How to Paint onto New Plaster

We often get asked how to prepare surfaces for painting and what works best with our natural paint, especially when it comes to painting onto new plaster. So we have collated our top tips and useful information on how to paint onto new plaster. Most plastering today is done in gypsum – often know as a pink finish. There is also however, a rapidly growing trend for using traditional lime plasters, once thought only necessary in period buildings but increasingly valued for it ability to accommodate movement in buildings without cracking. In both cases the surface of the plaster is highly absorbent when newly applied.

As the plaster dries, a ‘sinter skin’ forms as the binder migrates to the surface. In modern gypsum plasters these can be quite variable, especially if the plasterer has trowelled the plaster hard to get a very smooth finish. This calls for care preparing it for painting as it may result in areas of widely differing absorbency.

Preparation

KEY: The first step when starting to paint onto new plaster is ALWAYS to work out what you are dealing with.

Does the plaster look dry – pale pink if gypsum? Does it look shiny -polished to be silky smooth, but will be less permeable?

If there is a sinter skin it should be removed by sanding down with standard grade sandpaper all over. We advise you remove the dust and wash down.

Priming

KEY: All new plaster must be primed

There are two ways to give the plaster what it then needs – a primer, or a mist coat. As there are no plastics in Edward Bulmer Natural Paint wall emulsion  it will be sucked into any absorbent surface, like new plaster, if primer has not been used.  Therefore for new plaster we recommend using our Plaster Primer as it is a cost-effective method to take up the absorbency of the plaster, it is diluted 50:50 in order to draw the right amount of binder into the plaster surface. For mixed plaster surface we recommend our Grip Coat.

Make sure that the plaster surface is clean, dry, firm and free from dust and oil before applying your chosen primer. Observe how the plaster behaves – if it sucks the primer in evenly then you can be sure this is will also happen when paint is applied, you may find you need 2 or 3 coats for full obliteration with white paint over the pink finish. For the best results leave 4-6 hours between coats for drying.

Painting

Our premium natural emulsion has the highest opacity rating, but this does not guarantee that it will cover the pickiness of gypsum plaster in 2 coats, in all cases. The coverage is dependent on the way the plaster and the paint is applied.

Make sure you have all the right equipment. We have even made this simpler for you by creating DIY painting starter packs with everything you need to get painting. Everything you will need : Dust Sheet ,Paint Tray, Paint Brushes , Roller Frame , Roller Sleeve , Paint Kettle 

Tips on Painting

• Check you have the correct colour – sounds silly but always good to double check!
• Stir thoroughly before use
• Apply plenty of paint in first coat (as if you are only going to need one coat)
• ALWAYS paint to a wet edge
• Allow all previous coats to dry thoroughly before applying subsequent coat

Tricks for Clearing Up

• We recommend getting as much paint out of the brushes and roller by painting on some old paper or newspaper and wipe with old cloth if necessary. Let the brushes and roller sleeve soak in warm soapy water.
• Rinse the tray immediately so it can be reused or leave the paint to dry if using a pulp tray.
• Thoroughly dry all equipment and store hanging up. The water that you soak the equipment in can either be used on a compost heap or plants!
• Dry any waste paint as it is natural enough for the compost heap or disposal with your household waste collection when dry.  Please recycle other packaging or old tools.
• Decant leftover paint into smaller airtight containers and keep out of reach of children. Leftover paint maybe stored for up to a year at room temperature. Outdoor sheds and garages will be too cold in the winter. If you have enough leftover paint to be useful, why not donate it to a local charity.

We want you to achieve the best results so please check through our painting guidelines on our Advice page and the further information on the Technical Product Information page which we urge you or your decorator to read. You can also watch the video below for our demonstration on how to paint your wall.