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New drywall primer gone bad

8K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  DynaPLLC 
#1 ·
I'm not new to this great site, but am now posting a question for the first time.

My husband and I are owner/builders. Brought in a painter, highly recommended, to prime new drywall. Used PPG Speedhide, sprayed and rolled. Saw nothing wrong with end result. These walls have actually been sanded as well. Photo attached. Hope it uploaded right.

Had to bring in my drywall guy to skim coat every inch. Some areas were so thick with primer, we ended up doing several skim coats/sanding.

Skim coat done, I rolled Gardz over all skim coated walls. Finish coat is BM Regal Eggshell.

Question is...is it possible to spot prime with Gardz, before final finish coat, without it flashing? I did a sample section, and I can see exactly the area where it was rolled. Do I actually have to roll an entire wall with the Gardz again before final eggshell topcoat?

I am finally at a point where I can contribute...I can't lay brick, hang drywall or pull wires, we'll pull wires I can do. ? We just want to live in this house and be done with building it. Thanks so much for any guidance.
 

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#2 ·
Oh wow what the heck was that painter using? 5" nap? Maybe he sprayed to thick and didn't want to even it out and just backrolled it like sour cream on a burrito.

I like the Speedhide sealer , but I'm not sure about Gardz. Wild guess, you should be fine just spot priming and 2 coats of Regal. Make sure you feather the patch in real good otherwise you'll see it .

Don't you hate it when painters come highly recommended only to find out they kniw nothing about painting? I sure do...
 
#5 ·
What's the reason for spot-priming with Gardz if you've already rolled the entire walls with Gardz? Are you saying you rolled the Gardz, then on a test spot, rolled some more Gardz, then painted with Regal? If you can see it flashing, then you already know the answer to your question. Regal is great stuff. If you're worried about sheen uniformity, put 2 coats on at the manufacturer's recommended thickness. If you still don't like what you see, use a lower sheen. The higher the sheen, more imperfections are accentuated.
 
#7 ·
Haha...kinda like sour cream on a burrito!

This whole screw up has set me back a couple months! My drywaller would prefer that we put one coat of finish over the Gardz on then he would come back and point up. That's why I tested a spot. Gardz, 1 finish coat, then spot primed then final coat. I'm sick that the area was obvious. It just seems that the only way...after the point up...is to prime the entire wall again. I have 6,000 square feet of house to paint, and just had a total knee replacement. Sorry if i'm whining...but my body ain't 25 years old any more! Thanks!!
 
#9 ·
Looks to me like your expert painter needs to ditch the $1.00 1" nap cover he bought in a 6-pack at Dollar General and get a real roller cover.
 
#15 ·
I appreciate all your comments. My drywall guy has and is using halogen lights, as I am. He is such a kind man and just feels so bad and has done way more for me than I expected. i don't know what he painter thought or did, he just didn't do anything right. Sorry if I'm on wrong site...yes I am a diy'er, but this was a "professional" paint job that went wrong.
 
#18 ·
I appreciate that! He came recommended from several people who have some pretty high end homes. Maybe they just aren't as picky as I am. Honestly, I have been painting since I was a young girl...I am not a pro but I have been asked to work for some over the years. I paint for friends and family...I consider it a labor of love. I just couldn't do it all myself since I just had a total knee replacement. Sorry, I really dont mean to sound like a drama queen
 
#23 ·
Friday night or Sunday morning priming instead of going to church; doesn't matter. A good painter does quality work knowing that Monday morning he has to deal with whatever he did over the weekend.
I usually try to spend Saturdays with the family, but if I'm tight with the schedule on Friday night and I have to spray or whatever, I leave it for Saturday morning...less stress and piece of mind that everything is done right.
But then again, I learned to work like the owner is watching my every step even though they're in Africa in a vacation .
 
#24 ·
Sure, but even the most distracted pro would use a screwdriver on a screw, not a hammer....

I've seen a lot of bad primer as well, reskimmed a lot of bad primer jobs, many of those were a result of the drywallers priming their work. screwing up fresh dry wall is not difficult to do but this one takes the cake especially if the guy actually markets himself as a professional.

the guys hit the nail on the head with the analogy of sour cream on a burrito...no bueno for the lactose intolerant.
 
#25 ·
I've seen a lot of bad primer as well, reskimmed a lot of bad primer jobs, many of those were a result of the drywallers priming their work.
Interesting. Almost every drywall job around here has the drywallers priming their own work. Most painters won't go near a big drywall job unless it's already primed as it's not as easy to see how decent a finish job's been done until it's primed. Once you touch the primer to the fresh drywall it becomes your responsibility.
 
#26 ·
I've seen a fair mix of both...depends on the drywall company I suppose. Last one I had to fix was in a kitchen remodel, the drywaller primed it himself. Looked like he used a trowel instead of a brush in some areas. I get there and there's deep brush strokes in the middle of a smooth wall he figured "it would paint out" ?????? he did use the right nap though, never mind the lap lines...some of the drywall prime guys have it figured out pretty well though, just not that particular one. (we were the painting sub for a gc)

I like it when we're coordinated with the drywallers (on our gc'd projects) to have us just prime (so I can use what I like) and they can swing back through the next day if need be. If it's just little stuff we just take care of it seams or ?? and we'll have him come back through. eh...it works for us.
 
#27 ·
I agree there seems to be a lot of drywall guys doing their own priming while just as many that don't making you liable for all the "peaks and valleys" in their work...
I was fortunate enough to be a sub for a big construction company that was working with a team of drywallers that primed their work then come back fix the rest then prime again.

I rarely had to do any spackling as the walls were super smooth to begin with... If all the jobs were like that though, I'd be writing this message from a lanai in Bora Bora watching the stingrays through the glass floor.
 
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