Painting New Plaster

When painting new plaster, it is vital to allow enough time for it to dry. Fresh plaster is highly permeable, and if it isn’t fully dry before painting, it can lead to an uneven finish and cause cracking and peeling in the long run. Read on for our three simple steps on painting new plaster to achieve a durable, long-lasting finish.

Preparing Plaster for Painting

Allow new plaster to cure for at least 24 hours before applying Zinsser Gardz If priming old, bare plaster with Gardz ensure the surface is clean, dry and in sound condition, repair any cracks or holes with filler or joint compound before sealing the surface.

Priming New Plaster

Our high-quality water-based sealer Gardz or primer sealer Zinsser Drywall Pro 2-in-1 can be applied to new plaster.

Gardz is a specialised, water-based sealer designed for porous and problematic surfaces. It penetrates deeply, leaving a moisture-resistant, protective film that effectively seals and stabilises surfaces like new plaster, chalky or crumbling plaster, damaged drywall, and textured finishes.

Since bare plaster can be both extremely porous and high in alkalinity, Gardz is the perfect primer for the job, as it will address the plaster’s porosity and prevent the alkaline from attacking the newly applied paint.

Application

• Once the paint has been thoroughly stirred, use a brush, roller or spray application to achieve a coverage of between 5 to 10m² per litre, though this can be reduced on porous substrates.
• When applying to walls, decorate from the bottom up to prevent runs. When spraying, the freshly painted surface should be ‘back rolled’ with a dry roller to even out the paint while still wet.
• Touch dry in 30 minutes and recoatable in 3 hours, one coat of Gardz is sufficient in most cases, saving you both time and money in the long run. Two coats is usually only required for excessively poor substrates.

Alternatively, Drywall Pro 2-in-1 can also be used to prime and prepare new or damaged plaster, drywall and other porous surfaces for painting, wallpapering and texturing projects.

How to Paint New Plaster

Once you’ve allowed at least 24 hours for the new plaster to cure and primed the surface with Gardz you’re now ready to decorate.

• Zinsser AllClean is an excellent choice for a topcoat, as the ultra-durable interior wall paint offers superior coverage, stain-resistance and is scrubbable for easy cleaning. The specialist formula withstands moisture and resists dirt pickup, standing up to mustard, ketchup, tea, coffee and other stubborn stains.
• To achieve the best results, apply two coats of Zinsser AllClean, waiting 2 hours between coats to ensure proper adhesion. The paint dries quickly, with surfaces being touch dry in 2 hours and fully cured within 7 days.
• For application, you can use a brush, roller or airless sprayer, depending on the area and your preference.
• Zinsser AllClean is available in white and a selection of bases that can be tinted to any colour through the CS2 tint system.

For high-humidity rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms and utilities, we recommend decorating with Zinsser PermaWhite. Zinsser PermaWhite is a durable, scrubbable, mould-resistant formula that’s designed to resist cracking, peeling and blistering for up to 7 years.