Painting old walls

[Morgan in London]

Just a quick question. I'm painting over some old plaster/plasterboard walls. The finish is fine I'm just changing the colour. Do I need to apply a base coat ie emulsion (as with raw plaster) or just the top coats (ie Dulux rich matt).


(just slightly confused about the term "emulsion" seeming to refer to both base and top coats).

cheers

 

[helter_skelter77]

Hi, it dosnt hurt to give a base coat of white, If your going to be painting over an already dark coloured wall(s) with a lighter colour, I'd def do a base coat in white, usually a cheap wickes/b&q does the trick (just to block the darker colour permiating through) if painting over a light colour like cream or magnolia with a darker colour no need to do a base coat.

Emulsion just means its a water based paint and is used for both top and base coats. (base coats usually watered down slightly unless you buy b&q white which has enough water in it already!! ) Ive found dulux or crown to be pretty good for top coats. Johnsons best.

cheers