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When best to decorate a new build


Redoctober

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Thinking ahead for when the time comes to decorate, what is the considered view on painting newly plastered walls?

I appreciate an undercoat / wash will be needed but how soon after, can that be applied and also, how soon after that, can proper colours go on?

As ever I welcome your thoughts.

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You will know by the colour of the skim when it's dried out enough to paint. It will be a pale pink colour with no darker spots. In the summer it won't take much more than a week or so for most walls to dry out.

Your best bet is to just paint it all white and let the house sit for 18 months 2 years and let it move and shrink and crack. Fill the cracks after the 2 years and then paint it whatever colours you want.

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5 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

You will know by the colour of the skim when it's dried out enough to paint. It will be a pale pink colour with no darker spots. In the summer it won't take much more than a week or so for most walls to dry out.

Your best bet is to just paint it all white and let the house sit for 18 months 2 years and let it move and shrink and crack. Fill the cracks after the 2 years and then paint it whatever colours you want.

 

I was thinking a light key then mist coat first on my ceiling?

 

Thinking as in the bathroom the top coat needs to be something special?

 

Sorry @Redoctober hijacking your thread! :)

Edited by Onoff
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With @Declan52on this.

 

It needs a few days to dry. I reduced this to about 36-48 hours on my last by using chunky dehumidifiers, but I had an electrician programmed and needed it done first.

 

I spray the first coats for speed (would save a number of days on a house) for a number of whole rooms, and while still empty so as to avoid needing to do too much masking.

 

Ferdinand

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53 minutes ago, Redoctober said:

Thinking ahead for when the time comes to decorate, what is the considered view on painting newly plastered walls?

I appreciate an undercoat / wash will be needed but how soon after, can that be applied and also, how soon after that, can proper colours go on?

As ever I welcome your thoughts.

This weather you can paint fresh plaster after a couple of days Unless it is on the crappy Habito boards give it a week

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I have just finished decorating our new build and found screwfix bare Plaster emulsion and magnolia good paint, my decorator friend advised Dulux trade white for ceilings for better cover and non yellowing ( he was right ).

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8 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

I was thinking a light key then mist coat first on my ceiling?

 

Thinking as in the bathroom the top coat needs to be something special?

 

Sorry @Redoctober hijacking your thread! :)

I just watered down my first coat. The new plaster sucks it in really quick. By the time you have finished a large ceiling or wall you could start the 2nd coat.

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Depends on the paint

 

I use Super Leytex which can go over fresh plaster - so stuff that is 4-5 days old. Very good coverage and not a bad price. You don’t need a mist coat with it either. 

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We painted the living room 4 days after the plaster was finished, it dries tha quick at this time of year.

 

I am still a fan of Wickes cheapest trade mat white emulsion for the first couple of coats.  We did this time try a slightly watered down first coat, but that did not cover as well and needed a third coat so won't be doing that again.

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@Dreadnaughtand @nod why crappy? other than it taking more skill/time to install there is no drawback I have found. They are far superior to the regular boards both for strength and acoustic properties.  I have no problem fixing to my walls and none of those rubbish stud wall fixings needed.  The 30kg hung from one wood screw claim is turning out to be true. I have heavy pictures and mirrors and so far none have been a problem fixing into the habito, ditto with coat racks and wall cupboards I highly recommend it.......

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For my mist coat (s) on the bathroom ceiling and half a wall I'm going to just use whatever crap emulsion that's lying around here I've decided. If it needs more than one mist then so be it.

 

I'll then buy if necessary a decent quality white for "kitchens & bathrooms" for the ceiling. SWMBO can choose the colour for the half wall later at her leisure once the tiles are done. 

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1 minute ago, Dreadnaught said:

Wow, that looks great, @lizzie!

 

@lizzie, in the second photo, what are those linear recessed lights? I am after something just like that.

Thank you. They are plastered in led profiles, you need to do at boarding stage, the metal profiles are fixed in the plasterboard and then skimmed around as part of wall ..... electric cabling done at first fix too, then led tape and diffusers fitted at second  fix.  I love them they are so effective. Our building inspector loved them too!

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2 minutes ago, lizzie said:

plastered in led profiles

 

Superb. Exactly what I am planning. Did you put them anywhere else? Did you try them in any ceilings (I am tempted)?

I wonder did you use a lighting designer is this your own inspiration?

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31 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said:

 

Superb. Exactly what I am planning. Did you put them anywhere else? Did you try them in any ceilings (I am tempted)?

I wonder did you use a lighting designer is this your own inspiration?

I did work with a lighting designer, she took my initial scheme and basicallly chucked it out and started again and I am glad she did. It was money well spent on the design fee and I learnt a lot.

 

I was having those profiles in the hall ceiling, they were going to come up the outside wall next to the front door continue along the hall ceiling and out and down the back wall.  It was a fantastic idea but would have cost a fortune so we dropped it.  The ones in the walls have a tiny pir controlled foot washer in the skirting immediately below the longest ones. Its very effective. Now the house is built I have no regrets about dropping the ceiling profile in the hall the ones in the walls are enough.

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1 hour ago, Dreadnaught said:

 

Superb. Exactly what I am planning. Did you put them anywhere else? Did you try them in any ceilings (I am tempted)?

I wonder did you use a lighting designer is this your own inspiration?

 

I find it best to wait until someone else has worked with a lighting designer...then COPY them! :)

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