I have been painting for years and have always used tinted primer over previously painted drywall followed by one topcoat. It has been working and my customers like the results. However, I am wondering if it would work just as well to use one throughly applied topcoat. Most of the colors I have been painting lately are relatively dark over off whites and my theory of the tinted primer is that it helps the topcoat color achieve its true color in only one coat. Thanks for your suggestions.
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Even with the best paint, one coat of dark will probably not cover over a light off-white.
The 2 coats of tinted (primer plus paint) give it a fuller, richer, deeper coverage.
Also, primer is cheaper than good paint, plus you'll have paint left over for the inevitable touch ups.
Plus, using primer is the right way. It gives the paint something better to grab on to. Why mess with success?
By the way, I've made the opposite mistake in a rush. Small job, no need to tint the primer or prime the whole thing, right?
Well, where I spot-primed with white primer, it took 3 coats of finish paint.
Where I DIDN'T prime, it didn't flow so smooth or grab so well, so IT took 3 coats of finish paint.
Ben Moore Paint, too, $50/gallon.
Moral: Always prime, and tint the primer. If I had done that, I would have been done in a primer coat and 1 finish coat, instead of the 4 coats and waiting for each to dry.
Tuition paid, and lesson learned.
Pete Duffy, Handyman
I haven't tried this yet (wish I had heard it before I painted) but apparently Sherwin-Williams did some testing and found that tinting primer with shades of gray resulted in very good coverage by the final coat. This is useful if everyroom is a different color and you need 5 quarts to cover a room like we do. This way you can get the primer tinted to one or two shades, and not have to figure on tinting 8 different colors.
Thanks everyone for the input. I have always contended that using tinted primer was the way to go but some homeowners look at you like you are trying to scam them. I am using Sherwin Williams paint but it isn't a color which requires the gray tinted primer.
Tinted primer, and 2 top coats, sanding and spotlighting between coats. Your customers are probably at the end of their budget, and don't want to spend more...but it's cheaper to do it right, now, than have to come back - and have them lose their faith in you.All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
>> Tinted primer, and 2 top coats, sanding and spotlighting between coats
I don't see why you need to sand between the 2 topcoats. Sanding a soft coat before doing the next one?
Anybody else do that?
I don't see why you need to sand between the 2 topcoats. Sanding a soft coat before doing the next one?
Anybody else do that?
I don't. I will sand the primer, if needed, but sanding soft paint is a pretty tough. In fact, When going from light to dark (or vice versa), I've found that 2 top coats do a better job than a tinted primer and 1 top coat.
I use a tinted primer only when a primer is necessary anyway and only under darker colors. Surfaces that are in good shape and already painted don't require primer. The primer is only going to save me $10.00 per gallon and isn't as easy to apply because it splatters more than the paint I use (Benjamin Moore).
2 top coats is ideal, but I have had to paint some rooms where I spend more time moving furniture than painting and the customers are more than happy with 1 coat. Every situation is unique so there's not too many hard and fast rules.
-Don