I am re-decorating my kitchen and the wallpaper has been stripped, and the holes filled.
I intend to paint directly onto the bare plaster, which is in good condition.rather than re-paper.
should i do anything  to the walls before painting them.
i want to use a satin finish emulsion if possible

When you have finished the making good and rubbed it down, it's worthwhile touching it up with some matt emulsion and letting it dry before applying the silk emulsion. A satin or silk emulsion will tend to highlight any imperfections, so make sure you make a good job of the preparation. (filler tends to show through silk emulsion, thats why I said touch it up with matt).

The kitchen and bathroom paint that Twobarrows mentions, is essentially acrylic eggshell.

[quote author=hamilton  link=1151448679/0#2 date=1151510388]When you have finished the making good and rubbed it down, it's worthwhile touching it up with some matt emulsion and letting it dry before applying the silk emulsion. A satin or silk emulsion will tend to highlight any imperfections, so make sure you make a good job of the preparation. (filler tends to show through silk emulsion, thats why I said touch it up with matt).

The kitchen and bathroom paint that Twobarrows mentions, is essentially acrylic eggshell. [/quote]





I second that.

Not only does filler show through silk, but can show through matt also, unless like hamilton says you 'spot the filler', whack some paint paint on the filled bits with a brush a couple of times, before you roll, cause if you have biggish lumps of filler the roller can lift the filler when rolled directly on it, and will make a right mess of your roller.

What I do when I have big lumps of filled areas, is I whack a bit of diluted PVA on them, then I spot it, then I roll, this seals this filled bits and prevents the filler from crumbling, as it did happen in the past, so I make sure it never happens again lol.

I know people swear by silk or soft sheen for kitchens, but I never use it, I have always used matt, unless its for a client and they want silk etc.
I think silk is horrible, it shows up every lump,and  indents, and unless you have a pukka smooth walls it can look awful.

I  buy a good quality Matt, like Dulux, they have one out that has teflon in it, I forget what its called, but apparently its 10 times stronger and better, and its wipeable, and dont fade the paint after you have wiped it.
Infact all Dulux matt is wipeable now, but this one is the Bees knees, costs a few bob more, but well worth it.

Baby wipes or wet wipes are great for getting marks off your freshly painted walls.

Cora, the Dulux with the teflon has a label saying TOUGHGUARD on it!!!! ( just had to buy some at clients request!!!!  GAWD!!)

and Hammy i am calm, you may not be .... check out your apprentices, trade paint page!!!

Matt or shiny glaze Scotty?

Sounds like fresh air, how much extra did he charge? :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

[quote author=scotspark  link=1151448679/0#9 date=1151621069]matt

he did the same/ something similar when he did my new built in wardrobes (MDF) painted them with matt paint (emulsion i think but not sure) then coted them with something and still left a matt finish [/quote]



He probably used a Matt clear varnish , Whenever I have painted MDF wardrobes, I have always used oil-based undercoat, and the top coats either eggshell, or satinwood,all oil-based, this also gives it extra protection, from the undercoat through to the topcoat, and it gives it a really nice finish.

I have on occasion, cause client bought it, the paint made for MDF, but to me the finish wasnt as nice.

Just read your message hammy, didnt realise how many posts I had, how many do I have to have before I lose the newbie title.

Thanks for all your tips guys. there isnt really any large holes to fill just nail holes and general knocks in the plaster, I will seal all the walls with pva before painting, i will be using a soft sheen finish. Not all your cup of tea but its what I prefer

 thanks again for your help