Painting Plaster Walls in 5 Easy Steps
Painting plaster walls is not at all difficult. If your house is old, it will have plaster, sometimes called ‘horsehair plaster’ on the walls. The old workers used the tail hair from horses to mix in with the plaster to give it strength.
Plaster Walls are worth saving and painting
Modern drywall walls are more durable than plaster walls, but preserving them is fantastic and will probably wind up saving you money. Because plaster walls frequently contain a lot of lime, mold cannot develop there.
You will be pleased to find my top primers and paints right here at the top. (I don’t advise using any paint-and-primer-in-one on old plaster.)
A stain-blocking primer is required for stained walls (water stains, etc.). The Zinsser Cover Stain can be seen here. Tops.
Any exposed plaster (or drywall) should be primed with a basic drywall primer to keep it in good condition. Also available in one gallon sizes, however you can purchase 5 gallons (as shown) for the price of 4.
There are various options for paint, but my greatest recommendation is to not cut corners. The best paints last longer than a well-marketed large box store brand, don’t fade, and apply more easily. Usually, I’ll utilize Ben Moore Regal (well worth the money).
When it comes to cheap wall paint, I’m frequently asked about Rust-Zinsser, Oleum’s which is excellent value but not quite as nice as the Ben above.
More is included below.
Usually broken, plaster walls are nonetheless worth saving. You just need to re-attach using drywall screws if the plaster wall is still solid and has only detached from the backing “lath,” which was typically cedar strips. There will be some cracking as a result, which you may simply repair with spackle (sand all when dry). The items you require are all listed below.
Painting plaster walls in 5 steps
Plaster that is loose can be removed with a putty knife. If you notice a brown stain, it is most likely the result of years of moisture and possibly roof leaks, etc. You’ll need to prime that with a stain-blocking primer like Kilz Premium or 1-2-3. For mold, use this primer (which is available in quart or gallon sizes). However, please read our post about mold-resistant paint first.
One method is to use paint-able caulk to fill in microscopic crevices because it dries faster and offers somewhat more than other spackle and mud mixtures. You must expect that those cracks will continue to spread.
Fill in the hole with drywall compound that has already been mixed, let it dry for about a day, and then add a second or third coat if the dried patch continues to shrink. There is no way to avoid deep areas shrinking.
Large repairs will require tape, and this tutorial on preparing walls for paint will show you how to apply it.
Sand with coarse sandpaper, switch to fine sandpaper, and then prime with the drywall primer mentioned above (apply only one coat).
By then, you ought to be prepared to start painting.
In most circumstances, apply two coats of paint to your walls:
Sometimes you may be ok with one top coat if your primer is white and your wall, ceiling, trim, or whatever will have white paint over that, but you must cover every square inch without skipping. This premium Rust-Oleum mold-resistant paint is excellent (shown here).
Make sure you have all the equipment you’ll need for painting.
Read our respirator mask guidelines if you plan to do a lot of sanding.
How to paint plaster wall – summary
Plaster walls can be painted the same way as normal drywall. The key is the primer you apply. Because paint won’t adhere to plaster walls uniformly without a proper primer, you must use the best primer for plaster walls to seal the wall.
On that note, be mindful of the pollutants you expose yourself and others around you to in the air.
The main point is that most plaster wall stains will bleed through each coat of latex painting. After applying primer, painting plaster walls is similar to painting interior walls, which you can read about all over my website. If you have any queries about how to paint plaster walls, leave a comment below!
Can you paint directly on new plaster?
Prior to painting new plaster, it must be primed. Walls that have just been plastered are extremely dry, drawing moisture out of your paint. You can get a fantastic paint finish that won’t flake or peel off by first applying a mist coat of primer to the walls.
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