Replies

1. 
   davidmeiland | Aug 04, 2006 07:56am | #1

   Not so sure about the shadow issue, but the texture sticks better to primer, or so say both of the drywallers I use. Neither one will texture over unprimed board. I like subs who take care of me like that.

2. 
   FastEddie | Aug 04, 2006 02:36pm | #2

   Use primer that is labeled as suitable for drywall primer.  I don't know the difference, but some primer says it on the label.

    

   "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

3. 
   Brooks | Aug 04, 2006 03:05pm | #3

   You should always prime sheetrock. The paper facing is more absorbant
   than the taping, so you get different effects as you move from tape to 'rock. It won't look nice without it...

4. 
   PeterJ | Aug 04, 2006 05:47pm | #4

   Done it both ways. Priming first gives more even look to texture...particularly with minimal light texture. If it's heavy texture that covers more like a coat of paint, it could be optional.

   For best final paint result, prime before and after texture. Rolling and brushing latex directly on texture will soften / smear / remove it.

   PJ

   Everything will be okay in the end.  If it's not okay, it's not the end. 

1. 
   RRooster | Aug 05, 2006 02:04am | #5

   99.9% of the time, prime, texture, prime.

   Last little install/remodel job, the painting was up to the HO, and we went primer after texture only.  Came out fine.  Drywall finisher didn't want to wait for the owner to prime, and return to the job to texture another day.  Can't blame him. 

   http://grungefm.com

    

5. 
   trout | Aug 05, 2006 05:05am | #6

   I'm originally from an area where priming is never done, even on pure high quality jobs and we never had a problem.  Priming does make the job more forgiving and less paint is needed after the texture.

   It seems in our neck of the world, under some rock, we never had problem by omitting the primer because our paint is applied thick enough to even things out.

   On high quality jobs I'm comfortable with either route, because either can work well, but priming before texture makes any problem areas show up better and they are easier to skim so that's my first choice.

   Many sheetrock finishers use the primer as a crutch since they don't use work lights to highlight problems.  Laziness and a chance to pass some of the cost to the painter so the owner doesn't realize how much they are really paying.  The better finishers do their own priming.

   Why does it take 6 subs to do sheetrock anymore (drywall contractor, delivery, hangers, tapers, painter, touch up and texture)?

   Cheers

1. 
   DonCanDo | Aug 05, 2006 12:40pm | #7

   Many sheetrock finishers use the primer as a crutch since they don't use work lights to highlight problems. 

   Maybe it's just semantics, but I don't see using using primer as a "crutch".  I see it as one more step to ensure a quality job.  Even with decent lighting, it's sometimes hard to see high and low spots that deserve attention before a coat of primer is applied.

   Having said that, I have yet to be called in as the painter to find that the taper/spacker has done any priming.  When I'm the taper/spackler (even if I'm not going to be painting), I usually prime, but I generally do repairs, not "construction".

   -Don

1. 
   trout | Aug 06, 2006 12:56am | #8

   Maybe it's just semantics, but I don't see using using primer as a "crutch".  I see it as one more step to ensure a quality job. 

   I agree that it can be a cost effective step in any tape/texture job. 

   What we're seeing more of are tapers who leave an awful lot of work and call it ready for primer.  When they're done half the joints are touched up and a significant amount of the job then has to be spot primed.

   Tapers are sometimes treating the priming as a freebie, since they aren't picking up the expense, costing the GC or homeowner more than it should.  Priming once and spot priming a small amount of touch up is one thing, while having to reprime half the surface is another.

   When shooting for a good class 4 smooth finish (short of skimming the entire wall surface as for a class 5) there's just no excuse for leaving large amounts of obvious flaws that should have been caught prior to final sanding.

   In the past few weeks we had to ask three sets of finishers to use work lights on the final sand.  That's pure laziness or ignorance of what a smooth finish requires.  We had two of them come back for obvious touchups before we'd shoot primer.  On one occation they admitted to forgetting the final sanding altogether. 

   The most obvious flaws that bug me are corner beads that aren't nearly filled in enough.  While taping corners it takes 2 seconds to check such things with a 12" knife.  On the final walk through I'll simply use a 12" knife to show how far out of whack things are.  All we ask is for all joints and corners to not allow more than a smooth 1/16" gap over a 12" knife.  For all but the worst lighting this will pass 99% of our clients. 

   We do our own smooth wall work on smaller remodels and all repairs and touch ups. 

   Cheers,

   (another) Don