How to paint a newly gyprocked room?

[spamhater]

Hi Everyone,

I am about as un-handy as they come and so rely on the kindness of strangers, forum members and shop assistants wherever possible

I have a room that has been built at my parents place and I wanted to paint it. Basically the room has gyprocked walls and ceiling, with corince(?) at the joins of wall/ceiling. The room has had all of the joins and screws plastered over and sanded and the builder has told me it is ready for painting.

I spoke with a sales guy at Bunnings and he sold me 1 litre of Dulux Oil Based Sealer Binder and brushes and told me to paint (seal) over all of the plaster joins only. He said I can then paint the room (topcoat?). After reading things on the web today it appears that I am actually supposed to seal the entire surface of the Gyprock using a sealer using a roller. Has the Bunnings sales guy led me down the garden path?

• Can anyone provide a definitive answer as to the best way to paint the room?
• Am I supposed to paint sealer over all Gyprock surfaces (not just the joins/screws)?
• Which product should I be using to do this?
• Will that fact that I have already painted the Sealer he sold me over the joins have any effect on the finish?

Any and all advice greatfully appreciated folks..

Thanks
Stew

[silentC]

You don't need to use oil based paint. All you need is a tin of water-based acrylic sealer/undercoat. Get a brush and brush in the corners, the cornice, around windows and doors, around the skirting, then use a roller for the rest. Don't be stingy with the paint. Some people like to prime the plaster top coat first - you can just use a brush for that wherever the white stuff is.

Will that fact that I have already painted the Sealer he sold me over the joins have any effect on the finish?

I don't think so. Depends on how good a job you did

Next time, steer clear of Bunnings, go to a paint shop.

[Tools]

I spoke with a sales guy at Bunnings and he sold me 1 litre of Dulux Oil Based Sealer Binder and brushes and told me to paint (seal) over all of the plaster joins only.

As Silent said, the guy at bunnies has no idea,It should be done with acrylic,and you need to do the whole wall, not just the joins.

Tools

[Bleedin Thumb]

The reason he sold you the sealer is that the topcoat absorbs a fair amount of paint and otherwise it may take three or more coats so you dont see the joins. As you already have the oil based primer I would use that.

[Tools]

The reason he sold you the sealer is that the topcoat absorbs a fair amount of paint and otherwise it may take three or more coats so you dont see the joins. As you already have the oil based primer I would use that.

Yes, but it should be done with an acrylic sealer.

Tools

[econ]

I've used acrylic and oil based dulux sealer binder.
Both excellent ,both worth every penny
but I prefer the oil based stuff
Paint it all.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Yeh I agree Econ, Oil based primer gives a better seal and there is no problems applying acrylic over it. The only down side is it smells and you have to clean up with turps.

[silentC]

Oil based sealer is unnecessary. I think water wash up far outweighs any benefits there might be.

The reason he sold you the sealer is that the topcoat absorbs a fair amount of paint and otherwise it may take three or more coats so you dont see the joins.

If you buy a decent sealer, like Solver for example, then that wont be a problem.

[Pulse]

A mate who is a painter uses cheap wall acrylic 20% diluted just to soak in and seal it prior to two topcoats... just an alternative, you could buy one 10L can and do the whole room.... 1 diluted sealer and two topcoats.

Cheers
Pusle

[Jacksin]

I agree with the others 'Spamhater' about avoiding Bunnings for paint advice. Go to a paint store (Solver etc) that specialise in paints and know what they are talking about.

A mate who is a painter uses cheap wall acrylic 20% diluted just to soak in and seal it prior to two topcoats... just an alternative, you could buy one 10L can and do the whole room.... 1 diluted sealer and two topcoats.

I strongly disagree Pulse. Your mate is taking a cheap short cut.

The way it was explained to me years ago (by a paint professional) the sealer is necessary all over because the gyprock being thirsty sucks the all the moisture from the paint and before long the paint can 'powder' on the wall. Many owners of homes built in my area went into his store seeking advice after only a few months in their new homes because the paint powdered and they were far from impressed with the builders.

[woodsprite]

HAve just about finished the last room of the renovation/extemsion. Used a 3 in 1 acrylic sealer, primer, undercoat - Wattyl - and did as others mentioned - brushed corners, cornices, and a thin stripo around windows and dorrs, then rolled on. Always finish off your rolling with light prseeure rolling straight up the walls, slightly overlapping each upward pass - this evens out the coat and reduces patches and roller marks.

2 coats of top-coat finished the job and the plaster joins are invisible.

Now back to fitting out the wardrobe with shelves, etc......

Jeff (yawn)

[spamhater]

Thanks for the replies everyone.. I feel much better prepared now.

Cheers

[keepontruckin]

I am a qualified Painter and Decorator and what I'd do is use an acrylic sealer undercoat to seal all the new plasterboard and joins. Then give it two coats of the prefered colour. Acrylic sealer is better than oil for plasterboard. It is easy to clean up as it is water wash up and you can apply the topcoat 2 hours after appling the sealer, while oil undercoats need 24 hours to dry and leave very strong odours and makes everyone complain.

[Cobber]

I have just finished painting a new plastered room. Gave it one coat of undercoat and 2 top coats...looked really good in the daylight but when i cam home tonight and turned on the light (currently only light bulbs) I could see all the join lines going from one end of the room to the other.

I \gave them another undercoat but can still see them. Should I give them a light sand? Strange how i can only see them with the light bulb on?

Cheers
Cobber

[MrFixIt]

I have just finished painting a new plastered room. Gave it one coat of undercoat and 2 top coats...looked really good in the daylight but when i cam home tonight and turned on the light (currently only light bulbs) I could see all the join lines going from one end of the room to the other.

I \gave them another undercoat but can still see them. Should I give them a light sand? Strange how i can only see them with the light bulb on?

Cheers
Cobber

The reason you see the joins is because the joint cement and the paper of the gyprock absorb the sealer "differently" the joints really need several coats of sealer.

I guess it depends a little on the quality and type of sealer. When I did mine I did the joints first (two coats) feathering the paint out away from the joint. I then did two "thick" coats of sealer paying particular attention to the joints and then used an airless spray gun to paint the room. The joints could not be seen. BTW I used acrylic sealer.