# Garage drywall painting



## haylo75

Hi all. I came upon this site via contractortalk.com. In signing up for the forums there I noticed that one must be a contractor, and the DIY'ers need to register and post here. Frankly, I'd much rather post my question there as the activity and level of expertise seem much better than at this site. But, beggars can't be choosers!

Okay, on to the topic at hand. I'm gearing up to paint my interior garage walls. 'm new to painting, but I want to do this project right the first time. Most people would think, "it's only a garage", but I am a perfectionist with the quality of my work both professionally and as a hobbyist / DYI'er. Plus, this is a prelude to my painting our kitchen next year. In other words, I am willing to purchase the right products and spend the time required to produce the best results.

More about the project. The area is 20' x 20' drywall. Spackling was applied and sanded by the builder. *My goal is a flat white color that will stand up to rubbing, or better yet, clean off easily*. I'm not budget conscious (to a point ). The house is now 3 years old, and the garage has seen only light duty with the notable exception of cigarette smoke. My girlfriend (and formerly myself) smokes cigarettes in the garage, typically with the garage door closed. By my _conservative _estimate, over 20,000 cigarettes have been smoked in this garage.  Appalling, I know. That's why I quit!

Seriously, here are my observations about the garage's condition:





I'm concerned with the effects of paint adhesion with respect to the cigarette smoke.
There are some tire marks on the drywall from parking my motorcycle.
The walls have a thick coat of dust.
Action I've taken so far:

Wiped all walls down with a damp soapy rag to get rid of excess dust.
Masked window and door trim with blue 1 1/2" 3M tape.
As I run my hand across the wall, the original layer of dust is mostly gone. However, a bit of dust still exists. I searched quite a bit, but found nothing about my particular scenario. Was wiping the walls down kosher, or should I have done something else? Should I be concerned about the remaining dust, and if so what should I do about it? I also have questions about the paint process itself. There are many product related threads over at the contractortalk.com site, and generally speaking I've gathered this:


The Behr line leaves a lot to be desired from a professional's standpoint
Everyone has their favorites, but I saw positive remarks about BM, P&L (Ace Hardware nearby), SW (store nearby) and various regional brands.
I understand that I will require a primer, but I'm unsure of which type I need in order to meet my goal. Based on what I'm reading, my choice of topcoat type is intrinsically tied to my choice of primer. That's where I'm at right now. I've come across so much information (some of it conflicting), that my brain is filled up and I'm unable to separate the wheat from the chaff. Any advice is greatly appreciated, and I apologize if my query is too long or remedial. Any _good_ painting knowledge links, etc. are certainly welcome as well.

Thanks everyone!


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## Neil_K

haylo hello - ironically, we just talked about painting a garage interior:

http://www.diychatroom.com/showthread.php?t=795

It references priming, which is what you really need to get a good coat of on those walls. There are also good interior wallpaints that take a good beating and cleaning (I have 2 young boys and they do their share on the standard Duron painted walls, but it comes off fairly easily), but I'd wait to see if a pro says use a gloss or semi-gloss exterior paint instead...


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## haylo75

Yes, I did see the previous thread but I didn't want to reopen the same conversation as it looked wrapped up plus I had a lot to say 

I hadn't thought about using an exterior paint, which would certainly cover the damage equation.


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## donb1959

haylo75 said:


