painting new plaster

[sid]

I'm emulsioning newly plastered walls, both placo-platre and conventional plastered block walls. In UK I would have used a thinned emulsion to prime the plaster. Here in France I saw some huge tins of "sous-couche platre" and assumed this would be ideal to use straight from the tin. Wrong! It just soaks in and doesn't cover anywhere near as much area as suggested on the tin! There are no instructions about thinning; am I supposed to add water? At this rate it's going to cost a fortune before I even get to the final finishes.

The placo is the most absorbent and makes really hard work with the paint at its normal strength; the conventional walls are a little easier. If the stuff is meant to be thinned why doesn't it say so on the tin? Or is this something that experts already know?

Any tips?

Sid[8-)]

 

[April Rivers]

We found the same problem!

What we did was:

Used the cheapest white emulsion to try and counteract the the absorption (two coats) and then used the sous-couche platre over the top (one coat).

It does take a bit of time but after these three coats the proper coloured paint when on perfectly, almost as if the plaster board had been plastered!

 

Hope this helps!

[Rob Roy]

We also used the chapest white emulson we could find, but didn't bother with the sous-chouche at all. Put the colour (two coats) on top and it looks fine. You have to be really good at rubbing down your plaster joints though -  the slightest 'bump' will show up. My husband is obsessed about rubbing down having been a car body repairer! 

[Gastines]

If you roller-coat new plaster or plasterboards with a watery coat of PVA, you get a sealed finish which is much easier to either emulsion or wall-paper.Trust this may help?

Regards. B&B  St.Malo.

[sid]

Thanks for those replies, guys.

Sid