# Best Primer for drywall



## jburchill (Oct 3, 2010)

Hello, just wondering what is the best brand of primer to put on new drywall that has been taped and mudded. 

Is the high builder primer the best to use?


Thank you


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

No need for a high build primer unless you think the drywall work isn't up to par. Sherwin Williams has Drywall Primer & Harmony wall primer that will do the job for you. Benjamin Moore also makes a quality drywall primer. Avoid the PVA primers if possible as they are cheap/chalky substitutes for quality primers from real paintstores.


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

I would go for a dedicated drywall primer as well, versus a multi-purpose primer. It's goes to your chosen finish as well. If you're using BM finish, use a BM primer. Now you have a system, as the manufacturer's primers are intended to complement their finishes, makes sense. Also, if your using a sheen finish, choose a primer/sealer, and this will help fully develop the sheen of the finish coat as the sealer has what is called enamel holdout. A straight primer is flatter, dryer and will absorb some of the sheen out of the first coat. A straight primer is good for finishing with flat.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

Yes, avoid PVA primers at all costs. They are a complete waste of time.


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## jburchill (Oct 3, 2010)

What is so bad about the PVA primer? Also what does PVA stand for? I saw some decent reviews of a PVA primer at Home Depot. Just wondering why its so bad.


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Polyvinyl acetate or alcohol. It is to paint resins what the Yugo is to cars. Cheap, down-and-dirty, bare-bones monomer that becomes a polymer. Sticky sometimes too. Used in cheaper paints and equal primers. PVAlcohol basically is what White Elmers wood glue is made of...

The terms primer and primer-sealer are commonly used interchangeably, but there is a difference. A 'Primer' is made mainly from fillers like talc and pigments like Titanium dioxide and is designed to fill out textural variations on drywall and to provide a good surface for the paint to stick to. Howver, primers do not contain enough resin to even out the porosity of different surfaces, such as drywall and joint compound. 

"Primer-sealers" are designed to go over a porous surface and seal
off suction caused by porosity and to prepare a surface for painting. Primer-sealers generally contain more binder and less pigment than primers.​ 
Probably the most commonly painted and often least-prepared surface is drywall. PVAc (polyvinyl acetate) primer-sealer is a latex base product with a polyvinyl-acetate binder. A PVAc primer-sealer seals the porosity of drywall and is a great-performing product for a relatively low cost.​ 
So, the best thing for a DIYer to use on new drywall+joint compound that will have porosity issues is a PVAc Primer-Sealer.​


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## jburchill (Oct 3, 2010)

Gymschu said:


> No need for a high build primer unless you think the drywall work isn't up to par. Sherwin Williams has Drywall Primer & Harmony wall primer that will do the job for you. Benjamin Moore also makes a quality drywall primer. Avoid the PVA primers if possible as they are cheap/chalky substitutes for quality primers from real paintstores.




This is my first time putting up drywall. So being my first time, i guess I would like to hide any imperfections. I was kind of leaning towards the high build primer. Any good suggestions?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

SW has a high build primer that is excellent. A bit pricey, but it fills small nicks and levels out the minor imperfections in the drywall. You won't get as much coverage with it as you would a regular primer. Best of luck. P.S. I like to sand the primer after a day or two of drying time. Then vac/clean dust off and begin the paint process. Your walls will be as smooth as a baby's bottom.


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## jburchill (Oct 3, 2010)

Curious, does the High build not go on smooth? I find that odd. Also, what grit do you sand with? And do you need to sand if you are going to texture the wall?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

High build goes on smooth. Primer, no matter how much dust you remove from the drywall before priming, has a bit of a sandpapery feel to it after drying. It's not too bad and some people paint right over it. I just prefer to use a pole sander or circular pole sander with about 150 grit to knock off that bit of roughness and remove any "buggers" that get into the primer and get stuck on the wall. Not a necessary step for a DIYer, but for us pros, very necessary. Definitely DO NOT need to sand if you are texturing.


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## Gatorb8 (Jun 8, 2011)

I agree that the best overall finish is gained by using a quality primer. But, PVA serves a purpose to only seal fresh drywall to gain sheen hold out. If your sole purpose is to prevent the paint from soaking into the drywall PVA will work great. If you have stains on the new drywall, tape lines, or other issues I would go with a higher build primer for better results.

Another thing to consider is the sheen of the top coat. If your sheen is flat or low luster these products are inherently self priming as you are not trying to build a sheen. It all depends on what you desire as a top coat.


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

Gatorb8 said:


> Another thing to consider is the sheen of the top coat. If your sheen is flat or low luster these products are inherently self priming as you are not trying to build a sheen. It all depends on what you desire as a top coat.


Low luster is not a sheen? It is--a low sheen. I would hesitate to say that flats and low lusters are _inherently self priming, _asthey will exhibit the same characteristics as sheen paints but, since they absorb more light than they reflect, they don't reveal so blatantly. In certain lighting situations, flats can give you a real headache, especially since many flats are not true/dead, and have a slight angular sheen. Besides, what is _self-priming_ anyway? I've been trying for two decades now and can't seem to find anyone willing to give a definitive answer to that question, let alone stand behind that assertion. I used to use MAB's Luster Lite and Wal-Shield Eggshell over unprimed drywall patches with no flash after two coats, no more. And, they say those are self-priming. In the paint industry, what use to be is no longer, and I'm not sure what is really is anymore. I have very little faith/confidence/certainty in what's coming in cans today.


