drywall primer and paint

[Wistrick]

So I am getting ready to primer my 24 x 24 garage before I texture it.....The salesman at the store where I bought the primer told me I will want to primer it again after texture before paint.....Is this really necessary or his he trying to sell my 5 more gallons of primer????

thanks

Dan

 

[St-rider]

Are you talking about texturing the ceiling? or walls?
In any case, I never heard of priming before texturing but I am no drywall expert.
Just primer after texture.

 

[The Cobbler]

primer before texture spray for sure . painting the texture will stiffen it, but it is a pain to do . mix paint in the texture mix as well , according to directions

 

[Rigpig]

Not sure about texture, but I'm in the process of painting the inside of my shop as we speak.
I've got a build thread on here in the garage section, 32x36.
Anyhow, it was recommended that i prime before paint and glad that i did because it took 2 coats of paint at $2-ish hundred for a 5 gallon pail.
Primer was cheap at $90 for 5 gallons and made the paint blend in a lot better.
Cheers!

 

[nadogail]

Yes, unprimed drywall drinks paint.

 

[icenfire01]

I have always textured and then primed. I have heard of mixing the primer with the texture but can figure that one out. If you look real close there are gaps between the texture (duh) so how can that provide better coverage than rolling it on after????

 

[csp]

x whatever the number is for texture before primer.

Paint in the texture is just a waste of paint. My dad experimented with that when we built his house. The walls with paint in the texture required as much paint to finish as those without.

 

[Slednut]

When I added to my garage and living space I primed, textured, primed and painted. I sprayed the primer and rolled on the paint. I didn't texture the garage.

 

[Davefr]

If you prime before texturing you can generally do a better job of texturing since you'll have a consistent base coat and it'll be easier to monitor your texture pattern.

The other trick is to have the paint store tint the primer to half the color formula of the final coat. That gives you a head start with coverage and can often save a coat or two of top coat.

I always buy the best premium paint I can from a real paint store. (it pays for itself in no. of coats and labor). I can't afford cheap paint.

 

[The Cobbler]

x whatever the number is for texture before primer.

Paint in the texture is just a waste of paint. My dad experimented with that when we built his house. The walls with paint in the texture required as much paint to finish as those without.

paint in the texture hardens the texture ...

 

[csp]

Like I said, it's a waste of paint. The texture doesn't need to be hard. The wall isn't supposed to be a wear item.

 

[cbracer]

Texture, then prime, then paint. Doing primer first before texturing doesn't make any sense to me. Unless you want your texture to take longer to dry since the wall will be less able to absorb moisture.

 

[Cyberbear]

My usual method is to (1) texture the drywall (2) knock down the texture for desired effect if needed (3) prime (4) paint. Your final finish is only as good as your preparation.
In my woodworking shop I prefer no texturing and a semi gloss to help keep the very fine wood dust from accumulating, and an occasional air blast and I have clean walls again.

 

[Wistrick]

What the salesman is telling me is to put a coat of primer on the walls before texture and then aftertetxture prime again..That is 2 coats of primer....I am using Sherwin Williams drywall primer...But 2 coats???? Seems he wants me to buy another 5 gallons of primer.....

Dan

 

[readhead]

Of course he is telling you that. He is a paint salesman. I have worked in several parts of the country and this process seems to be a regional thing. The surface needs to be primed because the drywall paper, the mud on the joints and the texture will all absorb paint differently producing an uneven sheen. The most common process I have seen is to prime last to seal the entire surface before paint.

 

[cosp600rr]

There are few reasons to prime before texture and then again after texture. If you prime before texture 2 things will happen. First it gives you a uniform color to look at when texturing. Try priming with a light gray or blue will contrast with the white texture. The drywall texture when it dries is very flat and hard to see imperfections in it. If there is a background color you will be able to see it better. Second reason is because the texture will dry at different rates and absorb into the drywall sheets and tape joints differently. This will cause it to "flash" after you paint the walls and ceilings. If not done you can pick out all the drywall joints where the tape and mud is after its painted. Especially when there is light on one end of the building shining across the ceiling. Painting the ceiling with flat paint will also help it to not be not be so noticeable after its finished. Here is a good picture for reference. This is an extreme case and not usually that bad. A trained eye can pick out all the joints if not done properly.

 

[speed bump]

What the salesman is telling me is to put a coat of primer on the walls before texture and then after texture prime again..That is 2 coats of primer....I am using Sherwin Williams drywall primer...But 2 coats???? Seems he wants me to buy another 5 gallons of primer.....

Dan

If you read the box of texture it will say you don't need to prime first. It sounds like a few people do prime first probably with good results but personally I never saw any difference in the finished product so I prime after the texturing is done.

 

[Hiball]

There are few reasons to prime before texture and then again after texture. If you prime before texture 2 things will happen. First it gives you a uniform color to look at when texturing. Try priming with a light gray or blue will contrast with the white texture. The drywall texture when it dries is very flat and hard to see imperfections in it. If there is a background color you will be able to see it better. Second reason is because the texture will dry at different rates and absorb into the drywall sheets and tape joints differently. This will cause it to "flash" after you paint the walls and ceilings. If not done you can pick out all the drywall joints where the tape and mud is after its painted. Especially when there is light on one end of the building shining across the ceiling. Painting the ceiling with flat paint will also help it to not be not be so noticeable after its finished. Here is a good picture for reference. This is an extreme case and not usually that bad. A trained eye can pick out all the joints if not done properly.

That's probably pretty good reasoning, I'm terrible at finishing drywall, but based off my own experiences and and just paying attention when out and about, not having a uniform primed surface or sometimes just spackling/patching then painting can stick out like a sore thumb. On a side note... I hate painting also, so doubling up on primer before and after texturing Probably isn't going to happen on personal projects.

I vote for after..

 

[RW-7]

Its not necessary to prime prior to texture. Most texture today has resins and other bonding agents to help with adhesion even on dusty drywall surfaces.
Always prime after texture.

 

[cosp600rr]

Priming before texture has nothing to do with it sticking to the wall.....

 

[csp]

It would take a hack tape job to see the joints. I don't buy it that you can see the seams if you don't prime. Every tract home built gets shot with texture without priming and those things get slapped up with speed in mind. As crappy as some tract homes can be I've never seen the tape joints in any of them and that kind of stuff catches my eye immediately when it's visible.

I know for a fact that mine aren't visible and primer didn't go down until after the texture was done.

 

[cosp600rr]

Ok. Im not going to argue with you about it. I gave a professional answer to a question. If nobody wants to hear it thats fine.

 

[readhead]

Either way will work just fine. Routines and common ways of doing things vary all over the world. It may be very common to prime after texture in Oxnard, California and everybody primes before texture in Santa Fe, New Mexico. No matter where you are common practices have been established. The tradesmen it their area will absolutely defend their position. It's not right or wrong it is just different.