Painters, a question about drywall primer.

[T Bone]

Question for those with more painting experience than I.

Can flat latex paint be used as drywall primer on new construction?

It will be rolled on.

I've found a bunch of flat interior paint priced at well below what drywall primer costs.

Your experience?

 

[Falcon75]

Have to use primer first or you will always have different sheen on wall and where mud is no matter how many coats you put on.

 

[Pmacc60]

Many paints on the market are self priming and primer is not necessary and sometimes a waste of time unless your hell bent on a third coat on walls. Three coats on new construction is not a bad idea but if your going to do that use either a designated primer sealer such as Sherwin Williams pro block, PPG gripper or Zinsser 123 . Key word here sealer, these products give and added ability to block stains and hold out top coats for a nicer finish . Hold out means paint dries to a more consistent finish look. A coat of flat or wall primer is just a coat of flat paint , if the color is similar then you can get good results if the color is different you need two top coats.

If you are painting a room or even your whole home even bare drywall use a good quality interior latex flat, matte or eggshell finish and skip the prime coat because it’s not needed . As I stated many paints on the market are self priming , what that means is they seal the substrate , including new joint compound . That becomes important if you need to touch up a patch before you start the finishing process the patch does not burn through ( shows up as different sheen) Flat paint is the easiest to work with because it hides defects in your walls and ceilings, use flat on ceilings except possibly kitchen and bathrooms. Matte or eggshell on those ceilings for washability. Matte finish is durable and has washability , it also is more forgiving on wall defects , as the sheens go up eggshell, semi gloss and gloss the wall condition will be exposed. higher the gloss the higher the durability But the more likely to see imperfections in your walls.

My family has been in the painting business since 1949 and I have been a paint contractor for 43 years painting some of the nicest homes in the State of Delaware. Feel free to PM me with any questions or I can give you my number to better walk you through things that will make this easier for you. Painting is something everyone thinks they can do but few can do well. Trust me try to hire a good painter but if you take your time and have good paint you can turn out a nice job. Good luck