? priming drywall

[mig]

Hi,

This has probably been answered before but after googling it for this group I couldn't find exactly what I needed.

I've put up the drywall in the basement, only on the walls.

I'm finished putting the mud on the nails and seams.

Here's my question:

I plan to put drywall 'texture' on the walls. Should I prime the drywall with paint first?, then apply the texture?, and then paint over the mud texture... or can I skip priming the drywall with paint and just put on the mud texture and paint over that.

Thanks,

Mig

[T. Stewart]

On behalf of the next home owners (if it comes to that) yes prime the drywall. Our bathroom had 7 layers of wallpaper and an unprimed drywall base. We ended up pulling off some of the drywall with the wallpaper and had to re-mud the entire bathroom drywall. Needless to say, we now have learned two things:

1) we are never doing wall paper

and

2) always prime your drywall

T.Stewart (de-lurking for the moment)

[DanG]

Texture before prime. You can get a pleasant "roller stipple" texture by mixing texture in the primer/paint. Most commercial work is done this way. Heavy knock down type textures are done with drywall compound after tape and bed.

I personally don't believe in primer. Multiple layers of paint or even single coat back rolled paint can do the same thing. The compound areas tend to absorb paint at a different rate than the paper until the surface is sealed. ______________________________ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) [e-mail]

[marson]

Depends on how fussy you are. high end work calls for priming before texturing, because the texture will take differently over the joint cmpd vs the paper. but it takes a pretty good eye to notice it.

[willshak]

When I had my house built, the drywall contractor asked if I wanted a swirl pattern on the ceiling of the LR after the initial joint and nail plastering. He said it would cost $150 extra to do. We said yes. He applied the watered down spackle with a wallpaper brush in a swirl, left-right-left-right, right over the ceiling drywall and first coated seams without any primer. It came out very nice. After we had it done, we figured that putting the texture on the bare ceiling saved the contractor from having to come back two more times to sand and apply the second and third coats of plaster. Live and Learn. :-) It's been up there for 21 years and has been repainted twice. It still looks good and hasn't had any problems.

[Calvin Henry-Cotnam]

I would recommend priming first. A primer is not ordinary paint, it is a sealer. When drywall is used, joints and nails/screws are covered with mud, leaving you with a surface of varying consistencies.

Ordinary paint, as well as texturing material, contain moisture when applied and must dry and cure. The drying and curing are effected by the rate that moisture leaves the material that is drying and curing. When the surface has been primed/sealed, anything applied will dry or cure evenly across the surface. Factors like temperature and humidity that effect the drying and curing will effect the entire surface evenly.

On an unprimed drywall surface, locations with mud tend to pull water out of the finish (paint or texturing) and the differinig drying/curing rate on these spots can often be seen in the finish.

[Doug Miller]

No, I can't agree. On behalf of the next owners of your home (who may not want textured walls), you should prime first -- that makes the texture much easier to remove.

Not really. Finish paint adheres to primer better than it does to unpainted surfaces. That's what primer is for.

Well, duh. That's what primer is for -- to seal the surface. No wonder you have problems with different absorption rates. Try using primer next time.

[ccs>ikyr]

I just had fresh sheetrock painted. The painter used "drywall primer" first, which he told me is different than ordinary primer. I have no idea if that's true or what the difference is.

[Tammy T.]

Take it from me ...I just replaced the drywall in my livingroom, prime it. An unprimed sheet of drywall will do nothing other than suck up any moisture put on it. You will have a h*ll of a time removing the texture in say 10 years if you don't. And I don't know how well the pain over the texture would turn out if you don't. I havent ever texturised anything but I'm going to venture a guess that the paint color will not look as nice if the texure isn't in good shape (too thin in some spots bc of no primer).

Tammy

[Hank]

The drywall primer referenced above is also known as heavy body primer. If you apply this primer you eliminate the hot spots where the dry wall compound is as well filling in minor imperfections. Under texture it'll allow some better drying control and allow the texture to cure correctly! After having done the entire first floor gut rehab believe me the drywall primer is a requirement the finish paint when applied comes uniform and I used an low lustre latex enamael and it is beautiful. Of course I also sprayed the primer with airless and rolled the finish. The ceilings had to be popcorn texture sprayed on to match the rest of the house. I might also add that for 10 years I ran a paint and wallper store the customers usually followed my advice those that didn't well they usually ended up applying additional coats to hide the hot spots!

HTH

[Charles Bishop]

How likely is it that someone would want to remove texture, that's been painted over a couple of times, rather than just floating the entire surface. I don't think you need to prime before texturing-I do a couple of sandings, then texture.

If someone wants to put wallpaper up, they will have to float and prime anyway.

[Randy Cox]

For all the reasons stated by each person, you can do it either way. You can prime it before texture........or after you texture and before you paint. You don't even have to prime it to paint it....but you'll use a lot more paint if you don't and marks on the wall will show through.. Me, I like to tape and bed, then texture with dry wall compound out of a five gallon bucket. When I have it like I want it, I "seal" it one coat and paint the next coat. They usually prime more in new construction and seal in remodel. I use Kiltz. It comes in water base and oil base for really heavy needs.........like over smoke damage or marks a lot graffiti. It might take two coats of paint but usually one seal coat.........then one paint coat works.

Good luck, Randy