Priming before painting..?

[Automaton539]

So, I've just had my living room skimmed so I can paint, primed the walls with pva/water, got the plasterers in should I now re-prime the walls (once dry) before painting, or will it be fine painting on the fresh plaster as is? My rookie guess is prime then paint. Just looking for confirmation/rebuttal

 

[joe-90]

Thin your first couple of coats with about 30% water.

 

[Bosswhite]

Good luck with that, if you use PVA

its mind boggling why people prime fresh plastered walls with PVA

It should be banned from all DIY Outlets.

 

[misterhelpful]

Good luck with that, if you use PVA

its mind boggling why people prime fresh plastered walls with PVA

It should be banned from all DIY Outlets.

I thought the OP meant that the new plaster had been PVA'd when I first read it but, after reading it again, it sounds like the walls were PVA'd before plastering and the plaster is now drying out ready to be painted. At least I hope that's the case!

@ Automaton539
Mist coat the walls with diluted emulsion, as mentioned by joe-90, anywhere between 15-30% water, depending on paint's original thickness.

Read more here:
//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/mist-coat-or-pva-bare-surface-basics.425261/

 

[Automaton539]

Thanks for the help. How advisable is it to just paint without sealing? I'm on a limited budget so anything I can avoid buying is a bonus and an extra can of paint to use for misting would just be more expense. And by misting, do I have to get a spray bottle or is a brush/roller acceptable?

 

[misterhelpful]

Undiluted paint is really not a good idea as it doesn't get absorbed into the plaster and will just sit on the surface. You may be one of the lucky few who 'get away with it' but a mist coat is the recommended way to go. A roller and/or brush is all that's required to paint a mist coat. You can use the same paint that you intend to finish the walls with for misting but you will find that the new plaster will absorb more paint on the first coat (and will be much harder to apply if undiluted) so you will probably find that buying a can of cheaper contract matt will actually end up costing you less overall, assuming you have a decent quality finishing paint.

 

[xr4x4]

I don't understand, you add water to the paint for a mist coat.. That's not gonna break the budget !

 

[Automaton539]

Addngs water to the paint isn't the problem Paul. It's buying another can of paint to mist with. I've just had over £100 pounds to pay out for a funeral in addition to £200 for the plastering, so right now that £5+ would be much better in my pocket than some companies pocket. So don't go assuming were all clearly as rich add you must be

And I noticed it mention about over polished walls being a problem that he wasn't going into. I was wondering about that as there are a few areas that aren't as smooth as they should be and are noticeably rough so I was going to sand them a bit, would that cause a problem?

 

[blightymam]

Addngs water to the paint isn't the problem Paul. It's buying another can of paint to mist with. I've just had over £100 pounds to pay out for a funeral in addition to £200 for the plastering, so right now that £5+ would be much better in my pocket than some companies pocket. So don't go assuming were all clearly as rich add you must be

To be fair, a fiver doesn't go a long way, I don't think anyone meant any harm by saying that, nor does it mean everyone else is rich!

Not doing a mist coat will be a mistake. It seems a shame that you would pay out all that money for a plasterer to do a good job and then you (probably) ruin it. I would suggest putting off painting it at all until you can afford a mist coat - you'd probably save money and a real headache in the long run if the paint peels off and you have to do the whole lot again or having to do more and more coats because it's gone on unevenly, instead of just 2 of your final paint.

Have you any old matt paint hanging around that you could use for your mist coat?

If it helps, I've more often than not done a mist coat 50-50%, and it's worked fine. Make your paint go further?

 

[Automaton539]

I wish I had. But alas, I have no paint other than my main. Nothing I can use for a base. Guess I gotta. But being on a budget where every penny counts even a fiver can be a lot to some of us.

 

[joe-90]

If you buy five litres of paint and add water - you've still got five litres of paint. Just thin it 30% and give it three quick coats. If the wall is rough - then get the plasterer back.

 

[Diyisfun]

You can use a white emulsion (cheap as chips) for the mist coat.

 

[Automaton539]

. If the wall is rough - then get the plasterer back.

Tried that. Sodding cowboy wants extra to come back and finish what he was supposed to have done first time. I can just sand the roughness as long as I don't go overboard with it and it'll be fine.

 

[Chri5]

You will see more value from a 10 litre pot of trade quality paint than XYZ at £5 less.

It covers thicker, has more pigment and gives a great finish on two coats(after a mist coat).

Go budget paint and it will still be mist coat plus 2 coats and it will take the same time and not look as good.

Why fall over on a £5 when it comes to finish?

 

[Automaton539]

Thanks everyone for your help, bit the bullet and got a10l tin of white for misting with, did that last night and I'm starting the first coat of colour and it's looking great so far. Only the first coat, needs another, of course, but with luck just two should be enough.