plaster - drying time

[chocccie]

I've just finished some plastering (using French plaster).  The bag says it takes 2 months to dry.  Does that mean I can't paint it for 2 months?  Or can I paint it in a few weeks and the whole thing dries off together?

I planned on painting it with white emuslion first, followed by the coloured top coats.

 

Thank you

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

I believe that builders use a very porous paint for newly plastered walls. I'd be wary of using emulsions with latex or similar ingredients because they may trap the water. Maybe a thin limewash would be a good choice.

[chocccie]

I'm going to use a thinned down emulsion, which is the norm (as least with the decorators I know).

I'm not sure when I can apply it though.  Does anybody know if I need to wait the 2 months (which will kill me!  I want to see some colour.  Now!)

[dwmcn]

Go watch a cricket match. That should be about long enough.

[dwmcn]

I believe that Leonardo DaVinci had a similar problem when painting The Last Supper. He either did or didn't wait for the plaster to dry before applying the paint and it has been causing problems ever since.

[raindog]

Wait the two months. New plaster, when it's dry, looks great imo - a sort of pearl-white colour.

[Anton Redman]

The main reason spec builders switched to dry lining on the UK was to avoid having their money tied up for two months while theplaster dried out.