Fleister — Interior plastering and drywall finishing | fleister.com
Drying and full-cure times by plaster thickness, plus the moisture test that clears a wall for paint.
A gypsum plaster finish at 2 to 3 millimetres over a base coat follows the rule of one millimetre drying in about one day. A 3 millimetre finish therefore needs about three days before it visibly sets.
Surface setting is not full cure. The wall commonly needs 2 to 4 weeks before it reaches its stable moisture level, and paint should wait until residual moisture is below about 5 percent.
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That threshold is confirmed with a moisture meter reading rather than by appearance. Readings should be taken at several points on the wall, including corners and the lower edge where moisture lingers longest.
A skim coat over drywall, at 1 to 2 millimetres, follows the same cure logic but needs a PVA primer before the finish paint. The primer does not shorten the cure; it seals the surface for even paint absorption.
Gypsum plaster itself sets in about 30 to 90 minutes after mixing, which is a working-time figure, not a drying figure. Confusing the two leads to sanding or painting a coat that has only stiffened on the surface.
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