Home and commercial painters in Fremont, CA will deal with many kinds of projects ranging from standard painting to tasks such as re-painting T1-11 siding.  These tasks often include painting different types of drywall, such as plasterboard. They may have painted all seven types throughout their business history.

Plasterboard is a type of drywall used as a base for plastering applications, much similar to the lath and plaster that older homes use for their wall material. Its face paper is designed to absorb the plaster finish coat to stick to the drywall better. It is also known as blue board.

If you have chosen plasterboard to build walls, you might wonder whether it is painted the same way as regular drywall. In most cases, any new plasterboard requires very little prep work. You don’t even have clean it. All you need to do is check the plasterboard to ensure that any joints have been filled and that the filler used was allowed enough time for drying. Much like new drywall, you should prepare to use primer on new plasterboard before you begin painting.

Since plasterboard is very absorbent, it has the tendency to quickly soak a lot of moisture from paints and other coatings applied to it. This calls for an appropriate primer to seal off porosity and aid the topcoat in adhering to the surface.

Here are the critical steps in painting plasterboard:

1. First things first: leave the plasterboard dry

Again, the plasterboard is very permeable. This permeability is why you must make sure that the plasterboard is completely dry before applying anything to it. Allowing the plasterboard to dry will also help you attain an even finish.

Usually, plasterboards take up to four weeks to dry completely. You can speed things up by using fans, opening a window, or using a heater.

2. Cover joints and holes

Fixing new walls and ceilings might leave your plasterboard with joints and holes. Mix joint filler according to label instructions. Use a joint filler knife or scraping knife to scoop out some of the joint filler and apply it to each joint by running it along in a smooth motion. Use the knife to even out each joint and fixing. Scrape off any excess joint filler and allow it to dry. Once the filler has dried, sand it smoothly using fine-grit sandpaper.

3. Prime the surface for painting

Due to the plasterboard’s absorbent nature, priming is essential before painting it. Preparing the plasterboard for painting can be done in three ways: a primer, a sealer, or a “mist coat.”

An oil-based primer is still considered the best option for plasterboard as it has superior blocking abilities. It seals the plasterboard’s porous surface, thus preventing it from soaking up the new paint and providing the surface with a blank canvas for painting and decorating.

While any primer can do, you may want to look for primers that are made explicitly for plasterboard and other porous surfaces.

Another way to prepare a plasterboard for painting is to apply it with a mist coat. Simply put, a mist coat is a watered-down emulsion paint applied to new, dried plasterboard before you apply “full” (not watered-down) coats of finishing paint. The mist coat will act as a primer, creating a bond between the new plasterboard and the topcoat. If you don’t have the ready-to-apply mist coat, all you have to do to get one is to add one part of water to three parts of emulsion paint and mix them together to create a mist coat. It’s that easy. However, not everyone is comfortable mixing paint like this, so do your best to find a pre-made mist coat.

Adding water to emulsion paint will help the plaster bond with the paint since the surface can soak up quickly due to the much thinner paint.

If you don’t like the idea of watering down paints, you can also use a sealer made explicitly for the plasterboard.

No matter which of the three coatings you will use, remember to allow the primer, mist coat, or sealer to dry completely before painting your walls.

4. Paint your plasterboard walls with topcoat

The final step is to apply your new plasterboard walls with a topcoat. This is the most exciting and awaited part – adding a splash of color to your walls. With all the prep work done, you can now paint and decorate your walls as you normally would.

“What if I don’t apply primer, mist coat, or sealer to the plasterboard?”

Applying primer, mist coat, or sealer to the plasterboard is not optional. The top coat will have difficulty adhering to the surface. And even if it does stick to the surface, the results will most likely be disastrous. The paint will crack, chip, or flake. It will even peel off in sheets in some cases!

Painting old plasterboard

Painting old plasterboard is pretty much the same as painting new plasterboard. Just make sure that the old plasterboard is free from cracks, bumps, and holes before applying it with primer. If it has surface flaws, it is necessary to repair them first.

Painting plasterboard covered with wallpaper

If your plasterboard walls are covered with wallpaper, you may be able to paint over it, provided the wallpaper is in good condition. Instead of trying to remove wallpaper and then painting bare walls, painting over wallpaper will save you time, money, and effort. It also avoids exposing the wall surface, which requires much work.

Suppose the walls are covered with vinyl wallpaper or wallpaper treated with a washable or wipeable coating. In that case, you may have to remove it before painting the bare walls instead of over the wallpaper. If you are unsure, find a small, inconspicuous area and try applying paint there to see how it adheres.

One of the advantages of plasterboard is that it requires only very little preparation before painting. Still, you want to take care when painting plasterboard walls to ensure a smooth, flawless, solid finish that will look great and last a long time. Contact the best Santa Clara house painting experts near me for more tips and tricks.

Custom Painting, Inc. is proficient in residential and commercial painting services. If you need a safe and reliable paint company to work on your home or business, contact us at 925-866-9610 or complete the form here today.