Must New Plaster Be Completely Dry Before Painting?

[diyblonde]

Hi there,
I have new plaster on my walls but due to the cold - and because we have no central heating yet - brrr! - the plaster it is taking quite a while to dry out.

I have 'paint for new plaster' which is breathable - can I start painting that before the plaster dries completely or must I wait until all the plaster is totally dry? How much should I dilute that on the first coat? 10% 20% or more?
Also how long should I wait until I paint with the final coat emulsion - weeks? months? Is there anything else I should think about that I haven't mentioned?
many thanks for your help!

[Zampa]

Dont worry..I'll answer your question...

Ok...first thing...do you have the receipt for the 'paint for new plaster'?...if so take it back and get a refund...all it is is contract (non vinyl) emulsion..the cheapest type of emulsion we use...its been put in a facny tin to rip people like yourself off.

Is the new plaster deep?,....i.e not skimmed..if so youll need to use contract emulsion, if its just a skim then you can use ordinary vinyl matt.

You should allow the walls to dry out though...this isnt DIY sos or 60 minute makeover!!!

In theory it might work..in practice, its dodgy and youll be the one left with the mess.

If you are going to use heaters in the room the walls may appear dry on the surface but may not be underneath so take away the heaters for a day first to see if any trapped moisture comes to the surface.

Brands...

Dulux superflat...thin the first coat by a good 30%

Crown Covermatt...30%

Johnstones Cova plus and about 20%

Hope that helps

[diyblonde]

Thanks Zampa - had no idea "paint for plaster" was a rip off and the equivalent of normal emulsion. Will go check out the price differences today. (I hate being a chump! )

How long does plaster take to dry - we have two types.
Skimmed
and
New Walls which have been plastered from scratch.

thank you ... and seasons greetings!

[Zampa]

diyblonde wrote:

Thanks Zampa - had no idea "paint for plaster" was a rip off and the equivalent of normal emulsion. Will go check out the price differences today. (I hate being a chump! ) How long does plaster take to dry - we have two types. Skimmed and New Walls which have been plastered from scratch. thank you ... and seasons greetings!

Drying can be a bit variable...depends on things like how warm the house is now, weather outside..depth of the plaster etc.

If you are really in a tight corner thne theres a paint made by Dulux..I forget the name of it, but its available in the trade centres, that (they say) is ok for damp..but not soaking wet plaster.

It will probably cost a bit more but if christmas is a bit of a deadline then it might be worth the extra..

Do you have a pic?