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Craig Stueve
03-22-2008, 8:00 PM
I thought this would be the best spot for this post since it is not really a wood / furniture finishing question. Feel free to move if my thinking is flawed. (please no additional comments on my thinking however):)

I am in the process of repainting the interior of my new home before I move in. Once I started looking at the walls close while prepping them for fresh paint I saw more and more defects. There were numerous runs and drips on the walls. The biggest problem is all of the bits left from the cheap rollers used on the prior paint jobs. With all of the blemishes on the walls I ended up using my ROS on all the walls. Just to be clear on this I have simply removed all the bumps and nibs while scuffing the rest of the surface. I have not sanded down to the drywall and removed the paint.

I originally was planning on washing the walls with TSP before I started to paint but..

Is there any reason I should still wash the walls with TSP?

Or will I be OK with just wiping them down to remove the dust and then priming the patch areas and then painting?

Any other tips for the novice painter would be much appreciated.

Craig

Sam Yerardi
03-22-2008, 8:09 PM
Craig,

If you have exposed (due to the sanding) a lot of gypsum or core material of the wall board then I would just wipe it down and proceed. If you have a lot of original wall finish still remaining, you might want to consider washing it down with TSP or mild soapy water to make sure that the original surfaces will allow paint, etc. to adhere to it. On at least the exposed gypsum, plaster, etc., I would use sizing prior to painting. I would then use primer as a base coat before the color coats. If you don't it could lead to the paint coming off later in huge sheets. I ran into this in an old house that had plaster/lath walls and I learned the hard way.

Jim O'Dell
03-22-2008, 8:14 PM
I would recommend washing it down, then priming all the surfaces before painting. TSP would be good. This way you will have the best chance of good adhesion of paint to wall. I've never had a problem when I followed this procedure. Jim.

Jason Roehl
03-22-2008, 9:29 PM
I would recommend NOT washing it down. Why? I've painted hundreds of houses, sanded many, many walls, and not had adhesion problems unless there was some other underlying problem (very rare). Today's quality 100% acrylic interior paints are excellent. No need to overdo the prep, it's just a waste of your time. The sanding you did with an ROS was about the best thing you could have done (I would have used a pole sander for the bulk of it, then an ROS for the drips/runs/bumps). Washing the walls is just a mess. Dust them off with a soft-bristled broom and you're good to go. You'll more than likely want to change the color or repaint due to abuse before you have noticeable degradation of the paint due to age.

I've also painted hundreds of apartments with lower grades of paint, where prep goes for a premium--I'll paint over just about anything because I'm not getting paid to do much about it. If I know it's going to bleed through 2 thin coats of paint I'll seal it first, otherwise, if it's not sticking out, I paint over it. I don't see any flaking/peeling paint in those apartments, either--I, on average, will be back in them every 2-3 years.

Sam Yerardi
03-22-2008, 9:35 PM
Jason,

I'll go with you on the washing down but you say you've never had a problem with plaster walls & not using sizing? I guess to clarify what I meant was a bare plaster wall or ceiling. I've never just primed them but always used sizing but are there primers that do sizing as well? I've always assumed primers were for the paint/coats coloring and base but sizing was like a sealer to give the next coat something to adhere to.

Tom Godley
03-22-2008, 9:47 PM
The final finish sheen you are using will determine how much work you need to do.

With a flat or even an eggshell finish --- it is surprising how many flaws are invisible to the average person.

I have the misfortune of being a good painter - so I am too picky-!! I often have to tell myself to "just get on with the final coat"

True TSP is great stuff to use prior to finishing many surfaces -- unless you have a semi-gloss finish or heavy dirt ---the TSP will be overkill.

Just wipe off the walls with a damp cloth that you wring out often enough to remove the dust on the wall.

I can not overstate the need for a good primer on the surface. I have found that a product called "first coat" by the maker of sheet rock to be hard to beat. It is designed to be the applied to the just finished drywall - it has a lot silica in it -- it really balances out the surface differences that occur between the paper of the drywall and the joint compound. This allows you to end up with a uniform texture in the final coat.

I have used this on previously painted walls that required a lot of patching with great results - just go slow without going over the surface too much. I love the rollers with the spun fibers for this product (they were originally all made in Germany -- now you see them from all over the place)

With the proper primer applied your finished job will be much nicer.

Good luck

Jason Roehl
03-22-2008, 10:12 PM
Jason,

I'll go with you on the washing down but you say you've never had a problem with plaster walls & not using sizing? I guess to clarify what I meant was a bare plaster wall or ceiling. I've never just primed them but always used sizing but are there primers that do sizing as well? I've always assumed primers were for the paint/coats coloring and base but sizing was like a sealer to give the next coat something to adhere to.

Sam, the only bare plaster I have ever painted had a rough finish to it--no adhesion problems there. New plaster is not common here, so I have never actually finished a fresh, smooth plaster wall. I have painted plenty of plaster walls, but they all have had 50-125 years worth of paint on them.

I've used the USG FirstCoat--didn't like it at all. It didn't spray well, then it didn't backroll well at all. I get a very good price on S-W's PrepRite 200 primer, so I usually go that way, sanding after the primer's been on for a day. That plus two good topcoats takes care of pretty much all drywall issues if the mud job was close to competent (if not, the drywallers get to fix it, not me).

Craig Stueve
03-22-2008, 10:15 PM
Thanks for all of the replies. Sounds like washing the walls with TSP would be overkill at this point. I am going to be putting an eggshell finish on so I think I will be fine.

Thanks again.

Pat Germain
03-23-2008, 1:02 AM
FYI, while a sanded paint surface is good for adhesion, it's not as good as a primed surface. Primer has more ingredients for adhesion than paint. Think of it like a kind of two-sided tape between the old paint and the new paint.

Although you can get good results without primer, in my experience, using primer looks better and lasts a lot longer. Many professional painters don't use primer because it's not cost effective for them, which is understandable. If you're doing it yourself, I say go ahead and prime.

Jim Becker
03-23-2008, 8:31 AM
The only place I could think of that might benefit from cleaning prior to painting might be the kitchen where accumulated grease can be a factor. Outside of that, Jason is "the man" when it comes to painting. Listen to his advice.

Cliff Rohrabacher
03-23-2008, 8:35 AM
I have owned and restored several ancient homes.
Each one was a disaster when I took it. So needless to say I had to paint everything that wasn't being papered.

I used to do tons of prep. Sand, wash with TSP, rinse, even sieze. Than as the burden of it all got to me I started cutting those steps out - depending on circumstances.
Kitchens and baths always get washed and usually (but not always ) sanded because oils and soaps will be all over the walls. Some things I'll literally scrub like moldy or dirt packed window mulleins.

I'll sand other surfaces absolutely only if I can convince myself that it's necessary. Rooms that don't get cooked or bathed in don't get washed or sanded. I may sand or steel wool trim to get the gloss off for adhesion.


In most all of the rooms I will knock the cob webs down but that's it. Unless it's a gloss surface I just apply the paint. I never use anything but Moore paint and I've never had a problem with the stuff peeling off.