To Primer or not to primer

[scottiem]

Getting ready to start my garage make over and going to paint the walls and ceiling before epoxying the floor. The walls and ceiling currently have a coat of paint on them, granted not the greatest job as they sprayed the walls when I had the house built. With that said just wondering if I should prime first or just paint. Walls are currently beige and looking to go with a tan on upper half of walls and ceiling and maroon on lower 40% of the wall. Would like to get a good paint where all I have to do is one coat but will do two coats if I have to. Any recommendations on a good paint to use. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

 

[shannonw]

i always prime, it just saves bucks on paint...you don't have to be super neat with primer so it goes quick and just makes the painting easier, quicker and cheaper (less paint). Though darker going over lighter you could probably get away with it.

beige over tan without primer may be iffy depending on how picky you are. for one coat paint i'd prime.

You just missed the sherwin williams 40% off paints (ended monday)

 

[rsanter]

Should be fine without primer cuz it already has paint on it and you are not going lighter on the paint

Bob

 

[bravvo]

My experience is that primer is only really necessary over raw drywall or if you are trying to cover something up. (Really dark paints colors or water stains). That being said I have never been able to get a true one coat coverage with any paint I have used, even over primer. I always just plan on two coats of paint and no primer.

I am not an expert by any measure.

 

[Joe B.]

My experience is that primer is only really necessary over raw drywall or if you are trying to cover something up. (Really dark paints colors or water stains). That being said I have never been able to get a true one coat coverage with any paint I have used, even over primer. I always just plan on two coats of paint and no primer.

I am not an expert by any measure.

Agree 100%. (Most pro painters I have seen will do the same thing. No primer over existing paint and then stick with two coats.)

 

[katotter]

As a hardware salesman, for the last eight years I'd go one of two routes.

1. I would prime with a proper universal undercoat. You said they sprayed initially, there might be air bubbles, dust particles, and alike be under the current paint that will be exposed once new paint is painted on.

2. I would buy a proper paint additive, cannot use examples as I do not know what you have in your country. This is a super fine molecule composition that once painted removes all the air from the wet paint, thus ensuring better adhesion and longevity of the finish.

My 0.02c

 

[scottiem]

With the info you all provided I plan on just painting and bypassing the primer as the colors going on are darker then what is currently on the walls and see how it goes after one coat but will plan on doing two if necessary. Any recommendations on a good paint. Right now I'm planning on visiting either Home Depot or Lowes as I get a 10% military discount unless someone has better recommendations. Thanks again.

Scott

 

[jshillin]

It depends on if if the paint on the wall is gloss/semi-gloss. If it is, I would use an adhesive primer or sand the walls first to get rid of the sheen. If it's flat or eggshell and the paint is in decent shape, just clean it up good and paint over it.

 

[ts3342]

With the info you all provided I plan on just painting and bypassing the primer as the colors going on are darker then what is currently on the walls and see how it goes after one coat but will plan on doing two if necessary. Any recommendations on a good paint. Right now I'm planning on visiting either Home Depot or Lowes as I get a 10% military discount unless someone has better recommendations. Thanks again.

Scott

When i painted the walls in my garage i used pitt teck gloss white commercial paint . I really liked it and it is holding up real good.

 

[scottiem]

It depends on if if the paint on the wall is gloss/semi-gloss. If it is, I would use an adhesive primer or sand the walls first to get rid of the sheen. If it's flat or eggshell and the paint is in decent shape, just clean it up good and paint over it.

The paint is a flat and is in decent/good shape as it's just over a year old. Plan on going with a semi-gloss for the walls. Not sure what sheen I'm going to use on the ceiling. Have heard some have used semi-gloss or gloss but not sure which way I'll go. Any input on what sheen to use on the ceiling would be appreciated. I know most things you read say to use a flat but would like to hear from others.

Scott

 

[Leeboy20]

I have been a professional painter for 25 years ( I know doesnt mean much) But, i wouldnt prime if they are already painted. Primer is only for new surfaces, or stains or adheasion problems. I did my shop in "Pearl " ( between eggshell and semi gloss) Both walls and ceilings. The only paint you may get close to 1 coat will be Benjamin Moore Aura , but its way overpriced and seldomly covers in one coat like they say..But if its a shade off it might work. Just dont buy a contractors grade and go to a paint store rather than a big box store. For the maroon, i would use benjamin moore because most of their paints cover in 2 coats . If you go someplace else , they may carry a red tint base in a good product and get them to match it in that base. That should cover in 2 also. Hope some of this helps

 

[jvitez]

Glossy paint on the ceiling can cause annoying glare from ceiling mounted lights, which is why interior ceiling paint is a completely flat sheen. The higher the gloss the less garage dirt will stick, and the easier the paint will be to wash. But, I doubt any of us would ever wash our ceiling... I agree with Leeboy20: at most I'd use a Pearl sheen on the ceiling.

