Need Paint/Primer advice.

[saberz]

My wife is 37 weeks pregnant, the 2 bedroom apt won't be available till the 25th so i am on bought time. Per out lease agreement(in a 1br right now) we need to prime the the walls we did paint(1 wall in LR and all 4 in the BR).

I had to practically use a whole can of KILZ to cover a light olive green in the LR with 2 coats. The Bedroom has one wall that is a Dark Navy Blue. Is there a better primer than KILZ that can cover it up in one shot? I heard of tinted primers but really want to get a good quality product that will minimize me having to multi-coat with the primer and save me a few bucks in the process. Also to clarify, I need only primer these walls, so a tinted primer might hurt me more than help. They bring in a team of painters to re-touch it up.

Any ideas or suggestions? I am also using a water-based primer since it is supposedly better/ok to be around(for the wife).

 

[demarpaint]

No primer is going to cover a dark color like Navy blue in one coat. Primer is not really designed to cover as well as paint. It seals, adheres, helps to stop flashing where spackling was done, and gives the finish coat a good surface to go over. Having said all of that you can use Bulls-Eye 123 Primer made by Zinsser, and have it tinted close to the finish coat. Plan on 1 good coat of primer and 2 coats of finish paint. Don't feel bad, I've been painting for over 30 years now and have encountered jobs that required 4 coats or more.

Tip, box roll the primer. Work in 3' Square sections, first rolling vertical, then horizontal, then vertical again. Take your time, and remember primer DOES NOT COVER AS WELL AS PAINT. For normal non-textured walls, use a Micro Fiber roller if you can find it in a 3/8" to 1/2" nap.

HTH

 

[saberz]

I'll have to give it a shot. So a micro-fiber roller is ideal if I just want to bang out the job with no texturing correct? And i'll have to remember a the 3" rule with the V,H,V movements. I was basically going ceiling to mid point of wall, re-roll and do mid-point to base.

 

[demarpaint]

Micro Fiber rollers are for walls that are smooth, not for applying a texture to a wall. What is nice about them is they don't splatter paint like regular rollers do, they hold and release paint well, and clean up in less than half the time. I don't think you'll find them in HD or Lowes, you might have to go to a Sherwin Williams Store, or a good old fashioned paint store. 3' rule I think you made a typo, but I think you've got the picture.

Best wishes to you and your wife. Kids grow fast enjoy as much time as you can with the baby!

You can also PM me if you run into a bind, as this thread moves down.

 

[Billbert]

+1 on Zinser123. Kilz was good stuff when it was oil based, the water based is garbage.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

Bulls Eye 123, as mentioned. It is alcohol based, dries very quickly. Make sure to have windows open. I nearly passed out when I primed a closet with it. Had to shut the door while working inside---not a good idea.
It is much thinner than Killz, so use a good drop cloth.

 

[doitmyself]

Ursae, are you maybe referring to the Zinser BIN shellac based primer that is alcohol thinned and smells strong?


Dermapaint, a lot of guys at Garage Journal use Kilz oil base on OS board walls for primer. Somehow, I got the impression that the Zinzer products were better overall than Kilz.

Care to comment?

 

[saberz]

Thank you all for tye advice, I'll hopefully be able to knock the bedroom out this weekend. I have a Sherman Williams down the street from our office so ill hit them up for the micro fiber rolls. As far as paint brand(new apt), Benjamin Moore and Sherman Williams still the best?

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

Yep, that's the one. It is shellac thinned with denatured alcohol. Works great (best for priming bare wood, does not raise grain), but stinks to high heaven while it is drying.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Take a look at Consumer Reports interior paint tests. While I have found few bad paints, my results generally mirror their tests. Higher price and name doesn't always equal good performance. As a renter, I would also assume you want to be price/value conscious.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
Bulls Eye 123, as mentioned. It is alcohol based, dries very quickly. Make sure to have windows open. I nearly passed out when I primed a closet with it. Had to shut the door while working inside---not a good idea.
It is much thinner than Killz, so use a good drop cloth.


Bulls Eye 123 is water based. Bin is an alcohol based shellac, don't use that if your wife is pregnant. That is one of the reasons why I suggested 123. Bin is too brittle to prime an entire room or wall, it should be used to hold back, water stains, fire damage, or nicotine, etc. It is great for knots or real sappy wood, other than that don't use it. If you prime a room with that and blow into a breathalyzer, you can be legally drunk. Hop into a car get pulled over you'll need a good Lawyer! Two different products made by the same company, use Bulls Eye 123 you'll be fine.

 

[kkreit01]

Which Kilz did you use? There's several. The Premium is pretty good. I've also used Zinsser. They both seemed about the same for my use.

 

[mechtech2]

Why prime? You already have paint basecoat on there.
just give it the normal 2 coats of color.

 

[Slick17601]

Go to a real paint store. May cost a little more but the euphoria of cheap paint is long outweighed by the pain and suffering of the application.