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## mustangmike3789 (Apr 10, 2011)

jsheridan said:


> Low luster is not a sheen? It is--a low sheen. I would hesitate to say that flats and low lusters are _inherently self priming, _asthey will exhibit the same characteristics as sheen paints but, since they absorb more light than they reflect, they don't reveal so blatantly. In certain lighting situations, flats can give you a real headache, especially since many flats are not true/dead, and have a slight angular sheen. Besides, what is _self-priming_ anyway? I've been trying for two decades now and can't seem to find anyone willing to give a definitive answer to that question, let alone stand behind that assertion. I used to use MAB's Luster Lite and Wal-Shield Eggshell over unprimed drywall patches with no flash after two coats, no more. And, they say those are self-priming. In the paint industry, what use to be is no longer, and I'm not sure what is really is anymore. I have very little faith/confidence/certainty in what's coming in cans today.


 i cant give you a definitive answer or stand behind the assertations.but i can give you some examples: i use some epoxy coatings that say they are self priming, direct to rust and can be used as a top coat, etc.... then they are followed up by saying...if used as a top coat it is recommended that a clear poly be applied to prevent chalking. well that kind of throws out the top coat application. this product claims to be direct to rust on marginally prepared steel. will it bond to tightly adhered rust? yes it will. does it add any protective value over rust? very little. is this the right way to address rust? nope. does it pevent rust over clean steel? in perfect conditions, maybe. this product will go on to say that a sacraficial primer such as zinc or aluminum primer should be used over steel. this is a good product but it does contradict itself. imo, this product sounds more like it is intended to be used as a mid-coat. i feel that paints and primers are designed for their true intended purpose and trying to make and all in one product would have to be done by leaving something out for flow and coverage . everyone wants to take the easy way out. sure it sounds good to the ears when you hear "paint and primer in one" but i think that they would have a hard time selling this if they called it "primer and top coat". that just doesnt sound so appealing now.


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## mustangmike3789 (Apr 10, 2011)

jsheridan said:


> Low luster is not a sheen? It is--a low sheen. I would hesitate to say that flats and low lusters are _inherently self priming, _asthey will exhibit the same characteristics as sheen paints but, since they absorb more light than they reflect, they don't reveal so blatantly. In certain lighting situations, flats can give you a real headache, especially since many flats are not true/dead, and have a slight angular sheen. Besides, what is _self-priming_ anyway? I've been trying for two decades now and can't seem to find anyone willing to give a definitive answer to that question, let alone stand behind that assertion. I used to use MAB's Luster Lite and Wal-Shield Eggshell over unprimed drywall patches with no flash after two coats, no more. And, they say those are self-priming. In the paint industry, what use to be is no longer, and I'm not sure what is really is anymore. I have very little faith/confidence/certainty in what's coming in cans today.


 i cant give you a definitive answer or stand behind the assertations.but i can give you some examples: i use some epoxy coatings that say they are self priming, direct to rust and can be used as a top coat, etc.... then they are followed up by saying...if used as a top coat it is recommended that a clear poly be applied to prevent chalking. well that kind of throws out the top coat application. this product claims to be direct to rust on marginally prepared steel. will it bond to tightly adhered rust? yes it will. does it add any protective value over rust? very little. is this the right way to address rust? nope. does it pevent rust over clean steel? in perfect conditions, maybe. this product will go on to say that a sacraficial primer such as zinc or aluminum primer should be used over steel. this is a good product but it does contradict itself. imo, this product sounds more like it is intended to be used as a mid-coat. i feel that paints and primers are designed for their true intended purpose and trying to make and all in one product would have to be done by leaving something out for flow and coverage . everyone wants to take the easy way out. sure it sounds good to the ears when you hear "paint and primer in one" but i think that they would have a hard time selling this if they called it "primer and top coat". that just doesnt sound so appealing now.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

took two (2) posts to get that point across:laughing:


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## mustangmike3789 (Apr 10, 2011)

chrisn said:


> took two (2) posts to get that point across:laughing:


 i guess i did. probably still didnt get the point across though.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

Gymschu said:


> No need for a high build primer unless you think the drywall work isn't up to par. Sherwin Williams has Drywall Primer & Harmony wall primer that will do the job for you. Benjamin Moore also makes a quality drywall primer. Avoid the PVA primers if possible as they are cheap/chalky substitutes for quality primers from real paintstores.


Just a side note both of those are Poly Vinyl Acrylic primers.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

A lot of primers contain Polyvinyl acetate. I think why Gym was getting at is that the low cost straight PVA primers such as;


http://www.sherwin-williams.com/document/PDS/en/035777111543/

generally don't perform as well as other drywall primers, and can be problematic (flashing) over certain types of joint compound.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Thanks for clarifying that, JMays.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

Jmayspaint said:


> A lot of primers contain Polyvinyl acetate. I think why Gym was getting at is that the low cost straight PVA primers such as;
> 
> 
> http://www.sherwin-williams.com/document/PDS/en/035777111543/
> ...


This.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

Jmayspaint said:


> A lot of primers contain Polyvinyl acetate. I think why Gym was getting at is that the low cost straight PVA primers such as;
> 
> 
> http://www.sherwin-williams.com/document/PDS/en/035777111543/
> ...


That I can agree too. Just like there is latex paint, Then there is Latex paint!


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Nailbags said:


> That I can agree too. Just like there is latex paint, Then there is Latex paint!



Lol. Good one. 

It was capitalized on wiki, idk.


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## JMDPainting (Sep 7, 2009)

I started using Sherwin Williams PVA drywall primer and sealer about 6 months ago to cut back on costs and it's working fine. Covers well, sands nice, no issues at all.


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