Painting on to newly skimmed walls

[SB1]

It appears this question has been asked on numerous occasions, but hopefully someone out there can clarify a few questions I have...

I have recently had the whole of my flat skimmed - walls and ceilings. There were a number of areas where the old plaster had blown, so bonding was applied prior to skimming (in patches). This was all finished one to two weeks ago, and all of the walls 'appear' to be dry - i.e. the plaster is light pink in colour.

The plasterer appears to have done a good job (the walls are all very smooth):

1. I don't have central heating in the flat yet (currently being installed) - but the flat is naturally warm (7th floor) - as warm as it can get in this weather!! Should I wait any longer before decorating? I'm particularly interested in knowing how long the areas that have been bonded and skimmed should be left before painted?

2. Should I clean or lightly sand the walls & ceilings before painting?

3. Should I be using 'Dulux Plaster Sealer' or 'Dulux Trade SuperMatt' for the first coat?

http://www.dulux.co.uk/products/info/plaster_sealer.jsp

http://www.icipaints.co.uk/products/info/dulux_trade_supermatt.jsp

4. If the 'Dulux Trade Supermatt' product is suitable, how many coats should I apply? I'm assuming it's suitable for the first and all subsequent coats?

5. Where would people recommend buying either paint? I was advised to check out Johnstone's. Any other ideas? I've got a LOT of paint to buy, so I'm keen to find the best price!!

Many thanks for reading, and any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[LJW61]

Walls should be ok by now, if theyre slightly damp then all it will do is ****** the drying time.
I use Crown Covermatt or Dulux from a ttrade counter thin the first coat by 25-30% followed by at least 2 coats of 'pure' vinyl matt
You wont need plaster sealer

 

[Richard C]

Should I wait any longer before decorating? I'm particularly interested in knowing how long the areas that have been bonded and skimmed should be left before painted?

Skim coat will look dry after only 1 or 2 days but will still have a relatively high moisture content, should ideally be left 10 – 14 days before painting. A bonding base coat + skim can take up to 4 weeks to dry out properly. If you don’t want to wait, best use a breathable emulsion designed for use on dry but green plaster otherwise you could end up with micro blistering as the residual moisture in the plaster tries to get out.

2. Should I clean or lightly sand the walls & ceilings before painting?

Just brush off any excess dust; you should never need to sand newly finished plaster if it’s been done properly. Some spreads over polish so it looks like glass (totally unnecessary & a PITA for decorators) & then it’s best to give it a scuff over but if you sand finishing plaster too much you destroy the finish, it becomes grainy & will look like brushed suede when initially painted needing more coats.

3. Should I be using 'Dulux Plaster Sealer' or 'Dulux Trade SuperMatt' for the first coat?

No need for plaster sealer, just use ordinary white, matt emulsion, thinned down 25-30% for the wash coats as stated but give it 2-3 coats.

4. If the 'Dulux Trade Supermatt' product is suitable, how many coats should I apply? I'm assuming it's suitable for the first and all subsequent coats?

I only ever use own brand white matt emulsion for the initial wash priming coats followed by any decent branded paint, depending on the color scheme. Dulux Satin Wood white is the only trade paint I ever use; to me, they seem overpriced without offering much if any additional value but, as I said, I’m not a trade decorator so wouldn’t argue one way or the other, I’m just a spread involved in major renovations; note what the trade guys feel is best if that’s the way you want to go.

5. Where would people recommend buying either paint? I was advised to check out Johnstone's. Any other ideas? I've got a LOT of paint to buy, so I'm keen to find the best price!!

I always buy from the DIY sheds, usually whatever they currently have on special but I’ve used Johnstones & it seems good but take your lead from the trade decorators if that’s what you feel you need.

 

[interiorpaintdecorating]

when it comes to painting new plaster and the plasterer has been nice enough to have left you a nice flat smooth surface, then why not compliment the plaster with a top quality paint finish.
To do this we will need certain tools.

Tools
1 x 9” paint roller with a short pile longlife sleeve
1 x roller tray or scuttle
1 x roller pole
1 x 3”or 4” paint brush either the good quality synthetic or pure bristle Hamilton perfection
1x 2.5ltr paint kettle
1 x bucket or old clean 10ltr paint container

Protection
Dust sheets folded over double, masking tape for pre finished surfaces, sponge ,bucket of water and cloth to mop up any accidents
.
Materials and sundries
Good quality trade vinyl mat or silk, a quality filler (tetrion), abrasive paper 120 grade, decorators caulk.

When painting new plaster the 1st coat is equally as important as the top coat if not more.
Because if you don’t thin the paint down with water you will have a rough orange peel effect texture that will totally ruin any chance of a nice smooth finish.

Step1
After putting dust sheets down folded double for added protection and organizing your tools for use in middle of the room in one spot,
Empty paint in to a bucket and stir in approx 20% water (to thin the paint down to be able to absorb into the plaster) fill the paint tray to the level don’t overfill, and also Half fill the paint kettle for cutting in brush work.

Step2
now your ready to start the 1st coat (mist coat), cut in with the brush all around the room, around door frames above skirting, a straight line to the ceiling, around windows, taped up light switches and sockets being careful to feather out the edges of the paint as you go as not to get runs or ridges of paint, and make your cutting in strips about 6” wide. When all the cutting in is done then roll the walls making sure you overlap your cutting in. That is your mist coat complete. Because you thinned the paint down the paint absorbed into the plaster leaving a smooth texture.
Step3
Start at 1 point in the room and work from there going all the way round lightly rubbing the wall down of any grit so they feel smooth to the hand, then mix up some filler and fill any cracks, dents or holes. Then get a sealant gun and decorators caulk and fill, tops of skirting, sides of door frames and I put a thin caulk bead along the ceiling line to make it easier to get a tight straight cutting in line.

