mist coat

scousespark · 7 Feb 2010

I have applied a mist coat to a wall room which was skimmed before Christmas. The mix was 4 to 1, as I've seen advised here. I did it this morning and the cover is really patchy.
Is this expected for a mist coat?

Nige F · 7 Feb 2010

Indeed..if it were denser it`d be a Pea souper of a fog

Richard C · 7 Feb 2010

Too late now but it’s best to apply 2/3 mist coats in quick succession. This helps paint adhesion & will give a denser colour but the whole purpose of mist coats is not to give any colour but to prime the surface & ensure good paint adhesion for the final decoration.

scousespark · 7 Feb 2010

Cheers Richard. Am I correct in assuming that I will need to apply a couple of coats now to get the final finish? Do I still need to water down the next coat?

Richard C · 8 Feb 2010

You can thin 5% or so if you want; I find it makes it easier to cut in & gives a flatter finish.

JohnD · 8 Feb 2010

as an amateur, I like to give an extra mist coat if the surface is very hungry, for example precast concrete or blocks. You can tell when the paint is still sucked into the surface off your brush. I usually go back to the beginning of the piece when I have reached the end, I had not realised that this is achieving the "two coats in quick succession" point that Richard recommends.

Concrete fence posts always need at least two mist coats.

scousespark · 16 Feb 2010

Thanks for the advice here chaps. After a couple of mist coats and a couple of top coats I have a finish I'm quite happy with. Takes a bit of getting used too the fact that what looks patchy when wet, dries quite even.

Milligan · 28 Feb 2010

I have a 10l tub of Leyland Contract Matt White emulsion, it says use 9 to 1 on porous surfaces, rather than the 8 to 2 advised here.

Would I be right in staying with the manufacturers advice?

joe-90 · 28 Feb 2010

Contract matt is cheap wishy-washy rubbish that needs less watering down.

Milligan · 28 Feb 2010

Thanks, it's what the plasterer recommended.
I followed what it says on the tin and cut all the corners in and painted half the ceiling today, noticed some small bubbles in 3 areas.... I'll leave the rest to dry and see what happens.

Richard C · 28 Feb 2010

joe-90 said:
Contract matt is cheap wishy-washy rubbish that needs less watering down.

I think that's why it works really well for wash coats

Milligan · 28 Feb 2010

So are you saying this stuff is not fit for purpose?
I've spent a fair amount getting this room skimmed so don't want to have it turn lemon because of crap paint...

Richard C · 1 Mar 2010

Milligan said:
So are you saying this stuff is not fit for purpose?
I've spent a fair amount getting this room skimmed so don't want to have it turn lemon because of crap paint...

No, I never said you had crap paint; but emulsion paint is just a colour pigment (the expensive bit) mixed with water & a few "magic" additives to make it washable, or whatever. Pigment density in paint is what bumps up the price but all that does is dictate one coat or three. Budget paint will look just as good and I will defy anyone to know or notice what paint you used once it's up there & dry; & after 5 years who really gives ashit anyway

Trade paint products do not guarantee some sort of “mystical/magical/superior” quality finish, that will only ever be as good as the person doing the prep & wielding the brush! Trade paint is all about covering in one coat, so saving time/money for the "tradesman". Whilst this is understandable for the trade, it's a huge CON when sold to DIY in the belief that it's somehow better paint, it's not & the only real difference is the number of coats it takes to cover. DIY buying expensive, trade paint is total a waste of money; what I do, using 3 coats to cover instead of one doesn’t matter &, IMO, a 3 thinner coats finish will look better than one thick coat anyway.

Milligan · 1 Mar 2010

Thanks for the re-assurance, that clarifies it for me.

The variety of paints on offer is confusing before you get into the contradictory advice (PVA/Don't PVA) or (15% too little 25% too much water etc)...

Krispy77 · 1 Mar 2010

I thought trade paint differs from diy stuff because the diy variant is designed to beapplied straight from the tin whereas trade stuff should be used from a paint kettle.

Or is that total balls?

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mist coat

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