc. She was like yes i know how to decorate but thankyou...next day get a call saying a huge chunk of plaster has fallen off...because she painted directly onto wet plaster


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## lofty (Jun 19, 2007)

camerashy said:


> And you may need 4/6 coats before it looks fully covered


Only if you buy B&Q crap paint  You never see pro decorators buying their paint in B&Q or Homebase.
One coat of Leyland/Johnstones/Dulux/Crown TRADE matt paint watered down to 8 parts paint 2 parts water for the first coat , then one full coat will cover new plaster. Always use matt for new plaster and as mentioned never use PVA. Cheap paint is false economy, it takes 3 times the effort and you use 2/3 times the quantity.

Similar thread here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=4965958#post4965958


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Leave the plaster a few days to fully dry then emulsion in a watery mix to get that milky effect then your good to go.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

I've always used watered down pva and never had any issues.


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## M3simon (Jan 23, 2012)

Just plastered the whole of my 1930's house.
I used this paint from Screwfix as the first coat.
No problems.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-trade-bare-plaster-paint-brilliant-white-10ltr/51004


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## lofty (Jun 19, 2007)

Darlofan said:


> I've always used watered down pva and never had any issues.


PVA is mainly used as a bonding agent so that new plaster skim will adhere to existing plastered walls, it's not designed to be overpainted. No paint manufacturers recommend PVA before painting, paint will sit on top of it rather than soak into the new plaster. It may or may not cause issues but it's a unnecessary process that's a total waste of time and money. :thumb:


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## lofty (Jun 19, 2007)

M3simon said:


> Just plastered the whole of my 1930's house.
> I used this paint from Screwfix as the first coat.
> No problems.
> 
> http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-trade-bare-plaster-paint-brilliant-white-10ltr/51004


That's fine if you want all the new plaster white, if you want a colour it's a waste.


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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

We had same, wickes do a cracking white emulsion that really covered it well.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

lofty said:


> PVA is mainly used as a bonding agent so that new plaster skim will adhere to existing plastered walls, it's not designed to be overpainted. No paint manufacturers recommend PVA before painting, paint will sit on top of it rather than soak into the new plaster. It may or may not cause issues but it's a unnecessary process that's a total waste of time and money. :thumb:


Interesting to know. I generally water down first coat of paint too. Cost of pva not a problem, I bought 5 litres from Screwfix and still got some after 10 years.


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## fozzy (Oct 22, 2009)

Made a start today with the 50/50 mix and got 2 thirds of the way in. I hate decorating I've decided.


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

Make sure you cover up. Watery paint goes absolutely everywhere. 

After your wet coat leave it at least a few hours in my experience. Then when you do the next coat, leave that a good few hours, even over night. 
It will look nice as it goes on, then it'll look absolutely horrible within an hour. You'll really want to keep painting it but it's just a waste of paint and effort. Leave it and watch it improve.

I've had all my ceilings and most of my walls plastered in the last 3 years so I say this with experience.


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## Kenhom (Jun 9, 2015)

Agree with everyone else. 50/50 DONT PVA.


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

Matt_Nic said:


> Make sure you cover up. Watery paint goes absolutely everywhere.
> 
> After your wet coat leave it at least a few hours in my experience. Then when you do the next coat, leave that a good few hours, even over night.
> It will look nice as it goes on, then it'll look absolutely horrible within an hour. You'll really want to keep painting it but it's just a waste of paint and effort. Leave it and watch it improve.
> ...


As a plasterer I'd say thus us great advice,especially for high humidity areas such as bathrooms

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk


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