Step 4
Go around the room and rub down all patches of the filler to a smooth flush finish, dust off the skirting and any other horizontal surfaces, then touch in the filled patches with the thinned down emulsion.

Step5
2nd coat can now be applied in the same way as the first, you can use the paint neat or if you slightly thin down with water by about 5% it will give you a smoother finish as the paint is thinner. You will also find it faster and easier to cut in a straight line to the ceiling with the paint slightly thinned. I thin my 2nd coat down slightly and roll a section of wall about 6ft wide and exhaust the roller of paint then go back, and back roll(lightly rollover again while paint is whet and roller is exhausted) each section, which takes out the roller texture even more.

Step6
Same as step 5 you can use neat or thin the paint down, when I am trying for the best finish I slightly thin down again and also back roll again.
The thinning down ratio is based on using a good quality trade paint like dulux or crown and does not apply to retail paint or any cheap brand that is thin already

 

[gday2uk]

I would do all my rubbing down before caulking otherwise the dust sticks to the caulk and looks bad, especially on skirtings.

 

[Richard C]

Sorry, just a couple of comments on an otherwise excellent & comprehensive guide;

When painting new plaster the 1st coat is equally as important as the top coat if not more.
Because if you don’t thin the paint down with water you will have a rough orange peel effect texture that will totally ruin any chance of a nice smooth finish.

More importantly, the paint won’t adhere to the plaster very well.

stir in approx 20% water (to thin the paint down to be able to absorb into the plaster)

I would advise more water for the mist coats to give maximum adhesion; thin 25–30% as previously stated. The paint needs to penetrate the surface pores of the plaster to give good adhesion; if the paint is too thick, the plaster will suck it dry before it’s had a chance to penetrate. You can use expensive paint for the mist coats but it's not necessary, own brand matt white is all you need & it works perfectly.

That is your mist coat complete. Because you thinned the paint down the paint absorbed into the plaster leaving a smooth texture.

I would advise at least 2 mist coats in very quick succession; I sometimes use 3 depending on the plaster texture & how well the paint has absorbed.

 

[SB1]

Thank you everybody for all your replies. You've been very helpful. I'm going to do the ceilings this weekend, as they were just skimmed (no bonding) and have been left for 3 weeks to dry. I'll leave the walls (some bonding behind the plaster) for another week or more, as I'm no immediate rush.

Where would people recommend buying the "best" tools for the job, by the way? I presume I should avoid places like B&Q & Wickes? I'll be buying the paint from a local "trade paints" store, and have been advised to go with Leyland's Super Leytex High Opacity Matt. I hope that's right!!

Many thanks people!

 

[LJW61]

Not bad stuff...
I use Crown Covermatt though ...

 

[Richard C]

Where would people recommend buying the "best" tools for the job, by the way? I presume I should avoid places like B&Q & Wickes?

Why? Nothing wrong with the branded name stuff the DIY sheds sell & even their own brand stuff is likely to be supplied by a reputable paint manufacturer. As I said previously, “trade paints” seem overpriced to me without offering much if any additional value but they may have other attributes a trade decorator will value highly & pay extra for; I’m just a humble renovator.

 

[LJW61]

The trade stuff is definitely formulated differently...
If I can find the specifications etc. I will post here.
When I have to rely on the best paint to earn a living then a couple of quid here & there is irrelevent..

 

[interiorpaintdecorating]

When choosing paint for the job in hand, there will be certain requirements to consider.
Apart from the choice of colour, you need to decide,
1/ What will be a suitable paint for the substrate you are painting?
2/ Is it compatible with the previous coating?
3/ Is it suitable for the area of the house, with its local considerations; (is it mould resistant for a damp bathroom).
4/ Some people have their green considerations.
My main considerations are the quality, will it last? And, value for money (even if it’s the most expensive of choices).

Any decent decorator will choose a trade paint over retail paint every time, or maybe that’s just me, and I don’t like using the retail paint that my favourite two trade paint company’s make either, as its not a patch on its trade rival.
Most home painting DIY enthusiasts will go to one of the big DIY superstores and buy there paint there, and they possibly compare their prices with another superstore who are selling the same Retail quality paint possibly a bit dearer or more likely the same price and then make their decision . They get home apply the paint of their choice of colour and find that after putting 2 coats on the wall it is not as solid a colour as they want and have to go out and get another tin and apply another coat to get the desired effect.
Worse still they can choose one of the cheaper own brands and have even more trouble in covering the walls.
Below I have made a Costing chart of one of my favourite brands of paint, comparing their Trade against their Retail Vinyl mat emulsion paint, and comparing cost, coverage and time to apply the paint to my office that I painted 8 months ago, that is 4m x 4m by 2.4m in height and a total wall area of 35 Msq and allowing 1 hour per coat to paint the walls.


5Lts Coverage M2 per coatCost M2 Room Cost time
TRADE £ 26.44 75 M2 £ 0.35 £ 0.76 £ 26.44 2 Hour’s
RETAIL £ 26.98 70 M2 £ 0.39 £ 1.22 £ 42.96 3 Hour’s



As you can see the trade paint out performs the Expensive retail paint in every category.

As I said I painted this room myself and used 5Lts of trade paint and had a tiny amount spare, and I know through experience that it would take at least another 2.5lts of Retail paint at £15.98, to get the same coverage as I have.

 

[interiorpaintdecorating]

By the way richard that was a good point u made about the paint absorbing and sticking to the plaster i wrote my article just explaining how to get a smooth finish but what you mentioned was equally important