Paining New Walls - Nightmare

[dieseldick]

im helping ex wifey move into new build home, walls are finished but not painted, i went to B&Q was advised to first blst the plastered walls with a white matt dulux paint , buy 2 x 10 litres tubs for £27 which is reasonable, whacked it on yesterrday and still not covering correctly and that was just in living room .

ive 6 rooms to do , say 3 coats per room. is there an easy way ? my finla coat will need to be a white sheen / silk finish as my daughter has friends in and they cant keep their mucky prints off walls.

what can i do ? buy a good trade paint such as leyland, more expensive but......

[cassa333]

The new plaster just sucks up the paint.

I am not a professional but my dad always got the cheapest white paint and diluted it and slapped that on a couple of times as an under undercoat. Then when that was dry start painting proper so to speak.

The builder should also be able to tell you what they would do as well.

[Maydup]

Call the builders back and demand a minimum two coat cover as a starting position.

[Maydup]

I agree about the diluted paint, the walls need sealing as they soak up so much moisture, and def no need for Dulux. How long is it since they were plastered?

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/paintnewplaster.htm

[Zacs-Master]

The idea isn't to fully coat the walls, it's to provide a sealer for paint to go in top.

[waterboatman]

I would use an aluminium based primer. It seals the surface well. Then a normal underfoot and two top coats.

[Old_Geezer]

Once I was told to use a dilute PVA glue on the new plaster first. I did so but I don't think I noticed much benefit. I'd suggest just going with a coat or two of dilute paint first, before adding an undiluted coat. It seems to work just as well.

[The Builder]

Don't worry about the paint, DD. You won't find anything better than Dulux and the other major brands.

First coat well watered down... far more dilute than Dulux say (usually stated as 10% water.) This is known as a "mist" coat. I would go for at least a third water. It isn't intended to cover well; just provide a sealer to close up the pores of new plaster.

Finish with two full undiluted coats. Brushes are generally hopeless. They put the paint on then swipe it off again. Use a big roller with a long or medium pile. The roller action presses the paint into the wall without sliding it all off again.

[dieseldick]

what about obliterating paint ? i went yesterday and bought leyland trade paint matt . is trade paint better ?

also what is best paint for a silk finish, hi gloss, as kids in home and they cant keep their dirty paws off walls. i used crown premium silk as a last coat, looked at it yesyterday an hour after putting it on and there was " no sheen "

hate painting ...lol

[theshedman]

I would follow the Builders advice. Use a silk finish emulsion for the top coats, I always use Dulux and as he says don't dilute the finish coat as this will stop it being a silk finish. I wouldn't use a PVA on the walls as this will often cause problems itself. As others have said the mist coats will not cover completely it is just to seal the newplaster to make it easier to put the top coats on.