new plaster

bonkers12

hi all,
ive just had a room plastered/skimmed,does the first coat i paint on the new plaster have to be thinned down with water?if so can i buy already thinned down emulsion? any advice would be welcome thanks

ormus

yes thin it down with some water.
the amount/ratio of water depends on the quality of emulsion you buy. some need a 50/50 mix, others virtually nil.
like B&Q own brand etc...

cyclonebri1

ormus wrote: »

yes thin it down with some water.
the amount/ratio of water depends on the quality of emulsion you buy. some need a 50/50 mix, others virtually nil.
like B&Q own brand etc...

Agreed, if you go for a cheap "trade" emulsion for the 1st coat it will need no thining, in fact it will take at least 3 coats just to white over;)

bonkers12

many thanks to cyclonebri1 and ormus.:beer:

anna.bloom

We have a newly plastered house, but no heating. How important is it that the plaster drys completly before painting?

Some areas are salmon pink dried colour, others still dark brown. I was going to mist coat everywhere, or do I have to be patient and wait.

dampdaveski

Hi anna,
unlike the tv programmes, it would be better to wait until all areas are visibly dry, and then apply a coat or two of contract matt emulsion, if you paint whilst the plaster is wet you run the risk of salts forming behind your new paint and having to do it twice

DD

keystone

6 weeks if fully plastered (bonding then topcoat) or 24/48 hours if just skimmed.

Buy some contract matt emulsion and apply a mist coat. Do NOT use emulsion with vinyl in it for your mist coat if the plaster is not totally and I mean totally dry and NEVER use silk or richmatt. Neither will stick properly even when thinned.

Second coat 80/20 or 90/10 paint/water with your finish paint - ratios depend on how thick the paint is. Topcoat neat.

Cheers

anna.bloom

Thanks for your advice.

I bought some paint for new plaster from Wickes., I also used Wickes contract emulsion upstairs. I found the paint for new plaster went on better but was more expensive.

I dont know if it was just skimmed or not. Plasterer put two coats on, about 6mm thick I would say?

One other question, its a three bed house, the large room was already plastered and it cost £1,800 labour initial quote. He now wants an extra £400. This is because of extra work, he said walls were much more wobbly than he thought and needed a lot of plaster boards.

Also we had a very bad render coat put on by some unprofessional builders after a damp proof course, that he said he had to undo.

IS £1,800 reasonable to skim a whole house. He didnt do downstairs ceiliings.

Im shocked he wants £400 more.

cyclonebri1

A plaster will cost £80 to £150 a day, not knowing what he's done ie some wet plastering, some dry lining ans some skimming at a guess I should say no more than £200 to £250 material cost.

Don't know how that compares with the time spent :think:

bradleigh1977

1800 for a whole house is VERY good. If you work it out at £300 a day for two plasteres. and its going to take them 4 days to do the whole house...or it might take them 10 days, so £3000. Remember they want to get it done quite fast, so if its going to take xxxxxx days then thats normally the truth.

misgrace

anna.bloom wrote: »

Thanks for your advice.

I bought some paint for new plaster from Wickes., I also used Wickes contract emulsion upstairs. I found the paint for new plaster went on better but was more expensive.

I dont know if it was just skimmed or not. Plasterer put two coats on, about 6mm thick I would say?

One other question, its a three bed house, the large room was already plastered and it cost £1,800 labour initial quote. He now wants an extra £400. This is because of extra work, he said walls were much more wobbly than he thought and needed a lot of plaster boards.

Also we had a very bad render coat put on by some unprofessional builders after a damp proof course, that he said he had to undo.

IS £1,800 reasonable to skim a whole house. He didnt do downstairs ceiliings.

Im shocked he wants £400 more.

Did he actually point out to you what extra he would have to do to warrent the £400, or was the job done when you came home, and then he said 'BTW I had to do this etc'
If so, then I would argue the case, as he should discuss with you first, plus you want to see where the extra £400 has gone.

When you say he has put on 2 coats of plaster, do you mean the wall was back to the brick, and he put on a bonding coat, then came back to do the skimmed coat?