# Primer for lots of patches and drywall repairs



## BrushPro (Nov 15, 2018)

I have a repaint coming up where a drywaller has done lots of repairs including some skims over at least half of a wall, fixing holes etc. I was wondering what to use for this as I typically spot prime my patches with the wall paint I'm using. But with major repairs I'm worried about sheen build problems as I'm using an egshel. Can I hit these spots with something cheap like kilz pva primer, or even my ceiling paint which is promar400 or should I just get a can of bullseye 123 for this?


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Experimenting?*



BrushPro said:


> I have a repaint coming up where a drywaller has done lots of repairs including some skims over at least half of a wall, fixing holes etc. I was wondering what to use for this as I typically spot prime my patches with the wall paint I'm using. But with major repairs I'm worried about sheen build problems as I'm using an egshel. Can I hit these spots with something cheap like kilz pva primer, or even my ceiling paint which is promar400 or should I just get a can of bullseye 123 for this?


First off, what is on the walls now? If it is flat and you want a uniformly sealed surface so the eggshell does not flash, I would use Gardz as directed:

Apply GARDZ liberally to the entire surface using a brush,
medium nap roller or sprayer, to ensure good penetration.
Do not over apply or the coating will sag. GARDZ appears
milky blue-white during the application but dries water clear.
Properly sealed surfaces should have a uniform sheen.
Reapply to areas that have been missed or lack sufficient
coating. 

https://www.rustoleum.com/~/media/D...GDZ-01_GARDZ_High_Performance_Sealer_TDS.ashx

If you have an eggshell or higher sheen already on the walls you might get away with just applying Gardz to the repaired areas.

Some more info and maybe pics would be good.

futtyos


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## Vinyl 54X (Mar 12, 2019)

Are they planning on doing more patching after you prime? Use something tinted to finish. The tapers should turn the wall over good to go, Not stop you after 1 coat to fix his issues or the 2nd coat to patch a hump they did not see before. It becomes never ending.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

I think whether you go with GARDZ, or Zinsser 123, you should still apply a coat of the finish over all patched areas and let it dry thoroughly before applying a finish coat to the entire surface.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

PPG 6-2 tinted to the finish color as close as possible!


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## BrushPro (Nov 15, 2018)

Here is a photo from the owner, I won't get in there for a bit. Pretty sure walls were egshell but could be flat. Two top coats will be going on top of everything


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Personally, I've never had an issue just spot priming with the finish paint, but its better to use a primer, (really, ANY primer will work) then spot prime again with finish paint, then final coat the whole thing. As long as there is two finish coats on the patch, it should look good, as long as you're using a decent paint, even without a primer. I've never had an issue doing it this way. I only use a primer if its a LOT.


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## BrushPro (Nov 15, 2018)

Apparently this is consistent all over the apartment. The dry Waller will be done once I'm in there, but you know how that goes...


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

If your using sw (you said 400 flat is your ceiling) then use a full Prime coat of multi purpose. It removes any questions of flashing and inconsistencies and if you tint it to the topcoat you'll probably get away with one finish.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

I recently taped, mudded,primed and painted a 2 car garage. I used Kilz vinyl drywall primer/sealer that I bought at Home Depot for $48 for a 5 gallon pail. I used the entire 5 gallons and it looked tremendous for a primer coat. I was really surprised given the cheap price. I always buy joint compound at HD and decided to give the primer a try.

I sprayed the primer and paint with a Graco 514 FFLP tip and there were no lines. It's the first time I've used a FFLP for drywall. It's one of the few times I've ever sprayed walls because it was an empty garage. I can see why the new construction painters spray walls.

BTW that's the last time I do any more major taping jobs. The taper I use was busy so I decided to do it myself. Big mistake. It took me 4 days to tape and mud a 2 car garage. I bought a 6' bakers scaffold which really helped. That said I'm way too slow to make any money at taping. I used my Porter cable 7800 drywall sander with a Festool dust extractor and the 180 grit paper worked great. No swirl marks from the 9" orbital wall sander.

Sorry for the off-topic tangent...lol


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## BrushPro (Nov 15, 2018)

I feel like getting the cheap kilz would be similar to using the promar 400 over it.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Mr Smith said:


> I recently taped, mudded,primed and painted a 2 car garage. I used Kilz vinyl drywall primer/sealer that I bought at Home Depot for $48 for a 5 gallon pail. I used the entire 5 gallons and it looked tremendous for a primer coat. I was really surprised given the cheap price. I always buy joint compound at HD and decided to give the primer a try.
> 
> I sprayed the primer and paint with a Graco 514 FFLP tip and there were no lines. It's the first time I've used a FFLP for drywall. It's one of the few times I've ever sprayed walls because it was an empty garage. I can see why the new construction painters spray walls.
> 
> ...