> Hi all. I came upon this site via contractortalk.com. In signing up for the forums there I noticed that one must be a contractor, and the DIY'ers need to register and post here. Frankly, I'd much rather post my question there as the activity and level of expertise seem much better than at this site. But, beggars can't be choosers!
> 
> Okay, on to the topic at hand. I'm gearing up to paint my interior garage walls. 'm new to painting, but I want to do this project right the first time. Most people would think, "it's only a garage", but I am a perfectionist with the quality of my work both professionally and as a hobbyist / DYI'er. Plus, this is a prelude to my painting our kitchen next year. In other words, I am willing to purchase the right products and spend the time required to produce the best results.
> 
> More about the project. The area is 20' x 20' drywall. Spackling was applied and sanded by the builder. *My goal is a flat white color that will stand up to rubbing, or better yet, clean off easily*. I'm not budget conscious (to a point ). The house is now 3 years old, and the garage has seen only light duty with the notable exception of cigarette smoke. My girlfriend (and formerly myself) smokes cigarettes in the garage, typically with the garage door closed. By my _conservative _estimate, over 20,000 cigarettes have been smoked in this garage.  Appalling, I know. That's why I quit!
> 
> Seriously, here are my observations about the garage's condition:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm concerned with the effects of paint adhesion with respect to the cigarette smoke.
> There are some tire marks on the drywall from parking my motorcycle.
> The walls have a thick coat of dust.
> Action I've taken so far:
> 
> Wiped all walls down with a damp soapy rag to get rid of excess dust.
> Masked window and door trim with blue 1 1/2" 3M tape.
> As I run my hand across the wall, the original layer of dust is mostly gone. However, a bit of dust still exists. I searched quite a bit, but found nothing about my particular scenario. Was wiping the walls down kosher, or should I have done something else? Should I be concerned about the remaining dust, and if so what should I do about it? I also have questions about the paint process itself. There are many product related threads over at the contractortalk.com site, and generally speaking I've gathered this:
> 
> The Behr line leaves a lot to be desired from a professional's standpoint
> Everyone has their favorites, but I saw positive remarks about BM, P&L (Ace Hardware nearby), SW (store nearby) and various regional brands.
> I understand that I will require a primer, but I'm unsure of which type I need in order to meet my goal. Based on what I'm reading, my choice of topcoat type is intrinsically tied to my choice of primer. That's where I'm at right now. I've come across so much information (some of it conflicting), that my brain is filled up and I'm unable to separate the wheat from the chaff. Any advice is greatly appreciated, and I apologize if my query is too long or remedial. Any _good_ painting knowledge links, etc. are certainly welcome as well.
> 
> Thanks everyone!


Prime the walls with Kilz (oil based). This will take care of the nicotine and the grime. To allow cleaning of the walls I suggest Ben Moore or Sherwin Williams semi gloss oil. Before finish coating the walls, get a pole sander and sand the walls with 150 grit sandpaper. Hope this helps


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## haylo75

donb1959 - thanks for the reply. Regarding the sanding step - I should sand after the Kilz primer coat?



donb1959 said:


> Prime the walls with Kilz (oil based). This will take care of the nicotine and the grime. To allow cleaning of the walls I suggest Ben Moore or Sherwin Williams semi gloss oil. Before finish coating the walls, get a pole sander and sand the walls with 150 grit sandpaper. Hope this helps


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## Teetorbilt

Just a reminder, many of the contractors over there prowl these halls as well. A reminder may be in order.


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## ProWallGuy

haylo75 said:


> donb1959 - thanks for the reply. Regarding the sanding step - I should sand after the Kilz primer coat?


I also prefer to lightly sand after the primer, and before the finish coat. Make sure to remove all the sanding dust with a tack cloth, swifter, etc.


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## haylo75

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I've read about lingering solvent odors with with Kilz oil based. I see that Kilz Odorless is oil based as well. Would it fit the bill in terms of smoke cover up? Is it really as "odorless" as the manufacturer claims? 

I have an old Black & Decker orbital sander and also a Porter Cable 7224 that typically sees car detailing duty. I take it either of these would be overkill on the sanding piece since a pole sander was recommended?


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## slickshift

haylo75 said:


> I have an old Black & Decker orbital sander and also a Porter Cable 7224 that typically sees car detailing duty. I take it either of these would be overkill on the sanding piece since a pole sander was recommended?


Yeah I think so
I have similar sanders and never use them in this type of situation
Lightly sanding is key here


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## haylo75

slickshift - Yeah that's what I figured as well. I'll just need to fetch a pole sander attachment, some 150 sheets and a tack cloth when I pick up the paint. Now I just have to decide which paint to get! 



slickshift said:


> Yeah I think so
> I have similar sanders and never use them in this type of situation
> Lightly sanding is key here


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## ProWallGuy

Instead of 150 grit sheets, go with sanding screens.


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## slickshift

ProWallGuy said:


> Instead of 150 grit sheets, go with sanding screens.


