Preping drywall before primer/sealer?

[ripsnortMN]

I am just finishing up the sanding on the garage walls. What do you guys do to get the drywall dust off of the wall before you prime/seal? Should I just use a damp sponge? I have an air compressor but it would kick all the dust everywhere if I were to spray the walls. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MXtras]

I sweep the walls with a clean, soft broom first, vacuum up the dust, let it settle for an hour or so then vacuum the walls and floor again.

Scott

 

[twostory]

I brush off the wall/ceiling, then vacuum the floor. Then use a slightly damp rag and wipe all the surfaces down. Keep a bucket of clean water around to frequently clean the rag with.

If you leave too much dust on the surface, the first coat of primer will not stick very well to the dust.

 

[sbutz17]

You can also use 2 fans at opposite ends of the garage if you have that layout... one blowing in and one out then go nuts with the leaf blower. I think the volume of the leaf blower helps move the dust out better than an air compressor.

 

[Tom2]

I use a lightly damped rag/towel. Even compressed air probably won't get all of the clingy dust off.

 

[ripsnortMN]

Great guys thanks. It looks like i'll hit it with the broom first and then with a damp rag/sponge.

 

[1320stang]

I don't sand, I use a damp sponge to 'work' the dried mud. no dust.

 

[ripsnortMN]

I don't sand, I use a damp sponge to 'work' the dried mud. no dust.

I tried the sponge sanding. I can say that it doesnt work as well as the sanding screens that I bought. It doesnt take off enough material for me. I originally wanted to do the sponge sanding but it just wasnt working out.

 

[Tom2]

Yea, you don't get as good of results with sponging unless you happen to be very good at mudding - or of course, if perfect results aren't absolutely necessary.

 

[Ray-CA]

How about a tack rag?

Ray

 

[stricht8]

Damp rag rinsed out frequently.

 

[ripsnortMN]

Well guys i just finished wiping the walls down. I used the broom method which worked well followed by the damp sponge. I used a mop type thing with the sponge on the end so I could reach the ceiling pretty well. Overall it worked excellent. Now tomorrow I will be primer/sealing the ceiling and walls.

I will be using the Zinsser bullseye 123. I hope the mud on the walls doesnt absorb the Zinsser that much. I would like to get away with one coat of Zinsser if possible. Then on to some satin white.

 

[sbutz17]

Check out my thread... that's one coat of Zinser 123 on fresh drywall with a coat of satin latex. I calculated the sqft as 8 gallons of Zinser... I ended up using 12 gallons. I did however only use 8 gallons of latex for the finish coat.

 

[twostory]

I will be using the Zinsser bullseye 123. I hope the mud on the walls doesnt absorb the Zinsser that much. I would like to get away with one coat of Zinsser if possible. Then on to some satin white.

I recently did the same thing, one coat of bullseye 123, followed by two(2) coats of satin white. Everything turned out well.

The first coat of white was okay, but a second coat was needed to get even coverage.

Note: I used SW interior Duration, the interior Duration is much thinner than the exterior Duration.

 

[sbutz17]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33802&highlight=sbutz17

 

[ripsnortMN]

Well I just got done prime/seal the ceiling. Holy sore arms batman! My left arm is pretty rubbery feeling.LOL. I am going to head out to finish up the walls. Then on to paint tomorrow maybe.

 

[ripsnortMN]

I just finished primer/sealing the whole garage. Wow does that bullseye 123 stink! It looks like I got decent coverage with one coat. Tomorrow I think I will finish with a satin interior paint. Thanks for all the help fellas.

 

[dodgepolara500]

No need to use Zinsser Bullseye for new drywall. Use standard PVA Sealer which is made for new drywall. Zinsser is made for stain blocking or color changes. PVA is what professsional painters use.

 

[JMURiz]

Check your local store (lowes, Home Depot etc) for Bare Drywall sealer...that's what I used. Seemed to work great, only needed 1.5 coats of paint color on my walls after using it...but I went ahead and did 2 full coats of color.

If there is some dust, remove it with a cloth like the others have stated.
My drywall people used a drywall sander with a vacuum attachment so the dust was almost non-existent.

 

[MXtras]

I agree - the expensive primers on new walls is a waste of money. I recently used an off-brand sealer/primer and achieved coverage in one coat with the primer and the subsequent paint. It worked just as well as the most expensive stuff I have used in the past.

Scott

 

[Klunker]

My Dad was a Drywall contractor. I worked for him when I was old enough to clean out a house after the rockers where done. I never cared for it. I did clean-outs, rocking, taping, finishing and preped for spraying.

on the dust issue,
The secret is to use the proper amount so you don't have to sand. Its easier said than done, like anything a good taper makes it look easy. Till you try it!!
1) Tape joints and spot nails/screws
2) 2nd coat to smooth-out joints and nail spots
3) light sand (a typical 1800 sq ft house takes about 1/2-1 hr to sand) My dad would sand, prep spray rig while I would tape off windows before spraying. We could spray 2-3 houses a day depending upon travel time size etc etc
4) Spray a paint primer mixed with texture. Primer was nothing special. The joints do **** up more primer than the drywall. You could see everything when the primer was wet. Looked more even when dried.

 

[ripsnortMN]

This is the stuff I used for a primer/sealer. It says its for new drywall and I have heard good things about this stuff which is why I went with it.

http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=11