We’re finishing part of our basement, and in an effort to save a little money we’re doing some of the less demanding work ourselves – mainly insulating and painting.
Once the drywall is hung and mudded and ready to paint, do we need to prime it? I was thinking that two coats of interior paint would suffice, but I’m not sure.
I did this once in a house we were renting. The drywall ended up soaking up the paint like a sponge. The worst part was that it wasn’t an even soak. So, we’d have to go back and touch up many areas. I’ve done it but it seemed to be less painful to prime it first.
For run of the mill, ordinary interior latex paint, priming isn’t generally necessary.
However, if the drywall is discolorored, or the consistency of the paint is thinner than latex, prime it.
Thanks!
The drywall is new, so any discoloration should be minimal. We’re gonna use a flat latex paint for the walls.
I was thinking that the mudded areas might create “shadows” on the wall underneath the paint, but I guess that won’t be a big deal.
If you’re going to texture the walls with a spay-on texture, that should suffice as a primer.
I haven’t worked much with flat paint (I prefer satin, myself), but I have noticed that the drywall mud has a tendency to absorb differently than the drywall. In other words, we could pick out any patches or joints. YMMV.
I would prime it.
They sell primer made for new drywall. It’s not as expensive or stinky as that hardcore stuff that you use to cover nasty colors from prior owners.
The primer will likely be cheaper than your paint, and it will give a smooth base.
Sauron, IMHO, after many years of side painting jobs, etc., I highly recommend you prime it. The primer seals the wallboard and the mud and provides a more uniform surface for the paint to adhere to. If you buy good paint, one coat of primer and one of the paint should do you fine.
** woohoo, my 1000 post! Yay for me…
I would use a primer. It evens out the color of the basecoat and gives some additional protection. Primer also dries quickly. Here is a short info page on the benefits of drywall primer.
Flat wall paint is the most forgiving to apply, and will mask many shadows or even a bad primer.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that it isn’t durable. Can’t clean it easily or even at all, and it doesn’t stand up to wear (even someone brushing against it).
To get closer to flat, but to have some durability, go with an eggshell finish.
Builders use flat paints because they are cheap, cover mistakes, and blend well. Homeowners run out to cover the flat paint the builders use because it’s as durable as wet tissue paper.
Flats belong on ceilings.
Thanks again, folks.
It sounds like primer certainly can’t hurt, and would likely help. That’s probably the best way to go, then.
If the installers try that powder-coating crap to cover up their work, I’m gonna be hacked.
A related question:
My relatively new house has cheap builders’ flat paint over spray-on texturing over drywall. The corners are rounded, with metal “bullnose” coverings. The texturing flakes off of the metal very easily. Most of the house has been left untouched, but I will paint most of it someday. Is there a texturing that will adhere better? Is there a treatment for the metal? What can I do? What can – I do?
Sorry, Nametag I can’t help ya.
Just wanted to chime in with another reason to prime the drywall. I just bought a restored vintage house. I hate wallpaper with a passion that burns like 1,000 suns. So, I started taking the wallpaper in the bathroom off. (I’m extremely grateful there’s only wallpaper in the kitchen and one bathroom. Otherwise, I probably would have made the previous owners do it.) Now I bought all kinds of tools and goodies to help get this wallpaper off, having removed wallpaper before.
Turns out, all I really need to do is find a loose corner and tug – the wall paper comes right off. Why? Because the previous owners of this house took the time to do it correctly: they primed the drywall, then put up a backer paper, then put up the wallpaper.
Every time I go in there to work on this project, I bless them again. Should you or the next owners decided to put up wallpaper, ever, whoever has to remove it will be very glad if you primed first.
If the metal is galvanized, it will need to be etched with muriatic acid or equivalent. This will allow the texture or paint to adhere better. Some will say to use vinegar, but in my experience that doesn’t work. For textured walls, I prefer eggshell, satin or even semi-gloss to flat. Flat paint looks nice on a smooth surface, but if you have kids, it’s a bad idea (as has been pointed out).
Those rounded corners probably should have been covered with a good primer coat before paint or other surface covering was applied. Builders will use the flat paint as a basic primer too often.
In other words, the flat paint is essentially the primer most of the time. Around metal, a ‘direct to metal’ primer should be used. Some primers really can be used over galvanized (but I wouldn’t think the corners would be galvanized).
You should be able to find a a quality 100% acrylic DTM, (direct to metal) water-based primer which offers excellent adhesion. It also may be used as a bonding coat over zinc rich primers, and would be an excellent choice for galvanized and aluminum metal.
Search on ‘metal primers’ or visit a major paint store and mention what I explained in the above paragraph.
If a cheap primer or primer/paint was used over metal corners, any covering like paint or texture gives out when the primer doesn’t adhere to the metal.
Prime it! You won’t regret it and it isn’t worth the money or time you might save by not doing this important step.
I am an Architect and believe me I have seen too many jobs where the mud shows through. Given that you are in a basement it is unlikely you will have light on this wall–but my experience has shown that if you do—any deviation will show through.
We always use 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of paint on our jobs.
good luck!
hakuna matata
There is a reason that there is a product line called primer, to prime the surface before you use the more expensive paint. Unprimed drywall will use at least twice as much paint to cover, probably more. Save yourself money and time by priming first. You will not regret it.
I’m with the primer crowd - you gotta do it. Appart from the many excellent reasons already given, a good primer will also seal the drywall, making it watertight, and if you are unlucky enough to have a flood, water pipe break, or other water problems in your basement in the future, it’s a lot more likely that your walls will just need a little scrub down, rather than a whole new sheet of drywall.
And believe me, removing and replacing soggy, mushy, smelly drywall sheets is not a good time.
If you really want to save money (and who doesn’t?), think about where you buy your paint. Look at the mistints at your local hardware store (make sure you get enough to cover though - often two cans can be mixed together to achieve this). Also, I have found good deals on good paint at local liquidation and discount stores. Have a look around - in my experience it can make the difference between $30 a can and $10 a can!