Painting,coving, skirting, cutting in - help before starting

[Mr Fix It]

morning all,

At the weekend i plan to finally get cracking with the spare room full redec, which has already been replastered (16 days ago) has dried nicely and has had coving put up.

So before i get cracking, i just wanted to DOUBLE DOUBLE check that ive got things right before i end up with a DIY disaster and bodge it up, so any help much appreciated (i am a complete beginner, so please forgive me if this is obvious):

1) im buying primed MDF skirting - i intend to gloss it first before attaching to walls - is this correct or should i gloss once fitted? (theres no carpet down at the moment). Plus can i just go ahead and gloss straight on or does it need some sort of undercoat before i gloss it? im getting 3.6m length from b and q and dont want joins by getting 2.4m lengths.

2) ive got a tin of white matt emulsion - i intend to use this to apply a mist coat. now do i need just 1 coat? and also whats the need for 'cutting in' around doors, frames and in the corners and down joins? is this really needed? and does this need to fully dry before i get the roller on it to apply the rest of the walls mist coat?

3) with regards to watering down the paint to apply a mist coat, how EXACTLY do i do this as most people seem to water down by 25-30%. do i just buy a paint tub, pour a measured quantity of paint and then measure out the water and pour and stir?

4) coving has been fitted - do i need to apply a mist coat or undercoat to this or can i just apply white emulsion straight on?

any help much appreciated. just didnt want to make a mess of it and not do my homework.

thanks,

 

[misterhelpful]

No harm in TRIPLE TRIPLE checking, in my eyes!

1) You can paint the skirting before fitting but be aware that you will probably need to caulk/fill the top edge and any fixing holes so will inevitably have to touch up afterwards. I always like to apply a further coat (sometimes two) of acrylic primer undercoat to the factory primer and then sand lightly which gives a far better base for the topcoat/s.

2) A mist coat on bare plaster is vital to successful adhesion and is far better if it is done with a Contract matt rather than a vinyl one.
Cutting in doesn't need to be so accurate when mist coating (but you don't want any runs onto woodwork etc) and one coat is usually good enough providing you roll over the area a few times as you are going along to give even coverage. The cutting in becomes more important with the finish paint and should be done with a good quality 2½"- 3" brush.

3) I never water down more than 25% but others swear by 50%. As you suggest, transfer a specific amount to another container and mix thoroughly with your chosen ratio of water.

4) You can use the mist coat for the coving as well but I prefer to have it slightly thicker for grey coving as it covers a little better. You could also use plasterboard/drywall sealer.

 

[TheDec]

I don't see the point of painting the skirt first, only making more work for yourself much better and easier to paint after fitting.

Dec