Mist coat v Bare plaster paint

LaurenHeath123

Hi all,

Wanting some advice on painting post-plastering.

I'm in the process of having the whole house plastered and so I need to buy some paint soon so I can everything in place before the radiators are hung.

I'm aware that the usual process is a couple of coats of dilutes paint (mist coat) but I've come across 'Bare Plaster Paint'. The reviews are all amazing but wondered if anyone has any advice/ caution with using it. 20L is £28 so it doesn't seem ridiculously expensive, although I'm new to this so it could very well be.

Any advice/ experience with the bare plaster paint? Or should I stick to mist coating?

Grenage

It's not overly expensive, but it's twice the price you need to pay; I'd just mist.

kinger101

I always did a mist coat. Only possible advantage I could see is it might be a bit less messy as a mist coat is on the runny side and it will splash about a bit. But that was never an issue in my case as the room was empty and awaiting new carpets anyway.

LaurenHeath123

How long does it take for a mist coat to dry ready for the second coat? I'm only thinking of this as an option to save on time really.

kinger101

LaurenHeath123 wrote: »

How long does it take for a mist coat to dry ready for the second coat? I'm only thinking of this as an option to save on time really.

If you're painting an entire room, the mist coat will be dry by the time you get back round again. I believe the reason the paint is watered down is because the new plaster is porous and will suck all the water out of the paint very quickly.

If you want to leave 30 minutes for good measure, put a plastic bag over your roller, and make yourself a cuppa between coats.

EDIT - online reviews are usually 5* or 1*. The 1* tend to be people who bought the wrong product, and the 5* people trying to justify their purchase to themselves. Have you ever wondered why all those mediocre eateries you've visited have glowing reviews on TripAdvisor?

TheCyclingProgrammer

Having done both when doing up our house I'm going to have to say the bare plaster paint (I assume you're talking about the screwfix stuff). Much less faff, covered well in one coat. Wouldn't bother watering down normal contract matt myself anymore.

DRP

TheCyclingProgrammer wrote: »

Having done both when doing up our house I'm going to have to say the bare plaster paint (I assume you're talking about the screwfix stuff). Much less faff, covered well in one coat. Wouldn't bother watering down normal contract matt myself anymore.

Yep. I have used both a mist coat and more recently used bare plaster paint.

As above, one coat will completely cover , and one coat of the final finish paint (in my case) of pure brilliant and a grey was then sufficient.

LaurenHeath123

Thank you both above - was the overall cost worth it?

I have the entire house to do hence me wanting to speed things up but I'm also keen to keep costs down!

Would you say one coat of the bare plaster paint and then one coat of my normal coloured paint would be ok? or would you suggest I do one coat of the bare plaster paint, some trade white paint and then the coloured paint?

I'm planning on using F&B paint for some of the rooms and probably Wilko/ Dulux in other high traffic areas as F&B is expensive. My mum used Wilko paint in the hallway as its constantly getting dirty and its fab, and cheap! Any other suggestions on paint would be much appreciated though?

How long did it take to dry?! - I think it says 2-4 hours.

minibbb

I've had the same dilemma recently and I ended up using Leyland trade contract matt as my mist coat. Diluted about 20% and mix v well.

Super result and it's £15 for ten litres. On ceilings I followed this up with one coat of slightly thinned Leyland trade and then a coat of Benjamin Moore ceiling paint. £45 a tin but is 100% perfect finish. No patchy bits (flashing) and great coverage. If you want perfect ceilings well worth a try! Otherwise the Leyland trade will leave a great finish on ceilings with one mist coat plus 2 normal. Always slightly thin though as it's damn thick!

Wall wise I'm using Johnstone's trade covaplus vinyl matt. It's wipeable (unlike the Leyland trade contract which is only good for mist coats or ceilings you won't touch!). £34 for 10L and they can tint to your colour choice.

Roller wise the Hamilton microfibre sleeves from screwfix are super and v good value. I always use a pole for ceilings and walls- much better than when you see people using a roller frame by hand and changing direction etc!

Wood work wise bedec aqua advance satin or gloss is super. Water based, no smell and quick drying! Won't yellow either.

Good luck!

TheCyclingProgrammer

Yes I'd say it was worth the extra cost for the time and faff saved.

One coat should be enough though I ended up doing two - the first will reveal any blemishes which you might want to fill and rub down, then follow up with a quick second coat.

Always two coats of your finish paint.

LaurenHeath123

minibbb - Thank you for all the suggestions! I'm taking a trip down to Screwfix so will pick up some bits there.

Could you send me the link to the paintbrushes and rollers you would recommend? I found the Hamilton sleeves but not the poles etc.- I'll be doing the entire house, which also includes all woodwork so I want to make sure I'm buying quality. There is nothing more annoying than buying something over and over again!

Cyclingprogrammer - Thank you for your advice! Did you find a little went a long way? It says 10L will cover 10-12 square meters, do you think thats about right?