Hi All,

My sister has had her spare room skimmed and asked me to paint it. I gave the plaster 2 coats of cheap B&Q emulsion (watered down) and then applied 2 coats of Dulux Light & Space Paint the next day.

The first 2 coats of B&Q emulsion seemed to take forever to dry but the Dulux was dry to the touch within 30 minutes.

I went back today to give it another coat, only to find the first had cracked like mud. I’ve applied another coat but watered it down a little this time to see if it would cover the cracks.

My sis has just phoned to say it has dried the same as the first, can anybody tell me what I’ve done wrong and how to fix it? Is there a paint that I can use to fill the cracks, or will I have to remove the cracked paint first?

Did you use Vinyl emulsion on the first two coats? (Mist coats )

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Hi wine~o, thanks for the reply.

I have just checked with sis to see what the paint was, and it’s silk! I could kick myself for not checking what they’d bought.

Ok, does this mean I’ll have to scrape it down to the plaster?

Prolly...

sand it back..get some Non-vinyl bog standard (Some will say trade) NOT B&Q matt emulsion


And start again....sorry..

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Youve made the mistake now so its a case of do the best with what youve got. You may have problems later but remedy what you have to work with now. Id personally undercoat the whole room as this will seal the cracking and give you a decent base to work off. If you can sand back 4 coats of paint, good luck to ya.

the pro's are back from the pub...

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

Just had visions of some poor fooker sanding down walls for 2 3 days

Thanks for the input guys. I feel like a right tool for making such a stupid mistake, but what’s done is done.

My sis has spent 50k + on IVF treatment and it really means a lot to her having the nursery done correctly, so I need to get it sorted. I’m working 2 jobs at the moment so, as you can imagine, spending days sanding isn’t very appealing but if needed I will.

Would the undercoat cover the cracks? And can you recommend one? The dulux light and space doesn’t look any better than other matt paints, so I don’t think I’ll be using that again.

Thanks again for your help.

Yes it will sort cracks out. Id go with dulux diamond matt on top to give a bit more added protection on the walls. When the babba is crawling and using crayons on the walls it will be easier to clean off, if you feel that a bit excessive just go for a dulux vinyl matt. The light and space stuff IMO is a bit gimmicky and plays on the uneducated DIYer

Modders if you still have problems, as a last resort you could hang a lining paper and then paint.

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So I need a dulux undercoat and then repaint with dulux diamond matt, or does the diamond matt not need an undercoat?

Thanks brushmate, I’ll keep that in mind.

An undercoat is a good idea, but test the paint - has it stuck well or is it flaking off easily? If it is flaking off use undercoat. The main thing now is to use a thick paint and this should fill the hairline cracks - the Diamond matt is a good suggestion - all the main brands do similar products which are prob a bit cheaper. You'll have to fill, if the cracks are too wide to disappear with just the paint.

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Cheers Puma.

The paint isn’t flaking, I lightly sanded an area yesterday and it seems to have a good grip. The worst parts are the corners where it has been brushed on, so I may have to fill these.

I think I’ll try a small area with the diamond matt, should it be watered down a little or put on straight from the tin?

If it won't pour out of the can water it down 5% IMO

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Thanks Puma. I've had to order the paint, my local B&Q didn't have it. They had one called Dulux Performance, which i thought may have been the retail version, but they didn't have the right colour.