Walls checked for damp and for alkali before the first coat
Why — act while you have leverage
New plaster is chemically alkaline and full of water. Paint applied over either lifts, blisters or discolours — and it will be your paint bill that is questioned, not the schedule that caused it.
What to look at
- Plaster given its stated drying time before any coat
- An alkali-resistant primer where the wall is young
- No painting started during a wet week to keep the crew busy
How to check it yourself
The code treats both moisture and alkalinity as things to deal with before painting, not after. Give new plaster the drying time the paint maker asks for. Where the schedule cannot wait, an alkali-resistant primer is the answer — but that is a product decision, made and paid for deliberately, not a coat skipped.
Where this comes from: IS 2395 (Part 1) — handling substrate moisture and alkalinity before painting (indian standard or building code)