What happens if you paint damp plaster

Make sure to allow time for your walls to dry out from this moisture too. So, to briefly answer the question of can I paint straight onto new plaster? Well, without preparing what we call a mist coat — an undercoat to seal the plaster — or using a bare plaster paint then the answer is no. You first need to seal the newly plastered wall for the best results before applying normal paint. Cooler temperatures will also slow down the drying process and new plaster will take longer to dry, Keeping the ambient temperature above 41 degrees Fahrenheit 5 degrees Celcius is best for both the strength of the plaster and to reduce drying times.

It may even feel dry enough to sand. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.

There are a few ways to speed up the process. Some are advices whilst others can actually damage your finished product. The best way is to use heaters. If you want your walls to dry faster then plant a few heaters around the worked area and let the plaster dry naturally. Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface in very thick layers, usually thick enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible.

Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. The repair should be protected from ingress of water during the drying period. The wall itself also smells fausty presumably because I'd trapped the dampness underneath. Does this sound like a good idea? Just give it a quick sand smooth then an oil undercoat. If the paint hasn't dried by now then you have a damp wall!!! Therefore you should find out what is causing the damp and rectify it. The plasterer did skim over existing walls.

The problem we had is that roof work was being done a few weeks before during that period of torrential rain in April. The water got in and streamed down that wall. But it was a few weeks later that the plasterer then skimmed. The wall is no longer damp certainly not to touch. I'm assuming the smell is a by-product of never drying out properly? Roy c is correct, if there is still a mark, you could?

Re skims dry out very quickly, i have skimmed walls in the morning and they have been almost bone dry at knock off time, that is in the summer of course with a breeze blowing through the house, but that gives you some indication of how quickly re skimed walls do dry out.

Have you tried a damp metre on that patch? That would be my next move. Joined: 3 Sep Country:. Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

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So, you have taken the time to carefully and lovingly apply plaster to a wall or ceiling, and understandably you are itching to finish the job and add a lick of paint. How long is a piece of string? The period of time that fresh plaster needs to dry varies from surface to surface, with circumstances such as the temperature of the rooms in question and the size of area covered.

If you apply multiple levels of plaster, you could be looking at upward of two months. If you add paint to plaster that is still damp — and remember that could take several weeks — you will be trapping moisture into the wall of ceiling by applying a skin over the surface.

This skin will prevent the moisture from escaping to the atmosphere and harmlessly evaporating, and as a result it will seep into the surface. This will, in turn, generate mould — hugely dangerous to breath in, as well as being extremely unsightly — and eventually turn to damp.

As anybody unfortunate enough to deal with damp in the home will be able to advise you, the effort and costs incurred in dealing with this problem are considerably more frustrating than having to wait a few extra weeks to apply some paint to a wall or ceiling. If you absolutely must seek a shirt-term option and are prepared to pay a little extra for your trouble, you can head to a DIY shop and purchase some microporous paint. This specialist product is designed to allow surfaces to breathe after application, meaning that it will repel unwanted water stains such as rain on an outdoor surface , but avoid trapping water once you have painted over fresh plaster.