I’m not sure where I read this or if I just fabricated it and thought I read it somewhere. Do any of you guys use self priming paint so that you don’t have to prime the walls then hit them again with one or two coats of paint? I plan on just washing the walls and then painting over the existing paint which is a light pink to avoide the primer coat … this should save a weekend of work. anyone have any opinions on this…or is it someting I dreamt up? :]
As long as:
(1) The walls are in decent shape and do not need significant patching, and
(2) The walls are relatively clean and free of grease, crayon, etc., and
(3) The “light pink” really is, and
(4) You are using a decent top coat
…then, you should be able to apply a top coat right over the current paint with no issues.
Keith
hehe so there’s no “self priming paint” eh?
umm i already patched a few spots with spackle…does this violate all the bullet points you wrote above? ;]
they arent’ to bad…i’m just trying to save some time here…painting the whole house 3 times is ridiculous…i’m barely willing to do it once…
ryan
One thing to always remember with painting, the prep and priming is more important most times than the final application. The time spent preparing, cleaning and patching, always makes for a better finished product. A rush job with the best paint around looks just like what it is, rushed.
If you have already spackled and sanded the spackling, just prime the patch, feathering the primer out into the previously painted area and paint over it with top coat.
David’s points are well taken…do a good prep job. But priming for no reason is a waste of time and money. Only prime if you need to.
Keith
i was under the impression you should always use a primer…or at least if the paint was dark enough.
so what you’re saying keith, is that since my paint color is pretty light…i can just prime the patches of spackle and paint directly over eh? i like that approach ;]
If you want to do it one coat (or two at hte most), and you are covering a relatively light color, the secret is decent paint!
You can get cheaper paint (Dutch Boy, Lucite, etc.) but I think it is more expensive in the long run because you wind up doing 2-3 coats when 1-2 would have sufficed with decent paint. I like Ben Moore but has gotten very expensive. They have a contractor grade that covers well and, while still pricey, it is not astronomical. I also use a house brand from my local paint store. When the price of fuel went up, so did the price of their paint. Next property, I might move to Lowe’s house brand which gets great reviews (Consumer Reports “Best Buy” for five straight years)…I buy in 5-gallon pails - it saves 10-20% on most brands.
Keith
I like Ben Moore but has gotten actual expensive. They accept a architect brand that covers able-bodied and, while still pricey, it is not astronomical.