In my old house I used semi-gloss for the walls and interior flat ceiling paint, well, for the ceiling. The garage had about 1 year old bare drywall when I painted, so I swept all the walls with a broom, used a good coat of stain blocking primer, then two top coats on everything. After about 7 years of use before we moved the paint held up beautifully.

Do not use cheap paint! The labour is the same. I wouldn't prime in the OP's situation either, but plan on two top coats.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

I'm gonna go out on a different limb going from the recommendations I received when I was getting ready to paint mine...Yes it was new...but we were (still are) debating using the rest of my gray paint to paint the attached garage to match..same finish as you got now..sprayed on flat white.

BUT on existing paint most people I spoke with said they would go with a Tinted primer and then a topcoat...most pro's said a tinted primer essentially counts as a coat of finish paint when going over a pre-painted surface.
Also agree on the quality paint thing...I used Ben Moore on my garage. Wonderful stuff.

 

[retfr8flyr]

You should plan on using 2 coats. I would not prime with the walls being in good shape but with a contractor spray coverage there really isn't much paint on the walls and they will really soak up the first coat, especially with a dark color.

I just got through redoing my garage and I wouldn't do a semi-gloss on the ceiling, a satin would work much better. I also wouldn't go to the big box stores for the paint. Get a good quality SW or BM paint, you will not regret the extra cost. If you have an ACE Hardware near you their house brand, Clark + Kensington, is also a good quality paint.

 

[milner351]

I'm in a similar position - but older semi-gloss paint instead of one year old flat, sprayed.

I'm planning on going from the light tan / khaki color that is there now to pure white for maximum light reflection.

After years of trying all the different bargain paints on rental projects and home renovations, I only use Sherwin Williams now. (I've heard that if there aren't two names on the label, it's not worth using - S/W, B/M )

Power roller can save a lot of time when there is a lot of surface to be painted, and doesn't require the amount of masking / tarping of a sprayer.

How much sanding / cleaning is required to get new paint to adhere well to existing semi gloss paint? Should I use a spray bottle to mist on water/TSP or simple green and scrub with scotch-bright pad on a pole sander?

 

[scottiem]

You should plan on using 2 coats. I would not prime with the walls being in good shape but with a contractor spray coverage there really isn't much paint on the walls and they will really soak up the first coat, especially with a dark color.

I just got through redoing my garage and I wouldn't do a semi-gloss on the ceiling, a satin would work much better. I also wouldn't go to the big box stores for the paint. Get a good quality SW or BM paint, you will not regret the extra cost. If you have an ACE Hardware near you their house brand, Clark + Kensington, is also a good quality paint.

Ok you've all convinced me, I'll be doing 2 coats of paint and no primer. I would like to not spend more then $30 per gallon for paint as between the walls and ceiling I have around 1700sqft of paint to do. So what recommendations would you have in the SW or BM brands. Also I do have a Ace close to the house so might take a look into their Clark and Kensington. How many gallons do you think I will need. Some of the paint manufactures say you'll get 400sqft a gallon but they always seem to be on the high side. Also would it be beneficial to use a paint extender as I'll be painting it by myself.

 

[retfr8flyr]

The Clark & Kensington will probably run you a little more then $30 a gallon depending on what kind of a deal you can work out. The same with SW, I would go with the SW Superpaint if you decide on SW. I have used this paint for many projects over the years and it has never let me down. If you want to stay under $30 a gallon I would recommend checking out the Ace Royal paint in Satin and semi-gloss. I have had very good luck with this paint and it has gotten good reviews from Consumer reports. For 2 coat coverage I would guess about 200-225 sqft, on average, per gallon whichever paint you choose. The first coat will take a lot but the second coat should go on fairly thin. You can usually save some money buying the 5 gallon buckets.


Earl

 

[Al Bundy]

The only paint you may get close to 1 coat will be Benjamin Moore Aura , but its way overpriced and seldomly covers in one coat like they say.

I used this when I painted my garage to cover a previous coat that was way too dark. It was expensive but it did actually cover with one coat.