I'm getting ready to paint the drywall in my garage after a fun and festive taping and sanding project.

Is there any advantage to using a dedicated "primer" before the finish color, or is it just as easy to plan two coats of the real paint?

Thanks!

Do a coat of primer. Have it tinted especially if you are using bold color. The drywall, and joint compound in particular, will suck up new paint like a sponge. Using primer first will help with less coats of paint.

Seems to me most paint these days has primer in it already so you may just need a couple coats of paint/primer in one.

I have never used primer on new drywall and never had an issue.
Though I do use the higher end eggshell Porter Paints.going with a higher sheen may cause one to see some differences maybe.
Only time I have ever used primer on drywall was when my wife no longer wanted a wonky merlot covered with something far lighter.

As a homeowner, I rocked my basement and garage. I sprayed primer on the drywall, then textured and re primed. Finally I sprayed my color. Maybe its overkill but I got a darn nice finish.
Mike

Use the primer.

From what I've been reading, Zinsser 123 is pretty popular with the PVA products falling out of favor. Any recommendations?

Zinsser Cover Stain is my preference but it is not water based.
You can topcoat with Latex or anything you want.
YMMV

No need for primer if you're using flat paint. Just go with 2 coats and be done. If you're using a semi-gloss you'll need to prime because the mud for the seams will flash through. And by prime I mean a coat of flat paint. No need to use a "primer/sealer" because you're not trying seal in stains or cover a dark color of paint, etc.

Adhesion sucks without primer.

Yes, you absolutely need primer on raw drywall. Use a polyvinyl acetate primer. The stuff is cheap, like $8 a gallon, and forms the bonding layer as well as sealing the board. Without the primer, the taped seams will show through more readily. Some people think they’re getting by with using multiple coats of topcoat, since PVA is a base ingredient in all latex paints, but that is simply wasting money. There are ¡¡NO!! professional painters that would apply topcoat to raw wallboard.

BTW, 2 in 1 paints are crap. They increase the PVA content while reducing the solids. They are neither a good primer nor a good topcoat.

do this.

Yes, you absolutely need primer on raw drywall. Use a polyvinyl acetate primer. The stuff is cheap, like $8 a gallon, and forms the bonding layer as well as sealing the board. Without the primer, the taped seams will show through more readily. Some people think they’re getting by with using multiple coats of topcoat, since PVA is a base ingredient in all latex paints, but that is simply wasting money. There are ¡¡NO!! professional painters that would apply topcoat to raw wallboard.

BTW, 2 in 1 paints are crap. They increase the PVA content while reducing the solids. They are neither a good primer nor a good topcoat.

A) Make sure its really dry. Paint on damp drywall will not work... (First hand experience. We had an area that took longer to dry out.)

B) Definitely primer. We also use epoxy paint, so it might be a bit more important for that.

Wait for the moisture content to normalize, then:

Always prime raw wallboard. Always prime raw plaster. Always prime raw wood.

Unless you're going for natural clear coat, always prime.

Unless you're a slumlord painting your rentals, always prime.

Use a primer, like an ultra hide. It will help smooth out/cover the tape lines, and it will also help seal the drywall.

Sheet rock has much more porous paper than in days gone by, with less sheen as well. Pre-priming is an absolute must do on new wall board. Some contractors insist on back rolling the primer as it is applied, this will result in a nicer one coat eggshell paint finish in the lighter neutral colors. As stated, always prime it.

A painter friend once told me to definitely "prime" but you don't need actual primer on new drywall. He used flat white ceiling paint and said it gave him the best results and was cheaper than the primer. He said he only used true primer when doing a drastic color change or covering water, smoke, or other discoloration.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:...

Unless you're a slumlord painting your rentals, always prime.

Arc, your not referring to the time tested Slummerville splash and a dash slum lord/Contractor method?! I’m ashamed...!

Yes primer use a primer coat.
Tinted helps a lot, as said above to meet your “sassy” new look!

mcrimm: Yes sir, that is how it is done. Whether spraying or troweling on texture mud, it goes on more uniformly on top of primer. We did a lot of hand troweled 'swirl' and 'Mediterranean' style texture followed by a primer coat for a nicely sealed wall finish. If not primed the porous paper absorbed the moisture faster than the areas covered by mud. Resulting in dull spots on painted walls instead of uniform sheen. Back rolling the paint layer could alleviate this to a large degree, but not entirely.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Yes, you absolutely need primer on raw drywall. Use a polyvinyl acetate primer. The stuff is cheap, like $8 a gallon, and forms the bonding layer as well as sealing the board. Without the primer, the taped seams will show through more readily. Some people think they’re getting by with using multiple coats of topcoat, since PVA is a base ingredient in all latex paints, but that is simply wasting money. There are ¡¡NO!! professional painters that would apply topcoat to raw wallboard.

BTW, 2 in 1 paints are crap. They increase the PVA content while reducing the solids. They are neither a good primer nor a good topcoat.

+1

If you want it to look good always prime then paint.

I will also add, flat paint looks great right after its applied, and is easier to cover small imperfections in prep work. It's that latter part that makes it popular with contractors. After that initial application it shows scuffs and dirt worse than any other finish, and it is almost impossible to clean well. I use semi-gloss for everything. Over time it's a much better finish.

First prime with a quality dedicated drywall primer which is designed to adhere, seal, and be easily sanded. Then if you ever plan to use anything other than a flat finish sand the entire surface. If you don't think sanding is important wipe your hand over your wall after priming and notice the difference in texture between the joint compound and drywall itself, you'll feel smooth and rough areas all over. Sanding smooths up the rough areas so the wall is even. You can then paint with whatever finish you wish (100% acrylic recommended). BTW sanding the walls is no big job at all just use a pole sander and lightly go up and down the walls, you can do a bedroom size room in 10 minutes or so. I like to broom or vacuum the dust off before applying the finish paint.

I can't tell you how many times I had to look at "paint" complaints which were nothing other than bad workmanship (omitting sanding the primer being one of the more common especially in new houses). Builder uses contract grade flat paint (often w/o priming or sanding first) which looks even and covers beautifully. Homeowner soon finds it can't be washed so has to repaint with better quality paint in an eggshell or satin finish. After rolling on a coat of eggshell they find the finish to appear uneven...... dull, shiny, dull, shiny, areas all over. A second coat doesn't make it go away, you can rub your hand over the walls and feel the uneven texture. It can be fixed but finish paint doesn't sand as easy and nicely as primer.