Painting skimmed walls

[inicholson]

People have told me about using a mist coat on new plaster. Does the water in the diluted paint actually do anything or is it just a way to save money? ie could I just use a cheap emulsion instead?

Thanks

[andyjevs]

Newly plastered/skimmed walls are very porous and would suck up any new paint like a sponge leaving you to add more and more coats. If you get some PVA....basically the white wood glue, from a DIY store and mix it 50/50 with water, paint this on the wall and this will seal all the pores. As you've stated, you can use cheap emulsion but it would possibly be too thick to get into all the tiny popres therefore a watered down version is always preferable. hope this helps

[derekpara]

I agree with andyjevs. Diluted Unibond is the best treatment, but PVA wood adhesive will do just as well.