How to Paint a Plastered Surface: Tips to Get You Started

It takes a lot of effort to paint a new wall surface. You must first prepare the surface before painting it with two or three coats of paint. It’s ideal to wait until the wall is completely dry before painting, but if your patience is wearing thin, here are some suggestions to keep in mind when you begin painting your new wall surface.

Tools You’ll Need For Painting Work

You’ll need a range of different tools to paint your house. The most important of them are listed below:

  • Paint Brushes
  • Paint Roller
  • Roller Tray
  • Wire Brush
  • Adjustable Ladder
  • Wooden Stick (used as extension for painting greater heights)
  • Sand Paper/ Emery Paper
  • Protective Paper/ Sheet
  • Masking Tape
  • Protective Gloves
painting plastered surface

Painting a New Surface

Before painting a new surface, several preparations must be made in order to complete the painting operation in a smooth and synchronised manner with no difficulties.

Preparation :

  • Construction flaws can’t be fixed with paint.
  • Before applying the paint, make sure the surface is free of dust, dirt, loose matter, grease, and other contaminants.
  • To establish a mechanical key between the surface and the paint for satisfactory adhesion, the surface is usually scraped with an emery/sand paper.

Painting Steps :

The primer (first coat) is applied to the prepared surface with a brush or spray. Before application, it should be thinned with water or thinner in the appropriate way and amount. It is then rubbed with emery or sand paper when it has dried.

The primary goal of primer application is to seal the base, preventing the its chemistry from migrating into and interfering with the chemistry of the final coat. The second purpose is to promote the adhesion of the finish coat to the surface being painted.

If there are any dents or cracks, they are fixed with putty using a knife applicator. Putty should not be applied in a heavy layer. If the desired thickness is great, apply it in two coats.

After the putty has dried, the entire surface is thoroughly rubbed down to smooth the putty and provide a mechanical key to the completed layers.

Finish coatings are applied in two or three layers. Allow each coat to dry completely before applying the next.

Also Read : Paint Calculator – Estimate How Many Liters of Paint You’ll Need

Painting an Old Surface

In general, when painting old surfaces, the condition of the current paint is important. The method for painting an old surface is entirely dependent on the current coating. Fungus, glossy surfaces, chalking, efflorescence, and other common defects are mostly seen in older coatings.

If the severity of the these defects is greater, they must first be removed before the paint may be applied in the manner described above for new surfaces.

Painting Procedure for Different Defects

Painting on a old surface with various defects requires a separate approach. The following is the process for painting over these surface defects:

1. Fungus Growth :

fungal growth in old painted wall
  • Remove the fungus from the old surface if it has grown.
  • Then, freely apply fungicidal solution and monitor for future growth.
  • If no more fungal development is noticed, apply the desired paint.

2. Glossy Surface :

Apply the finish coatings after removing all of the shine from the surface with emery paper or sand paper.

3. Chalking :

chalking defect in old plaster
  • First, wipe the old surface by gently rubbing it with sandpaper or emery paper.
  • Make certain that all of the chalk has been removed from the surface.
  • After cleaning, apply two or three final coats.

4. Efflorescence, Blistering and Flaking :

efflorescence defect in old paint
  • Using a wire brush or paint scraper, remove the old paint from the damaged areas.
  • After that, use primer to touch up the scraped surface and one or two finish coats on the affected areas.
  • Apply the finish coats after rubbing the entire surface.

Authored by: Vikrant Mane

A civil engineering graduate by education, Vikrant Mane is a blogger and SEO enthusiast at heart. He combines his technical knowledge with a love for creating and optimizing content to achieve high search engine rankings.

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