wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm getting ready to paint my new apartment and am trying to figure out
the logistics.

I'm using Benjamin Moore's Regal Eggshell paint (latex). One room is
currently painted dark orange, the other lime green (both also with BJ
latex paint), and I'm planning to repaint both of them to light cream.
The third bedroom is standard white, and I"m planning to paint that one
a soft, baby blue. All three rooms are small (110-160 sq. ft) with
high, 9.5 foot ceilings, and don't get much natural light (especially
the orange one).

My plan is to use primer tinted close to my topcoat, and follow that
with only one coat of paint. The paint stores near my house charge an
arm and a leg for paint and I'm on a tight budget, so I'm hoping this
is doable.

My question is: Can I get away with using high-quality tinted primer
plus just one coat of paint? I'm especially concerned if that's
possible in the orange room.

I'm not looking to do a perfect job, just a decent one that I'll be
happy with for the year or two I'm living there. Any advice/experience
is much appreciated.


I suggest that you use at least one primer coat of a pigmented shellac
like Zinsser's BIN. While you have to take some simple precautions due to
the alcoholic fumes, it has two big positives.

1. It dries quickly so you can recoat or apply your topcoat without
making the painting project take a week.

2. It hides the previous surface quite well.

Think of priming as rendering your "canvas" white. Once your wall is
white, or pretty close, you should only need one topcoat of even a medium
quality paint to completely cover the primer coat(s) and whatever may still
be peeking through. Whatever still peaks through will be much less intense
and will have a primer coat over it so a topcoat should cover it. I have
used this technique on many different colored walls and it has always been
successful for me. I admit that I do use a very high quality 100% acrylic
paint for the topcoats but I can clearly see that a standard vinyl or vinyl
/ acrylic blend would work just fine. I can apply two primer coats and one
topcoat in one day with no problem. I always wait at least 24 hours before
applying a second topcoat.

Good Luck.