On 26/04/2012 15:37, Fred wrote:
Hi,

I went to Wickes to buy some cheap emulsion to dilute 50:50 to make a
mist coat to seal some plaster. I was bewildered by the number of
different types of emulsion they had.

There was trade emulsion and trade vinyl emulsion. Is the difference
between these two that the vinyl version is wipeable but the non-vinyl
is not? Or isn't it as simple as that?

There was also an "emulsion for plaster". I don't remember what the
tin said now but I imagine you can paint direct onto plaster without
priming it first? I wonder if you need more than one coat? I wasn't
really looking to paint the wall white; I would have been happy with a
wishy washy finish just to stop the dust brushing off but it could
have been useful, I suppose.

What would you have bought?

I notice they said to dilute with 10% water,. I suppose that helps if
you are a tradesman that you could get 11 tins out of 10 but I would
be nervous about diluting one batch more than another and getting an
inconsistent finish!

On a totally different point, may I ask what eggshell is? I assumed it
was just a finish halfway between matt and satin but a recent post
here suggested it was best for bathrooms and kitchens, so is it for
some reason a more durable finish?

Where do bathroom and kitchen paints fit into the equation? Are they
just vinyl emulsions?

TIA

IMO thinning water based paint is never a good idea. It "breaks" the
emulsion so that some of the paint's properties are lost. Best to just
buy a paint that isn't as thick as custard to start with, which is often
the own label stuff in a tub.