mat or silk

[surfingmace]

Hi i am re doing the place and have stripped all the wall paper off the walls to find that the walls are mainly all plastered in white but some are in a dark colour like red or green.
Do I put a base coat on (how many coats) then the colour I want but what do I use mat or silk I am going to use Endurance Durable and Washable or something similar. Any help would be great
Also if the walls dont have paint on them and are the white plastered walls a base coat would be good to put on?
Thanks
Stuart

 

[joe-90]

Use a load of cheap contract mat. If it is bare plaster water down the first coat by 20%. Give it all a couple of coats then do what you like afterwards.

 

[surfingmace]

In terms of mat over silk for the endurance does it matter if I use mat as a base coat would like thoughts on wether mat or silk for the top coat and whats the difference.
Thanks
Stuart

 

[regsmyth]

Yes matt is fine for the base coat, whether you use silk or matt on top.

Silk is shiny and will not mark easily. Matt is not shiny.

Silk will be easier to clean with a cloth to remove dirty marks, without significant deterioration, but if you do this repeatedly with matt, the paint will eventually all get rubbed off.

Matt is generally a much more pleasant surface visually, but it will mark easily.