How many coats of primer do you need for a new wall?

Primer is needed for bare drywall, where the taped and mudded seams are still exposed.

The Drywall soaks up more paint than it does.If you don't prepare the surface, you may find yourself applying too many coats of paint before the mudded seams stop showing through.If you tint the primer coat, you can complete the project with fewer coats of paint.

It is fast, inexpensive, and effective to flatten the wall.Along with dedicated drywall primer, there are a number of other easy ways to prepare drywall before painting: flat latex paint, hiding paints, and skim- coating with drywall compound.

New, freshly finished drywall is difficult to paint directly because the surface presents you with three different textures, each with its own rate of absorption.

The result is that when you paint directly onto bare, finished wallboard, these different rates of absorption will produce a streaked look where certain areas show through, a condition called flashing.

After multiple layers of expensive paint, this is gone.Depending on the color of the paint, it can take three or even four coats before the surface is uniform.

Primer equalizes the base colors of drywall mud and paper so that the paint colors laid over it can shine without interference.

The color of the paper and the mud are the base colors for newly finished drywall.One coat of primer or even an inexpensive neutral-colored paint is enough to cover up these colors.A better quality hiding paint will cover them up completely.

The primer soaks into the paper and mud and creates a uniform surface to which the paint can adhere.

Joint banding or flashing is an effect that can be seen if you look at a painted wall from a sharp angle.The effect will be reduced or completely eliminated by the primer.

Primer-sealer is the most common way to apply a coat of drywall primer.Water- and oil-based primer-sealers are available.

You can choose between standard and high-build primer-sealers that can help fill in rough or unevenly finished walls.The high-build products are more expensive, but they may be worth it if you are making a rough surface.

Basic primer-sealers will cost between $15 and $20 per gallon, and high-build primer will be more expensive.

To improve their covering ability, primer-sealers can be tinted before applying, so that the primer coat is a closer match to the color of the finish paint you have chosen.Sometimes paint stores can add pigments for a small fee.