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.

Mostly ****e to obfusicate the buyer...


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?

it's that simple.

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?

Trade emulsion, mixed half of it with 25% water (3:1 paint) and give the
wall a coat of that, saving the other half to do it again, this time with
only a drop of water to give it a bit of slide


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!


what difference does it make on new plaster?

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?

Eggshell is oil based, like undercoat and gloss - you can get water based
ones that have a similar finish.
The finish on these paints is moisture resistant, so usefull in steamy
environments like shower rooms etc, although saying that, my bathroom
ceiling is painted with normal trade white emulsion and the walls in eggy -
there's no difference and neither paper has peeled off anywhere (blown vinyl
ceiling and lining paper on walls)

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


See above