Fresh plaster is thirsty and needs handling differently. Get the first coat wrong and the whole wall can peel later.
New plaster looks ready long before it is, and it behaves nothing like a previously painted wall. Rush it or seal it with the wrong first coat and you can end up with paint that flakes off in sheets. It is easily avoided.
Let it dry
Fresh plaster needs to dry right through, not just on the surface. Depending on conditions this can take a good while — the colour evens out from patchy dark to a uniform pale pink as it goes. Painting over damp plaster traps moisture and causes problems down the line.
Apply a mist coat
Bare plaster is very porous and would drink a normal coat unevenly. The answer is a mist coat — emulsion thinned with water so it soaks in and seals the surface, giving your proper coats something to grip. Follow the paint maker's guidance on the ratio, apply it, and let it dry before your full coats.
Then paint as normal
- Two full coats over the sealed surface will usually give an even finish.
- Fill any minor cracks or dents that show up after the mist coat, then spot-prime the filler.
- Use a matt finish — it forgives the small imperfections new plaster always has.
Come in and we will sort you out with the right emulsion for a mist coat and the finish coats to go over it.
