How to get the best finish on newly-skimmed walls

Recently had our whole house skimmed and as there was so much to do, got a decorator in. He recommended Jonmat, which is Johnstone's trade emulsion. £20 for 10L from our local independent decorating place IIRC and made to be applied directly to bare plaster. I'm no paint expert, but I'd be happy to buy it in future.

https://www.johnstonestrade.com/newjonmat

I was going to get the Armstead recommended above, which is probably pretty similar, but went on the decorators recommendation.
 
After some deliberation, I've gone with Jonmat - was bloody hard to track down at a decent price, but spoken of highly by those places who used to sell it before Johnson's hiked the price up. Feels a good balance of price vs. performance.

Equipment is Hamilton medium roller sleeves, Wooster frame and pole, still deciding on a Hamilton or Purdy brushes and also looking for a small roller for the reveals and tricky places.
 
I am not a huge fan of mist-coats, good purpose primer/sealer does a much better job. Regards filling large holes your best cheap bet is to buy a small bag of one-coat plaster. Add in some PVA or woodglue at a ratio of about five or size to one with your water to make it set harder. It forms a very sticky plaster that will set like concrete and over small areas in any depth in one go. It's ideal for poking in holes like that. It will set very quickly but it takes a while to completely dry out.
No-loss brushes are fine and 4" and 9" rollers. Vinyls are very easy to apply. The one thing that pops to mind is that most folks roller too fast. Take it slow. You get a better finish and less spray. If it's spraying you are doing it wrong!
 
Pocah said:
The one thing that pops to mind is that most folks roller too fast. Take it slow. You get a better finish and less spray. If it's spraying you are doing it wrong!
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After years of DIY roller jobs that's one thing I've learnt.

I'm not sure of it's the done thing but I also cross coat; working a square going up and down, then side to side to blend into the previous square, then finishing off lightly up and down again. Takes longer but helps my amateur hands get an even finish.
 
So... I'm having a few problems. I'm kind of in painting mode for a week or so, while I await other work to be done, but I am finding the caulk that I applied to the join between the ceilings and the walls to be a right bugger.

I did the thing, applied it sparingly, used a wet finger to smooth and allowed to dry. All looks rather nice... until I paint over it. I must be on my third coat of paint (the aforementioned Jonmat) and I can still see marks through the paint!

Have I done something wrong? Or is it the fact the paint is slightly thinner than normal emulsion?

Now, the fact I am in painting mode means I need, well, paint. Ceilings first - what would people recommend? I'm thinking Zinsser Perma White Matt in the kitchen/diner and bathrooms. What should I be using for the rest? Will multiple coats of Jonmat be sufficient (considering my caulk issue) or should I go over it once, with something else?
 
Why have you put caulk in the corners? (normally not paint able - depends on type)

You need to do a mist coat in skim first (ie half water half paint and I'd just use a cheap emulsion). Or two thirds watered down.
Then zinnser paint after this.
 
You caulked the corner of the wall where it meets the ceiling?

Pretty sure that is NOT what you are meant to do. Caulk is for areas like door frames , sills and skirting.
 
I have chaulk that is paintable. I’ve used it in the corner of the living room before - worked really well and no problem 5 years on.

Depends on the type if you can over paint but this you sure can.
 
I've used paintable decorators caulk all over the place. I can't see why it shouldn't be used in the corners, it certainly hasn't been an issue for me.

I do apply it really sparingly though, shaping it right into the corner so it almost looks like there's nothing there. I then wipe around with a damp microfibre cloth to remove the thin film that inevitable gets onto the surrounding surfaces. Maybe that's what you are seeing glitch.

Most of my ceilings were just finished in Dulux Supermatt (similar to your Jonmat) and they look fine. I did go over one room with another matt white but only because I'd run out of Supermatt and couldn't justify buying another tub just for one final coat on a small area.
 
The Craig said:
Why have you put caulk in the corners? (normally not paint able - depends on type)
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Hedge said:
You caulked the corner of the wall where it meets the ceiling?

Pretty sure that is NOT what you are meant to do. Caulk is for areas like door frames , sills and skirting.
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As to why I did it, because a couple of people recommended doing and having looked into caulking, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

NickK said:
I have chaulk that is paintable. I’ve used it in the corner of the living room before - worked really well and no problem 5 years on.

Depends on the type if you can over paint but this you sure can.
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paintguy said:
I've used paintable decorators caulk all over the place. I can't see why it shouldn't be used in the corners, it certainly hasn't been an issue for me.

I do apply it really sparingly though, shaping it right into the corner so it almost looks like there's nothing there. I then wipe around with a damp microfibre cloth to remove the thin film that inevitable gets onto the surrounding surfaces. Maybe that's what you are seeing glitch.
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It was paintable, decorators caulk and yes, that sort of film effect is a little like what I’m seeing. I thought I was very careful in both application and subsequent clean-up/removal of excess, but clearly not!

I’ll throw some pictures up in a bit, keep forgetting to host them somewhere.
 
Here's an example of what I'm talking about - just doesn't want to cover the bits where I must have smeared and not cleaned-up properly.

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I'd be running my hand over any new plaster to check for float scrapes, or snots (it's amazing how your hand can pick up on the tiniest defect). Any fiddley areas I've always found can be badly finished too so might need a quick sand to tidy up. Check under sills, and around door frames etc for gaps that need cauking, or filling. I've cauked internal corners too without issue.

I usually tidy up around sockets and the like too - spreads aren't usually that diligent, and it's better to knock off excess plaster around backboxes before you paint.

Personally, I've always used a 1/3 water mist coat, but each to their own.
 
Looks from the pics like what paintguy mentioned - will the film scratch off with a bit of rubbing?
 
I always go over caulk with a light coat of quick drying primer like zinsser 123 before painting the top coat, find it ensures the top coat goes on well.
 
Just wandered into my local Johnstone's Trade - they didn’t have any Zinnser 123 in stock, but they did me a pot of Joncryl and chucked in some Zinnser Perma White, gratis.

Hopefully the Joncryl will do the job. Thanks for the idea about using a primer!
 
when we did the kkitchen and sitting room I found the screwfix trade stuff the best for bare plaster, still watered it down tho.
Proper ballache painting onto fresh plaster tho haha
 
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