Plaster generally takes around three to five days to dry fully. It will turn from a brown colour to pale pink. Then, you can apply your mist coat of paint or wallpaper.
Newly plaster skimmed walls take approximately 4 days to dry out before you should attempt to decorate them. It is crucial to wait until the plaster has dried, and its colour has changed to a pale pink. There should be no brown patches as a guide. In some instances, you may need to wait up to 4 weeks.
The curing times for most common plasters found in the home is between four to six days, but some specialist plasters can take up to one month. This is the basecoat that's typically applied to block or brick work to prepare walls, and to ceilings too, for the finishing plaster.
In good conditions – typically in summer months – this will usually take around three days. However, we'd recommend leaving it for at least two weeks if possible to be safe. In the wrong conditions, plaster can even be known to take up to four weeks to dry!
A heated room or outside if the weather is warm will help the plaster to dry more quickly.
If the plaster dries too quickly, it will suffer from cracks and fragility over time. So, you should always plan for it to take around three to five days, or even longer. Bear this in mind if finding time to paint or hiring professionals to decorate.
Good airflow will help to encourage your plaster to dry more quickly. If it's not too cold, it can help to keep windows and doors open. Similarly, a fan can help as long as you keep it on a low setting so that it doesn't cool down the room too much.
Dried Plaster; a soft mineral shade with a delicate pinkish tone inspired by the iron oxide mixed in plaster. It has a lovely muted and earthy feel, great for pairing with bolder colours in grey, green or blue.
Another factor that will affect the drying time for your plastering work is the room temperature and ventilation. It can be tempting to turn the heating right up to speed up the drying process but this is not recommended. Excessive heat will cause the plaster to dry too quickly which may result in cracking or hazing.
One of the easiest ways to speed up the setting time of plaster is to use warm water when mixing it. Gypsum plaster reacts more quickly when mixed with warm water because it accelerates the hydration process. Simply using water that is warmer than room temperature can shave several minutes off the setting time.
How many coats of plaster do you need to plaster a wall? You should prepare to apply at least two coats, in order to achieve a smooth finish. However, if you can still see obvious grooves and indents after the second coat dries, you can trowel on a third coat using the method mentioned in Step 7 of this guide.
A minimum of seven days of curing is recommended for plastered surfaces. Grooves: After plastering the outer walls, cut grooves to prevent cracks caused by temperature differences. These grooves function as expansion joints in the wall.
Top tip: If you don't let the plaster dry and apply emulsion paint to wet plaster, it's likely to crack and peel off. Painting new plaster that's completely dry can also leave you with uneven brush strokes. So, the next course of action is to create your own mist coat paint.
Time It Takes Plaster to Dry
Plaster typically needs 1 to 4 hours to dry to the touch. Each layer needs a few hours to dry if you're applying an undercoat or finishing plaster. A special plaster, such as lime plaster, may need up to one week to dry to the touch.
Colored plasters are a hand made product, and as such may be subject to mottling and variations in the coloring (which has no bearing on the product's life or usefulness). Plaster changes color when underwater. Plaster changes color for about four weeks until it's cured.
Plaster does not contain toxic fumes. However, it does contain lots of moisture. This can make the room feel damp, so it's best to avoid sleeping in a freshly plastered room for a couple of days. Increasing the airflow by opening the windows and putting a fan on a low setting will help the plaster to dry more quickly.
Add and mix small amounts of plaster, sprinkled upon the surface until the plaster no longer looks wet on the surface. The texture should be creamy, able to flow but not runny. It should not be so stuff that it creates peaks.
Put simply, a mist coat is the first coat of paint that's put on bare plaster. Think of it as a base that's used to prime and seal the wall. Without the mist coat, the plaster will soak the moisture out of the paint like a sponge, causing it to crack as it dries.
While some may suggest plastering and painting on the same day, it's essential to allow the plaster to cure before applying paint. Waiting for the plaster to dry completely, typically for around two weeks, allows all moisture to evaporate. This helps prevent issues such as paint peeling in the future.
As a general rule of thumb, a newly plastered wall should be left for 28 days before any painting should begin. Walls should be fully dry both visibly and to the touch. Painting walls before they are ready will cause adhesion problems, and result in cracking and peeling of paint and uneven colour.
Let the plaster dry
Your plaster will dry quicker with a heater or if you open a window. If you try to apply paint to wet plaster this can cause adhesion problems. Applying emulsion to wet plaster also means that it may not bond properly and you could find that it peels off your wall.
The drying out of the new plaster is enhanced significantly by increasing ventilation to the area. Opening windows and doors, and the introduction of a dehumidifier, will remove moisture in the atmosphere. The introduction of heat must be considered with caution.
Cold Temperatures
Plaster needs a stable environment to cure properly, and when temperatures drop below 5°C, this process slows down significantly.