{"id":735,"date":"2021-02-22T17:41:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T17:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/HouseOverhaul.com\/?p=735"},"modified":"2022-07-08T17:34:40","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T17:34:40","slug":"how-to-paint-plaster-walls-the-essential-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/HouseOverhaul.com\/how-to-paint-plaster-walls-the-essential-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Paint Plaster Walls: The Essential Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Whether your home is old and used plaster for the wall or you went for a higher quality wall material for a more stable home, painting over plaster can be tricky. Plaster is definitely more resilient than drywall is and it’s difficult to know just how well the paint will take to the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Painting a plaster wall is very similar to painting drywall. The plaster will soak in paint in higher concentration and more sporadically. Plaster walls need a good primer to create an even paint job and the best paint to use is acrylic latex-based paint for hard surfaces to paint.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plaster is a tricky material to work with and needs care when being used, especially with paint. To understand more about plaster itself and how to paint it effectively, keep reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Plaster?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plaster is a dried powder that when mixed with water creates a paste that can be used to create a smooth wall. This paste has been used efficiently since the mid-1900s but plaster itself dates back to thousands of years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Plaster, when hardened, creates a wall that is both insulating and flame retardant.<\/strong> This is what made it such a popular choice in the 1900s and is a reason to still be used today. Many plasters will chip or crack over time, but is durable and is efficient in their uses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most plasters are made of gypsum but may also be made of lime, and can create a hardened effect when dried completely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do I Need To Prime My Plaster?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you decide to paint your wall and you find out that it is plaster, this is a good question to answer. The natural makeup of plaster makes it a very porous material<\/strong> that will drink up the paint that you put on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will make the paint sporadic and unreliable in its finished look. It will not look very clean and may cause the paint to have to be replaced in a short span of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create a good base for the paint to last and will keep its integrity, you must prime the wall correctly. This base is essential if you want a clean-finished wall in your home.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Paint For Plaster Walls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plaster, once it is primed properly, will take any high-quality paint that is used for walls. It really comes to choosing the color that you wish to add to your home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the question really becomes what is the best primer that can be used on a plaster wall. Below is a table for your needs to search for good high-quality primers to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Name<\/strong><\/td>Store\/Website<\/strong><\/td>Price<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Rust-Oleum 2004 Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer, 1 Quart, 946 ml, White<\/td>Amazon.com<\/a><\/td>$11.99<\/td><\/tr>
KILZ 2 Interior\/Exterior Multi-Surface Primer, Sealer & Stainblocker, White, Water-Based – New Look, Same Trusted Formula
<\/td>		Walmart.com<\/a><\/td>$16.83<\/td><\/tr>
Adhesion 1 Gal. White Bonding Interior\/Exterior Primer<\/td>Homedepot.com<\/a><\/td>$42.98<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Preparing The Wall For Painting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you take on a project to handle by yourself it is important to prepare your workstation to fit the right conditions to start right and finish with a good end product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In regards to plaster, whether you applied the wall by yourself or someone else did it, it is likely to have some lumps and bumps because of the texture by which plaster is made.<\/strong> There is a simple and easy fix to this, but it takes time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply take some sandpaper and sand the uneven sections of the wall down to an even layer of plaster. This will create a nice even look on your wall and will make the finished product look much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When sanding, you can do so by hand, or you can use a machine sander on a low power level. You don’t want to push too much<\/strong>, because this could ruin the plaster and create a bigger problem than you had to start with. Apply slight pressure to take off bumps, but leave the wall itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to corners, you can sand these down as well. You might see some metal edges on your wall and this normal. It is ok to see this, just make it smooth with the rest of the wall and the paint will go on fine to the corner with metal edges showing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In regards to the type of sandpaper grit to use, begin with a lower grit, perhaps 80 grit or maybe even a 60 grit,<\/strong> and work your way to a higher grit ending at 120 grit. This will give you an edge at the beginning that will take off the uneven sections and then the higher grit will give a nice finished look to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there are sections where the plaster seems to be missing or absent, simply take some plaster and fill in those spaces. These areas will most likely be near corners or windows and doorways. It’s not a hard fix and is easy to workaround.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Painting The Plaster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you have prepared your plaster wall for painting it is time to prime the wall. You can’t just go into painting the wall because plaster needs a delicate process to get the paint to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Priming The Wall<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Priming the wall requires multiple layers consisting of a mist layer and then a base layer to create the perfect surface for the paint to have a long-lasting effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before you start applying the mist layer you should probably decide how you are going to apply it. By paint roller, or by paint sprayer. Each has its pros and cons and hopefully, the next sections will give you enough information to make your decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sprayer<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The sprayer gives a nice clean look to the plaster, it will look as though a mist covered the wall, not entirely covering it but creating a clean place to start the base layer. The sprayer will only be used for the mist layer<\/strong> and then maybe for the base layer but might be advised against it later on in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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