Decorating novice questions.

[spoony77]

Hi people
I have a new extension freshly plastered that I want to paint myself and an existing kitchen that needs tidying up.
My questions are -
What emulsion (white) do most people recommend to do the walls and ceilings over the fresh plaster.
Do I need to undercoat the skirting before glossing?
Can I use the same emulsion to paint over the vinyl silk in my kitchen or should I buy a seperate white kitchen/bathroom paint?
I have some wallpaper that has been damaged/loosened along one wall but peeling it back seems to fetch plaster off the wall - so can i just cut the damaged section off with a stanley knife vertically then sand down and paint over the whole wall inc the undamaged wallpaper or would this be a bodgejob!
Any advice appreciated.
Regards

 

[misterhelpful]

1. Watered down Contract matt for a first mist coat on new plaster, followed by 2 coats of vinyl matt or vinyl silk emulsion (your preference).

2. Already glossed skirtings will require a light sanding to remove any sheen, allowing the new paint to adhere. Either use a one coat gloss, which is self undercoating, or a separate undercoat and gloss. New timber will require knotting and primer first.

3. To paint over vinyl silk, either stick to vinyl silk or be prepared to sand the walls to provide a good key for vinyl matt to adhere to. Matt isn't really the best paint to use in a kitchen though - kitchen paint/acrylic eggshell is best, and will usually be fine applied over silk, but a very light sanding first would help guarantee no adhesion issues.

4. The wallpaper could be restuck and painted. If not possible, and the paper is damaging the plaster on removal, then you may have little option other than to cut back to a sound surface and paint over, although this WOULD be a 'bodgejob'.