Painting Fresh Plaster - Help a noob

[Nitefly]

Hello - absolute DIY noob here so please be nice

I've had a bunch of walls re-skimmed and have picked out some exciting paints to go on them. I know that you can't just throw paint from the can on it and that you typically water paint down for the initial coat. But there seems to be a lot of mixed advice on what is best. I also see you can buy special paint exactly for this purpose.

What's the best thing to do? For what it's worth, I've been suckered towards some nice but expensive Farrow and Ball colours like the noob I am and I'm a little reluctant to buy more expensive cans to water them down for this purpose if cheapo paint will do.

All advice very much appreciated, cheers

 

[Nathan]

Go to wickes and buy their new plaster white paint. It’s great, recommended it loads and everyone is Impressed. One of this watering down crap

 

[robj20]

Go to wickes and buy their new plaster white paint. It’s great, recommended it loads and everyone is Impressed. One of this watering down crap

Yes why water your own paint down when you can pay over the odds for someone else to water it down for you.
From the makers of grated cheese and ready to use screen wash.

 

[Maccapacca]

White johnstones covaplus emulsion mixed roughly 50 / 50 with water till when you pinch it it doesn't stick to you fingers.

Roll on a couple of coats.

If you have picked expensive f&b paint any decent paint shop will mix it up in proper paint like a johnstones covaplus, not only is f&b expensive to buy it takes more coats and you'll use more.

If anyone mentions pva poke them in the eye

 

[rexehuk]

Worth saying, if your plasterer has gone way too glass on the finish, you need to rough it up or the paint will just flake off.

Run over it with a pretty decent grit to key it (and wipe it down after to get rid of dust). Something like 80/100 grit will be fine to key.

Decorator recommended me Armstead Trade Matt for mist,pretty cheap to use.

 

[MarkeR]

Scewfix trade plaster paint is amazing. Painted 3 newly skimmed rooms with it recently, was a bit worried as I had heard the horror stories of not painting it correctly. Everything turned out perfect. One finishing coat of Dulux one coat over the walls and it turned out as good as a decorator would have done.

 

[Fluke?]

Scewfix trade plaster paint is amazing. Painted 3 newly skimmed rooms with it recently, was a bit worried as I had heard the horror stories of not painting it correctly. Everything turned out perfect. One finishing coat of Dulux one coat over the walls and it turned out as good as a decorator would have done.

I've been using this on my newly skimmed (over artex) ceilings. Seems fine. Probably not going to bother with a finishing coat after two coats of this tbh.

<--- yes, lazy

 

[Mark A]

Just don't do what a lot recommend on the internet, which is to buy the cheapest own brand white paint you can find for the base coat. Buy a decent make, like johnstones as suggested by Macca and water it down. I have seen paint flaking off after a few years due to the base layer being crap and then it creates a nightmare of a job to rectify.

 

[Saytan]

you want to make sure any paint you're watering into a mistcoat is non-vinyl. I use Leyland emulsion from screwfix, the one that's often 2x10L for £20

 

[Rroff]

Buy a decent make, like johnstones as suggested by Macca and water it down.

Johnstones is usually fairly cheap/reasonable price anyhow and good quality. It isn't really worth going for anything cheaper as you said as the quality will be a lot worse for not huge savings.

 

[Donnie Fisher]

I've had good success with normal Dulux Matt brilliant white watered down 50/50 as the first coat on new plaster.

Then a couple of coats of it undiluted. Then the colour coats on top.

But that 1st coat makes all the difference. Where in the past I haven't done it, it flakes after a while.

 

[Chris.]

I did two sections of the house in two stages, with two plasterers.

First plasterer was extremely good, recommended decent good quality white paint in three stages of watering down, and the walls still look perfect to this day.

Second plasterer recommended by a friend said don't bother just paint it. Missus did just that on her week off as the brother in law also told her not to bother and save to say it didn't work quite as well. The finish is rough, flaking and side by side the difference is huge.

Also doesn't help that the plasterer missed sections of the ceiling around light pulls etc.

 

[Saytan]

New plaster is thirsty.

 

[200sols]

Go to wickes and buy their new plaster white paint. It’s great, recommended it loads and everyone is Impressed. One of this watering down crap

Your buying pre watered paint, just paying double for the privilege.

 

[Semple]

you want to make sure any paint you're watering into a mistcoat is non-vinyl. I use Leyland emulsion from screwfix, the one that's often 2x10L for £20

I've been using a lot of this lately, whilst it wasn't quite on fresh plasterboard, due to the mess the previous owners had left stuff in, i had to fill quite a few holes and sand them back down, and then painting over with Leylands emulsion.

I've been suckered towards some nice but expensive Farrow and Ball colours like the noob I am and I'm a little reluctant to buy more expensive cans to water them down for this purpose if cheapo paint will do.

Ooof, why would you not just get a paint match? Valspar claim to be able to do several million colours, just pick the F&B colour you like and get them to match it for you. Then pay about a third of the price for a tin.

 

[#Chri5#]

Ooof, why would you not just get a paint match? Valspar claim to be able to do several million colours, just pick the F&B colour you like and get them to match it for you. Then pay about a third of the price for a tin.

Likewise, your local Brewers shop will mix Johnstones CovaPlus - just give them the F&B colour number/name and wait 5 minutes.

 

[Burned_Alive]

Azko Nobel (Maker of Dulux) recommend using their Armstead Contract Matt watered down as per instructions. It's only £15 for 10L.

 

[bigfoot4616]

Azko Nobel (Maker of Dulux) recommend using their Armstead Contract Matt watered down as per instructions. It's only £15 for 10L.

thats what i used on my newly plastered walls, seemed to work well

 

[darael]

I can't remember the exact ratio, but when I had a room skimmed a few years ago I was told to just buy the cheapest white paint and water it down with whatever ratio they suggested at the time and apply several coats before decorating properly. The only issue I've had is paint flaking off behind a radiator and I'm not really sure how to stop it happening again in the future when I paint again behind the radiator.

 

[glenimp617]

water down emulsion, I like to give it two coats of quite thin paint

I've had paint literally fall off back to bare plaster before (original decorators on a newbuild not doing their job properly)

as regards to top coat.....I personally only use dulux trade diamond matt now