Whether you are building a new home or doing some remodeling at your house, I guarantee you at some point you are going to paint drywall and you might think that is really simple. Just open up the can of paint and get to work. But if you do that, you can make a big mistake. Here is why.
Check this out! Here is the drywall paper but here is the joint compound that you use to smooth out the joints and fill the narrow holes. There are two problems, not only does the joint compound have a very smooth texture compared to the paper. It absorbs paint at a different rate and if you simply paint it with regular wall paint, you are going to actually be able to see where the joints are and where the paper is even if it that is perfectly smooth. How do you solve that problem? It is simple. You get a special primer sealer that is made by many paint companies. What is in this paint? Two things, it has a special resin in it that is a lot like clear urethane that seals the surface so that when it dries, the next coat of paint does not readily soak into the joint compound. So that it makes the paint texture look very, very smooth. The second thing it has, it has a lot of heavy body pigments. They are basically really course. They are not so course that you can see it, those pigments will actually fill up the little microscopic bumps that are in the paper as opposed to the smooth texture of the joint compound. These paints are very, very affordable and they are easily tinted.
The latest technology for the primers is actually tinting them gray. Now what they do is the paint stores, once you pick out the color that you are going to use, they tint the primer a specific color of gray so that you get one-coat coverage on your final coat. If you get the right color gray, you can actually typically get by with just one finished coat of paint over the primer. It is as simple as that. Remember, get a primer sealer that is made for new drywall, just follow the directions and get it tinted gray if you are using a specific color. The paint store knows what to do.
I am Tim Carter for Ask The Builder and Living Color.
If you want to discover more home improvement tips, go to AskTheBuilder.com.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services