Yes, go with the screens
They are great
Well worth it and then some


haylo75 said:


> Now I just have to decide which paint to get!


What brand?
Well you seem to have a handle on it as per your first post
I personally use the Benny Moore whenever possible
Mention your *goal* to the helpful local paint store staff


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## haylo75

slickshift - I have easy access to Ben Moore, P&L and SW paints. The local Ben Moore retailer has a good reputation, so I am going to go visit with them first. I've been to the local SW store and was pretty disappointed by their service.


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## greg4090

*They all have good paint/primers*



haylo75 said:


> slickshift - I have easy access to Ben Moore, P&L and SW paints. The local Ben Moore retailer has a good reputation, so I am going to go visit with them first. I've been to the local SW store and was pretty disappointed by their service.


I happen to use mostly Sherwin Williams, and Benny Moore is their primary competition in most places. 

Almost every brand has a decent paint, and a good gallon of Behr from Home Depot or Kilz Color from Wal Mart is better than Moore's cheapest, or SW's cheapest.

In fact, if not for good SW service, I would consider the Kilz Line from WalMart, from primer to topcoat. Top quality paints, but hard to get in store service, and forget about tips or advice. And the cheap Wal-Mart Branded Paint is made by Sherwin Williams, and is very low grade, like their own A100. SW also makes Dutch Boy. But, the Kilz rivals the better name brands, and still is under $20 per gallon. Behr and Kilz are both made by Masterchem.

Oh, and I agree with oil primer over smoke stains for bleed through and adhesion, but would probably top coat with a semi-gloss latex. Good Luck!


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## slickshift

greg4090 said:


> Almost every brand has a decent paint, and a good gallon of Behr from Home Depot or Kilz Color from Wal Mart is better than _a _*kick in the head with a steel-toed boot*_._


Fixed it for ya 

...aside from me having fun with your post (sorry, I couldn't resist ), I would like to mention that I have used Behr and Kilz Color and IMO they are not comparable to to even the contractor grade BM or Pittsburg
This was alluded to by haylo75 in the original post, and I suspect that haylo75 will go with BM, P&L, or SW


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## haylo75

slickshift - Your quotation skills could easily land you a cushy position in the mainstream media 

greg4090 - Thanks for the information. I've seen so much panning of Behr over on the contractor forums that I've pretty much written them off as a choice. As for price in general, I'm willing to pay the $ necessary to get the right paint. More importantly, I'm looking for good service and advice. I, along with many others I know, have had bad luck obtaining either from big box retailers. For these reasons, I'm leaning towards a specialty paint store for my purchase.

On that note, I was getting ready to make some purchases but I spent a bit too much on my best friend's bachelor party last weekend! Definitely worth it though. I'll have the $ together by next weekend, so I'll be sure to let you guys know what I chose and how everything came out.


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## slickshift

haylo75 said:


> slickshift - Your quotation skills could easily land you a cushy position in the mainstream media


Ha ha ha...LOL...


haylo75 said:


> ...good service and advice


Worth every penny

Good luck with your project, please post back how it comes out


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## romelle

*Flat versus tough*

You mentioned wanting "flat" white paint. All things being equal, the flatter the paint the better it hides imperfections. However, the glossier the paint, the tougher/easier-to-clean it is (although gloss enamel can chip). 

So - IMHO you want to move yourself along that scale from the flat end as far as you can stand, so you get the most durability. 

Romelle


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## haylo75

I totally forgot about this post until the reply e-mail I received as a result of romelle's post. To make a long story short, the old gf and I broke up and I ended up building a new home. I did paint the garage walls as well as the floor in the new home. The good news was the wallboard was brand new and I saved a lot of time on prep as a result. I used Kilz standard latex for primer and SW white interior semi-gloss latex for paint. Here are a couple pics:



















In case anyone is wondering about the floor, I used a product called UCoat It. I _highly_ recommend this product for garage floors. I've had absolutely no hot tire pickup in 15 months and the coating is thick, durable and easy to clean. The same can't be said for my neighbors floor coatings that were purchased from various big box stores. UCoat It is an expensive product, but this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for.

Again, thanks all for the advice!


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