Before painting on newly skimmed walls, you'll need to wait until the plaster is completely dry. 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.
As a rule of thumb, plaster takes up to 4 weeks to dry completely. You can speed things up with a heater or by opening a window. 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.
You can usually paint three days after skimming your walls. That's because plaster typically takes at least three days to dry and cure.
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.
Generally, it takes a few hours to overnight for a skim coat layer to dry. Always follow the manufacturer's recommendations and allow each layer to dry completely before sanding and applying the next coat.
First and foremost, let the plaster dry. Paint won't adhere properly to wet plaster, so make sure it's fully dried. This takes around 3-5 days for overskim or 4-6 weeks for a new plaster wall, though it can take longer depending on humidity and ventilation.
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.
Trowel off each successive layer at a right angle to the previous one. If you still see indentations or imperfections after the second coat dries, trowel on a third coat. After the last coat dries, pole-sand the wall with 120-grit paper.
Due to the fact that newly plastered walls cannot be painted using certain paints until they are completely dry, contract matt is the best paint to use. This is for a number of reasons, which include cost and moisture.
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.
Curing plaster refers to a maturation process of the new plaster finish when it strengthens and seals. The pool finish will start to cure immediately after mixing. Sixty percent of the curing process occurs in the first 4 weeks and will continue over the next 8 to 10 months.
With freshly plastered surfaces, leave approximately six months to dry completely before painting.
MAKE SURE YOUR WALLS ARE COMPLETELY DRY. This can take a maximum of 7-10 days, depending on the conditions in your home.
Before painting on newly skimmed walls, you'll need to wait until the plaster is completely dry. 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.
When plaster dries out too rapidly it causes cracks or haze cracking. How soon can I paint my newly skimmed walls? Please ensure your plaster is thoroughly dry before you consider decorating. The plaster will take a minimum of 3-5 days to dry thoroughly and in some cases longer.
The Second Coat
You don't need to worry about this compound hardening in the pan as you do with chemical setting compound. There are two ways to do the second coat: Do exactly what you did on the first coat—simply repeat with the easier sanding all purpose compound. Cross-apply the compound.
Allow the first coat to dry completely, which can take anywhere from a few hours to overnight, depending on humidity and temperature. Once dry, lightly sand the surface with fine-grit sandpaper to remove any ridges or bumps.
In most cases, 3-4 weeks is sufficient, but the best way to tell, is by checking that there are no darker spots on the plaster. A freshly-plastered wall will be a dark, uniform colour and as it dries out there will be lighter and darker areas. Wait until the whole wall is a single, light shade before painting it.
New plaster is porous, so if you paint it with standard paint it will simply be absorbed by the wall. This means you'll need to apply more coats of paint, and the paint could start to peel later as it dries. To prevent this happening, you need to apply a mist coat first.
Once it's fully dry, the colour will be consistent across the whole wall, lighter and darker patches suggest the wall is not consistently dry enough yet. You should also ensure that there is no plaster dust remaining before your painting job begins.
Without the mist coat, the plaster will soak the moisture out of the paint like a sponge, causing it to crack as it dries.