Exactly! The purpose of the primer is mainly to
seal the wall which will really suck up the paint.
Since primer is cheaper than the final paint, it
is best to get it really sealed so don't skimp on
the primer and then have to put on more final
paint. The final paint sheen makes no difference
to selection of a primer.

If the primer gives only one coverage figure,
e.g., 400 sq ft per gallon, then assume that the
coverage will be only 300 sq ft per gallon for a
porous surface such as fresh wallboard. You
probably need to plan on 3 gallons of primer. And
you probably only need 4-5 gallons for two coats
of the final unless you have a very dark color or
poor quality paint. Personally, I never put on
more than one coat on previously painted walls and
ceilings of similar color, but some times have to
touch up a few spots if I didn't get it well covered.

I am curious how you put on 2.5 coats.


B wrote:
What the others said is true. But also, ...
New drywall takes lots more primer and paint than any fineprint on the can
will tell you. It's hard to get all the shadows to go away. Fresh drywall is
the best excuse for top-quality paint such as from a dedicated paint store
like Sherwin Williams. I think it's easier to get the primer looking
gorgeous and then paint twice with a color, rather than prime once and still
have shadows, then paint with a color 2.5 to three times. The tint that you
might add to primer is good when the final coat will be pretty dark.
=B

"Melissa" wrote in message
...

Our kitchen drywall is done, now time to pick the paint. I understand we
need to use primer first, and it was suggested the primer be partially?
tinted first. We aren't sure what color the kitchen will be yet, so we
should just go with plain off the shelf primer, yes?

The kitchen will be semi gloss like the rest of the house, will that
affect what type of primer I need to get?

And last of all, the room is 31 ft x 9 ft, with 8 ft ceilings, I need to
cover 919 sq ft of walls and ceiling, is that correct? Sorry, I'm sure
that seems obvious, but last time I bought paint, after painting I found I
had 2.5 gallons more than I needed. I've purchased paint for my family
room, with advice from you very helpful guys here, but haven't yet
painted, so don't know if I figured correctly for that room yet. How much
primer will I need to cover 919 sq ft, if I only paint with primer once,
which is what I believe is normal, followed by 2 coats of paint?

Thanks!

Melissa