Unless you have a bazooka and boxes and know how to use them then taping by hand is like brushing and rolling as opposed to spraying, no where near the production.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

Brushman4 said:


> Unless you have a bazooka and boxes and know how to use them then taping by hand is like brushing and rolling as opposed to spraying, no where near the production.


Not for small jobs. So much clean up and expense with all those bazooka machines..(different story for big jobs) Knowing how to hand tape is a great skill that every painter should know..imo. 


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

finishesbykevyn said:


> Knowing how to hand tape is a great skill that every painter should know..imo.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk




Completely agree. After all... "the painters will fix it."


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

finishesbykevyn said:


> Not for small jobs. So much clean up and expense with all those bazooka machines..(different story for big jobs) Knowing how to hand tape is a great skill that every painter should know..imo.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk


I agree about the time needed for cleaning, and the cost of taping tools, but on larger work, it's the only way to go.

I've been taping and patching for a long time and hand taping is great for small jobs, but the production rate is not there, its more of a convenience thing.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Brushman4 said:


> I agree about the time needed for cleaning, and the cost of taping tools, but on larger work, it's the only way to go.
> 
> I've been taping and patching for a long time and hand taping is great for small jobs, but the production rate is not there, its more of a convenience thing.


I'm really not a fan of taping. It would be a nightmare if that was my entire job day after day.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Brushman4 said:


> I agree about the time needed for cleaning, and the cost of taping tools, but on larger work, it's the only way to go.
> 
> I've been taping and patching for a long time and hand taping is great for small jobs, but the production rate is not there, its more of a convenience thing.


I've been taping as a painter for more than thirty years and the closest I ever came to using production equipment was a taping banjo. And I used it once. 

And although I've developed some pretty competent taping and texturing skills over the years, I could never produce at the production level of an actual taper. The same goes with my wallcovering skills. As far as painting production, I no longer have a sustainable fifth gear to compete at a high production level. But I get by. Probably with my outstanding personality.


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

What do some of you consider to be too large to hand tape? I just did a job that was over 30 10' sheets. We did the hanging and finishing. All hand taped and still made out very well. I have not been "trained" by a pro drywaller just from what I've learned from those before me and by personal trial and error. Most of my jobs require some type of taping to do proper drywall repair before painting.


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

Brushman4 said:


> PPG 6-2 tinted to the finish color as close as possible!


Second this.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Tinting primer for patches seems a little overkill, but to each his own...


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## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

I usually just use BM Sure Seal. I know lots don’t like it but I don’t have a problem with it. It has zero hide but provides a good seal. Levels nicely too. Two coats will block water stains. At least so far!


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Woodco said:


> Personally, I've never had an issue just spot priming with the finish paint, but its better to use a primer, (really, ANY primer will work) then spot prime again with finish paint, then final coat the whole thing. As long as there is two finish coats on the patch, it should look good, as long as you're using a decent paint, even without a primer. I've never had an issue doing it this way. I only use a primer if its a LOT.


I once an issue spot priming drywall patches. I repaired the drywall damage with all-purpose mud.

It was supposed to be a one coat paint job going over the same color. I used Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec 500 eggshell. 

Every single spot prime could be seen flashing through the topcoat. I had to paint another coat at no cost. What a disaster. This is why I'd be hesitant to spot prime with Gardz or any primer.

I've also spot primed with paint and it has flashed through. This happened after it had dried overnight. 

My lesson learned is to spot prime twice if you plan on doing a one coat job. There's something about the new low VOC acrylics that don't seal as well as paints in the past. It may not happen to all paints but I do it just the same.


If I'm doing 2 coats,I just spot prime, let dry for 2 hours, apply first coat, and then re-coat 3-4 hours later. If I need a faster re-coat time I just spot prime twice with no worries of flashing.

