# Seeking advice on repaired drywall section painting



## shdowflare (Dec 12, 2011)

Hi all,

I've spend a good amount of time on these forums today and have learned a lot just by browsing! That said, I did come here to seek help for a particular issue with which I am currently dealing, and have not quite been able to get the information I need to finish up my home improvement task.

Anyway, I'm installing a fancy new vanity light in our bathroom, and the original light was much larger... so now there's a 3-foot by 6-inch section of bare drywall, which was underneath the old light fixture. There was also a 5-inch by 1-inch tear completely through the drywall (for the electrical wiring), which I've patched up using drywall compound.

Anyway, now that the wall is patched (and will be relatively flat once I finish sanding tonight), I am just about ready to prime and paint the previously unpainted/repaired section so it matches with the rest of the wall. I plan on applying primer to the entire section, then painting over the primer. That said, I've been re-evaluating my approach as I want to ensure the entire patched area is hidden after the paintwork is completed, so I was hoping to obtain some sound advice for my questions below.


Viewing the pictures here in my post, what strategy would you guys recommend to complete this job?
Should I prime the patched area only one time, paint that section once or twice using a roller, then repaint the entire wall after that section is fully dried? 
Should I prime the entire wall (including the patched section) once, then repaint the entire wall once or twice using a roller?

Whichever approach I use, my ultimate goal certainly is to ensure that the primed area will not look different than the rest of the painted wall - as each will have potentially been painted at different times and have different surface finishes underneath the final coats of paint as well.

Any expert advice in helping me finish out this task is much appreciated!

Thanks!
B

*PICS of the section to be painted:*


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

Welcome to the forum. I would prime the patched area only, using a primer/sealer, which is best to use under enamels, which it looks like you have now. Then I would use a mini roller and just paint the primed area. If you have the original paint, you might luck out and have it blend acceptably. Give it a day or two after to tone down. If it doesn't match acceptably then I would use a nine inch roller to roll the entire wall. 
Joe


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## shdowflare (Dec 12, 2011)

Sounds good I will give that a shot and let you guys know how it turns out! I appreciate the reply...


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Flare, Rule #1, Listen to Joe! Rule #2, ALWAYS listen to Joe!


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## shdowflare (Dec 12, 2011)

Hey guys,

So the job is finally completed and I'm really happy with the results. I took some more pics after each step (shown below) to show you how things turned out. Feel free to check them out.. :thumbsup:

And thank you once again for your great advice.. I will definitely be spending more time here for future DIY projects - you guys are rock stars!

Take care,
B

*Post-sanding/Primer applied:*


















*Two coats of paint applied to entire area above mirror:*


















*Electric wall remodel box installed into repaired drywall:*


















*New vanity light fully installed:*


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

Looks great shadowflare, real nice job. Did you have to recoat the entire wall? Hey, if we're such rock stars, where are all the groupies?


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## shdowflare (Dec 12, 2011)

Hey Joe! Actually I didn't.. what I ended up doing was put the first coat of paint over the entire section just above the mirror (as you recommended).. I noticed that paint did not completely conceal the primed drywall section - as it likely hadn't completely bonded yet.

So after that dried about 2 hours later, I did one more coat, this time expanding it out to include the area above the mirror (again), as well as the entire section running along side the mirror (on the right). I think this allowed the new paint to more seamlessly flow into the existing paint - as the border where the two paint coats blended was not really visible in direct light. I kind of used the lighting in the room to my advantage to hide any imperfections. It was probably overkill as those virtual seams didn't look bad at all but I am an uber-perfectionist so I did it anyway!

Thanks again for the interest! Talk to you guys soon. :thumbup:

-B


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

shdowflare said:


> Hey Joe! Actually I didn't.. what I ended up doing was put the first coat of paint over the entire section just above the mirror (as you recommended).. I noticed that paint did not completely conceal the primed drywall section - as it likely hadn't completely bonded yet.
> 
> So after that dried about 2 hours later, I did one more coat, this time expanding it out to include the area above the mirror (again), as well as the entire section running along side the mirror (on the right). I think this allowed the new paint to more seamlessly flow into the existing paint - as the border where the two paint coats blended was not really visible in direct light. I kind of used the lighting in the room to my advantage to hide any imperfections. It was probably overkill as those virtual seams didn't look bad at all but I am an uber-perfectionist so I did it anyway!
> 
> ...


Using light to your advantage:thumbsup:. Just a heads up, for your safety, there's a guy lurking in your bathroom covering his face so you can't see him. Careful.


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

I'm a johnny-come-lately here, with nothing to add but GOOD JOB!


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## shdowflare (Dec 12, 2011)

LOL, thanks guys.. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for that guy hiding in the mirror. Gotta give the Mrs. a heads up so he doesn't happen to catch her off guard! 

And thanks once more for the great advice and compliments. I really like how it turned out and I couldn't have done it so well without your tips.

In the future, I'll be sure to photo-log any and all DIY work I take on, in hopes that my work could possibly help someone else who may be facing a similar challenge.

Enjoy your weekend!
B


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