Mist Coat - how to and dilution?

[RockyBalboa]

place has been replastered a few weeks ago so should be dry. I have Leyland Trade Super Leytex Matt Paint Brilliant White - do I need to dilute this at all?

Any step by step guidance? i.e. is it as simple as:

1. Sand walls.
2. Mist coat.

[shtu]

50:50 paint:water at least, you want it thin.

Light coast of the diluted, leave that overnight, then 2 coats of undiluted paint.

[dogbucket]

I think sanding is considered a bad idea and should not be necessary on a proper plaster job that has not been over polished. Sanding ruins the finish.

Going against conventional wisdom I had best results from using a good quality trade paint undiluted. The pigments in the diluted paint still sat on the surface and didnt adhere any better, in fact worse. imo

[Little Lofty]

Pretty sure Leyland recommend a max dilution of only 10-20%. You will only need two coats if you follow that.

[mart 63]

You don't need to thin it down,it is a high opacity paint and will cover in 2 coats.

[C0ffin D0dger]

I was generally advised not to use a latex (vinyl) paint for the base coat.

Anyway just painted our loft conversion and used this straight onto the new plaster http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-trade-bare-p...

It was recommended to us by the electrician. Does the job and no faffing around.

[Little Lofty]

C0ffin D0dger said:

I was generally advised not to use a latex (vinyl) paint for the base coat.

Anyway just painted our loft conversion and used this straight onto the new plaster http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-trade-bare-p...

It was recommended to us by the electrician. Does the job and no faffing around.

Super Leytex is matt paint especially for new plaster, it's not vinyl.
I've used it neat with no problems.
Fact sheet here: (1-9 dilution)
http://ukppgacprd.blob.core.windows.net/leyland-da...

[BlueHave]

mart 63 said:

You don't need to thin it down,it is a high opacity paint and will cover in 2 coats.

Utter bks, putting two high opacity thick coats after only two weeks will result in the plaster developing hair line cracks

Buy a cheap value paint from the sheds as a mist coat at 4:1 an then wait another week.

Then put two coats of whatever emulsion floats your boat.

[Timmy40]

I'm on the same job at the moment. I've got a 5 bed house to do so have hired a decent paint spraying machine. We're just going to do everything white for now and then get professional decorators in 6-8mths time to do room by room once my Mrs has decided on paint colours.

I've never used a spray machine before. Any advice on how best to use one?

Thanks!

[battered]

I watered down cheap white emulsion from the sheds until it was like milk and sprayed it with a car spraygun. Next time I'll use a paraffin gun because you can invrease the volume and spray pattern.

[Timmy40]

battered said:

I watered down cheap white emulsion from the sheds until it was like milk and sprayed it with a car spraygun. Next time I'll use a paraffin gun because you can invrease the volume and spray pattern.

Did it work? The rooms are 'naked' at present just been plastered no flooring down yet just boards. I'll need to mask the windows. But I thought I could just blitz each room I haven't got to worry about going around light fittings sockets etc as they aren't in place yet.

[battered]

Worked fine. Not sure a car spraygun emits enough volume of paint to rival a roller weilded with enthusiasm, hence the suggestion of a parrafin gun that hoses the stuff out. In my case it scored because I was spraying bare blockwork and a roller would have taken days.

[kryten22uk]

You could go the Mr Bean approach, and just stick a firework in a can of paint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EalqlDjTnPw

[C0ffin D0dger]

xt500e said:

pva mixed with water in ratio 1:4

If you like the distressed look in your paintwork

[JungleJim]

I've got fresh plaster that I will be painting in the coming weeks, and its quite amazing the variety of opinion on the internet about how you should go about the mist-coat.

Diluted, undiluted, ratios, matt/contract/trade/vinyl/pva - it seems just about every possible combination has been recommended somewhere and I'm a bit none-the-wiser tbh.

So really i'm just bumping this thread as its pertinent to my interests.

I'd kind of mentally settled into mindset of going with something like 80% paint (contract matt) 20% water for this first coat, followed by undiluted for the second. And then 2-coats of finish colour on top of that.

[Neil - YVM]

JungleJim said:

I've got fresh plaster that I will be painting in the coming weeks, and its quite amazing the variety of opinion on the internet about how you should go about the mist-coat.

Diluted, undiluted, ratios, matt/contract/trade/vinyl/pva - it seems just about every possible combination has been recommended somewhere and I'm a bit none-the-wiser tbh.

So really i'm just bumping this thread as its pertinent to my interests.

I'd kind of mentally settled into mindset of going with something like 80% paint (contract matt) 20% water for this first coat, followed by undiluted for the second. And then 2-coats of finish colour on top of that.

As you have found there is a whole load of misinformation available on this subject.

Best advice, buy paint intended for new plaster, and then follow the manufacturers instructions.

Never, ever use PVA.

If plaster is fully dry, then a diluted vinyl can be used as a mist.

But a non vinyl is the better option, as it will still breath. examples Dulux Super Matt, Leyland Trade Super Leytex, Screwfix No Nonsense Trade bare plaster

Final vinyl coats should still not be applied until the plaster is fully dried.

Finally Never, ever use PVA.

[Little Lofty]

JungleJim said:

I've got fresh plaster that I will be painting in the coming weeks, and its quite amazing the variety of opinion on the internet about how you should go about the mist-coat.

Diluted, undiluted, ratios, matt/contract/trade/vinyl/pva - it seems just about every possible combination has been recommended somewhere and I'm a bit none-the-wiser tbh.

So really i'm just bumping this thread as its pertinent to my interests.

I'd kind of mentally settled into mindset of going with something like 80% paint (contract matt) 20% water for this first coat, followed by undiluted for the second. And then 2-coats of finish colour on top of that.

If your happy to put the finish colour on now just use that from the beginning, you don't need anything on the bare plaster first, as long as it's matt paint your using. Your about right with 8/9 parts paint to 1/2 parts water, at least that's what Leyland recommend for their new plaster paints for the first coat. If I'm doing walls/ceilings in white or magnolia I use two coats of Super Leytex, if I'm doing colours they get two coats of Johnstone's Matt in the chosen colour. Nothing else is needed, and as already stated no paint manufacturers recommend PVA, that came from some home make over show such as Changing Rooms, no pro decorators use PVA.If you have a local Dulux/Crown/Johnstones trade centre call in and they will give you good advice.

[olimain]

As you can see there's a tonne of differing opinions on this. I've just done 3 newly plastered rooms and a hallway with excellent results. Just do this:

1. Buy this - http://www.screwfix.com/p/leyland-trade-contract-m...
2. Follow the instructions on the back of the tub for new plaster (different paints have different ratios for mist coats).
3. Do not use PVA.

[TheAngryDog]

I've just had 5 walls plastered. They appear to be fully dry (one is patchy, but i think that is just the finish). My plasterer has advised a 50/50 mist coat.

I have some cheap white Matt emulsion. Can I just use that for the mist coat and then put two coats of paint on top?

Thanks.

[B17NNS]

Yes. As long as it's contract emulsion (not vinyl matt or vinyl silk)