Until you get burned with paint flashing this might seem like overkill. I used to laugh at a painter who spot primed on a 2 coat job, but not any more...With the old paints I got away with it.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

jr.sr. painting said:


> What do some of you consider to be too large to hand tape? I just did a job that was over 30 10' sheets. We did the hanging and finishing. All hand taped and still made out very well. I have not been "trained" by a pro drywaller just from what I've learned from those before me and by personal trial and error. Most of my jobs require some type of taping to do proper drywall repair before painting.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I estimated 30 4' X 10' sheets of drywall to be equivalent to two 12' X 12' rooms. Ceiling and walls. I wouldn't have a problem tackling that with hand tools. Although it would take me about two days to fire tape with all purpose joint cement and another three to four days to complete with a texture for a total of 5-6 days. 

For a higher level smooth finish, it would likely take me about 8-10 days. And that's using the roll on mud method followed with a lay down. Which frankly, I've never done before, but looks like it would speed things up.

This is all solo.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Woodco said:


> Tinting primer for patches seems a little overkill, but to each his own...


Just pull out your universal color rack and go to town! https://www.uspaintsupply.com/paint/cal-tint-ii-starter-set-12-colors-with-rack/


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

Woodco said:


> Tinting primer for patches seems a little overkill, but to each his own...


Obviously, it’s not 100 percent necessary and really color dependent. However, it’s useful if you’re not painting under ideal conditions (such as you’re using paint that doesn’t perform at a level you normally use because it’s owner supplied, specced by an architect, etc) AND it’s also free to do. So whether it makes a 2 percent difference at worst and a 10 percent difference at best in the quality and speed of my work, I’m going to do it.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Mr Smith said:


> I once an issue spot priming drywall patches. I repaired the drywall damage with all-purpose mud.
> 
> It was supposed to be a one coat paint job going over the same color. I used Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec 500 eggshell.
> 
> ...


I kind of test it. I spot prime once and see if it looks good. If its questionable, I'll hit it again before final roll. What I was saying, is I've never had an issue spot priming a patch twice with paint, before reroll. I didnt mean just one spot, although that works a lot of the time.


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## BrushPro (Nov 15, 2018)

Woodco said:


> Mr Smith said:
> 
> 
> > I once an issue spot priming drywall patches. I repaired the drywall damage with all-purpose mud.
> ...


Because I'm two coating I think I'll be hitting it once with my ceiling paint, apply first coat, see how it looks, then hit patches with wall paint one more time before final coat if it looks bad. If it looks really bad maybe twice before final


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## jeffnc (Mar 14, 2011)

Woodco said:


> Personally, I've never had an issue just spot priming with the finish paint, but its better to use a primer, (really, ANY primer will work) then spot prime again with finish paint, then final coat the whole thing. As long as there is two finish coats on the patch, it should look good, as long as you're using a decent paint, even without a primer. I've never had an issue doing it this way. I only use a primer if its a LOT.



I agree. Tinting primer is often a waste of time. Standard PVA primer is also often a waste of time. Gardz of course is an excellent sealer and it will do no harm. I will only use it if the wall has real issues though. Spot priming and two coats, both with the actual finish paint, is all you really need. Just make sure the spot prime coat has actually dried well first, or else you can still get flashing.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

The only time I've ever tinted primer is if Im doing dark color cabinets. I dont like the idea of tinting wall color primer. The topcoat should be heavy enough to cover the primer. I have nothing against doing it, but I dont think its necessary. Maybe if I knew the whole house was going some really dark color or something... but usually, no.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

jeffnc said:


> I agree. Tinting primer is often a waste of time. Standard PVA primer is also often a waste of time. Gardz of course is an excellent sealer and it will do no harm. I will only use it if the wall has real issues though. Spot priming and two coats, both with the actual finish paint, is all you really need. Just make sure the spot prime coat has actually dried well first, or else you can still get flashing.


 
I'm one of those weirdos that believes PVA (Poly Vinyl Acetate rather than Poly Vinyl Acrylic) is a product that was originally intended as a high pH resistant treatment, or sealer for bare drywall surfaces that would be followed by a primer and finish coating system.


But because of the industry's need to cut out labor time by offering all in one products, bare drywall is often not receiving proper treatment in my opinion.


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## Vinyl 54X (Mar 12, 2019)

CApainter said:


> I'm one of those weirdos that believes PVA (Poly Vinyl Acetate rather than Poly Vinyl Acrylic) is a product that was originally intended as a high pH resistant treatment, or sealer for bare drywall surfaces that would be followed by a primer and finish coating system.
> 
> 
> But because of the industry's need to cut out labor time by offering all in one products, bare drywall is often not receiving proper treatment in my opinion.


Like USG 1st coat???


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Vinyl 54X said:


> Like USG 1st coat???



USG 1st Coat is a vinyl acrylic, not a vinyl acetate.


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