mist coat on skim

[andy-p-]

I'm a plasterer, i tell people to do a mist coat on new skim when dry.
4-1 water - emulsion so it soaks into the wall, give it 2 coats then paint.
what do you p&d's do for a mist coat?

[Fats]

hi andy, i usually do 5 parts paint and 1 part water, and NEVER use cheap shite paint,use Dulux mainly.

Im sure some smart arse will be along to tell me otherwise soon.

[andy-p-]

cheers fats
i 've been followed on site by a p&d and he said same as you but different people say different things. I know someone who does a 50/50 mist coat, but i thought you need the mist coat to soak right into the wall not sit on top
Andy

[skiking]

I'm a plasterer, i tell people to do a mist coat on new skim when dry.
4-1 water - emulsion so it soaks into the wall, give it 2 coats then paint.
what do you p&d's do for a mist coat?

Are you sure you've got that the right way round - I've always used 5 paint to 1 water (roughly!)

[handyman]

i'm one of those crazy people who do what the paint manufacture tells me. Most say a max of 30% water, normally 20% water for a mist coat. I use dulux supermatt, but any non vinyl emulsion will be ok for the mist coat

Also, with supermatt, you can paint it on the plaster, even if its still drying. Skim coat will be 'patchy' the next day (say about 30% still drying), but can still be mist coated, for the final coat the next day.

http://www.icipaints.co.uk/products/inf ... ermatt.jsp

[handyman]

forgot to say, do not put pva anywhere near fresh plaster when mist coating. It appears to be one of those things people say, and is completely wrong

[skiking]

On a similar subject.....newly plastered wall, what are the timescales for papering i.e paper within the week of plastering or wait 6mnths and do you prepare the walls in any particular way.

I normally size the walls prior to wallpapering, unless I know its already had wallpaper on the wall.

Sorry for hijacking this thread, it just got me thinking !!

[andy-p-]

Im not saying anyone is wrong (may be me!!) but i thought the point of a mist coat was for it to soak into the wall and not sit on top, so when you paint it wont peel off. If you paint straight onto a freshly plastered wall the paint will peel off. if you only mix your paint 4-1 or 5-1 paint-water is'nt it just like painting straight on top?
If it is supposed to be 4-1 paint-water then i will tell my customers to do that from now on.

[tim'll fix it]

I water down paint 5 paint to 1 water for a mist coat, anything more diluted and it goes everywhere

Supermatt is good if the plaster isnt fully dry, but any non vinyl paint will allow the moisture out.

as for papering the same as painting wait till its dry 6 weeks or so if fully plastered 3 days or so if skimmed

[handyman]

andy, as i said, the maufacturer of the paint say the % to water down. I do what i'm told

[handyman]

thinking of the watered down paint going everywhere, is there a 'shield' type thingy that could be attached to catch the drips?

I twist a rag along the metal of a 12" roller frame to catch it.

[Andrew]

Personally, I thought the idea of a mist coat was to to settle the plaster down. The first coat is going to be absorbed far too much by virgin plaster to be usable as a finish, and so it goes on before the finish paint.

Think of it as a sacrafice for the top coat.

[handyman]

Personally, I thought the idea of a mist coat was to to settle the plaster down. The first coat is going to be absorbed far too much by virgin plaster to be usable as a finish, and so it goes on before the finish paint.

Think of it as a sacrafice for the top coat.

if you put undiluted paint on new plaster, it might start peeling off (its a lovely job fixing that one) I think what the paint does is 'float' on the surface, and doesnt actually key into the surface.

This is what the watered down paint does for you, then you can paint with undiluted paint for the next coat

[Andrew]

Fair 'nuff.

But there's not a universal equation for the amount of water to add, is there?? I'll be painting an entirely newly plastered room in a week or so and was going to go with the guide on this website (30% water). Sound good? I'm getting nervous now. What seemed an entirely easy thing has now "misted" over in my mind (yes, I did mean that)!

[handyman]

as i said, use non vinyl emulsion, and read the instructions on the tin!