I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl

"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


You should prime it. However, I once got some advice from a reliable
hardware store guy. He said the only reason to specifically buy primer is
because it's cheaper than the finish paint. He said if I already have some
flat finish paint that's in good condition, you could use that instead,
since using what you already have would obviously save money. That was
exactly my situation - I had a whole can of flat finish white I knew I would
never use as a finish coat. It worked beautifully as a primer under a coat
of semi-gloss.

Unless you don't mind seeing screw heads, you need to spackle over them and
then sand.

On Nov 15, 11:32 am, (big e lewis) wrote:
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl

I would not recommend using a semi-gloss or gloss. Either of those
shows any imperfections on the wall surface. Even on an inside
finished wall, the wall needs to be in excellent finished conditon, or
you will see every dimple, high spot, etc. In a garage without final
taping coat, it's likely going to look a lot better with a flat paint
and I don't think it will make much diff in terms of how light the
space will be. A good compromise wood be to use an egg shell type
product.

I'd use a coat of primer followed by a coat of the finish paint.
Primer has more solids and is better at filling in imperfections,
etc. Since you;re doing white, one coat of primer, one coat of finish
should be fine for a garage.

Drywall is pretty much like a sponge, in my experience. I'd really use
a coat of primer -- something like "Kilz," or the like, then the color
coat. The results will be much brighter, as the primer is really
loaded with pigment. The primer not only gives better adhesion, but
since the finish coats have less pigment, usually, then you will get a
"brighter" result, which is what you are looking for. As to finish, an
"eggshell" is nice, as it can we wiped down. I use eggshell finish all
the time for things like a kitchen or bath, as they get dirt, grease,
etc., on them. I think the gloss would be excessively reflective.
Good lights will help a lot, as well.

You got bad advice. Primer and paint are NOT the same thing and they are
NOT the same composition!
Primer is essentially glue for paint. It bonds to the drywall and it causes
the paint to chemically bond to it. It literally has a glue type component
as part of its chemistry.
And NOTHING needs primer more than bare new drywall.


"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


You should prime it. However, I once got some advice from a reliable
hardware store guy. He said the only reason to specifically buy primer is
because it's cheaper than the finish paint. He said if I already have some
flat finish paint that's in good condition, you could use that instead,
since using what you already have would obviously save money. That was
exactly my situation - I had a whole can of flat finish white I knew I
would never use as a finish coat. It worked beautifully as a primer under
a coat of semi-gloss.

Unless you don't mind seeing screw heads, you need to spackle over them
and then sand.

It worked beautifully. 15 years later, it still looks good. I can't explain
it.


"curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
You got bad advice. Primer and paint are NOT the same thing and they are
NOT the same composition!
Primer is essentially glue for paint. It bonds to the drywall and it
causes the paint to chemically bond to it. It literally has a glue type
component as part of its chemistry.
And NOTHING needs primer more than bare new drywall.


"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


You should prime it. However, I once got some advice from a reliable
hardware store guy. He said the only reason to specifically buy primer is
because it's cheaper than the finish paint. He said if I already have
some flat finish paint that's in good condition, you could use that
instead, since using what you already have would obviously save money.
That was exactly my situation - I had a whole can of flat finish white I
knew I would never use as a finish coat. It worked beautifully as a
primer under a coat of semi-gloss.

Unless you don't mind seeing screw heads, you need to spackle over them
and then sand.

"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


Low gloss is a better finish for bright lights. Semi or hi gloss will have
very strong reflections and glare. No, you don't really need to prime, but
it will likely take several coats to cover good, even with a flat or
egg-shell finish.

Mike D.

"Mike Dobony" wrote in message
et...

"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


Low gloss is a better finish for bright lights. Semi or hi gloss will
have very strong reflections and glare. No, you don't really need to
prime, but it will likely take several coats to cover good, even with a
flat or egg-shell finish.

Mike D.

If you want it brighter, just increase the lighting.

I use Behr Ultra.
It has "built-in" primer.

The lights aren't up yet, I'm going to do those after the painting.
Well, I'M not, my father -in -law will be, because I broke my leg
working on this garage... Anyhoo, as a side question, how many/type of
lights would light this up "well"? I hate dim lighting, and want it nice
and bright. It is 26'wide x38'deep x12'tall, with a16'wide x10'tall
rollup door in the end ( 26' wall). Any thoughts are appreciated! Earl

"curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
You got bad advice. Primer and paint are NOT the same thing and they are
NOT the same composition!

I'd have to go along with that:

http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projec...nt/paint_3.htm

It's more economical to use primer.

Not knocking you Joe. It's a YMMV, IMHO type of post.

Jim

"jthread" wrote in message
...

"curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
You got bad advice. Primer and paint are NOT the same thing and they are
NOT the same composition!

I'd have to go along with that:

http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projec...nt/paint_3.htm

It's more economical to use primer.

Not knocking you Joe. It's a YMMV, IMHO type of post.

Jim


I figured the guy was being honest with me, since he stood to gain by
selling me a can of primer. In the end, he did anyway. About 10 of them over
5 years.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is
hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I
hate working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or
can I just paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not
finished, screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care
about looks or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or
semigloss look paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


You should prime it. However, I once got some advice from a reliable
hardware store guy. He said the only reason to specifically buy primer
is because it's cheaper than the finish paint. He said if I already
have some flat finish paint that's in good condition, you could use
that instead, since using what you already have would obviously save
money. That was exactly my situation - I had a whole can of flat
finish white I knew I would never use as a finish coat. It worked
beautifully as a primer under a coat of semi-gloss.

Unless you don't mind seeing screw heads, you need to spackle over
them and then sand.



It's only a garage but just tossing in my .02 about the primer. You get
latex paint on your hands, it dries then you wash it off, it will come
off of course. You get latex primer on your hands, it dries then you wash
ot off, it will come off. It will take a noticeably more effort to get it
off. That has to say something about primer and adhesion.

"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
The lights aren't up yet, I'm going to do those after the painting.
Well, I'M not, my father -in -law will be, because I broke my leg
working on this garage... Anyhoo, as a side question, how many/type of
lights would light this up "well"? I hate dim lighting, and want it nice
and bright. It is 26'wide x38'deep x12'tall, with a16'wide x10'tall
rollup door in the end ( 26' wall). Any thoughts are appreciated! Earl


For me I would be putting up zoned fluorescent lights (insulated so assuming
heated also) and a few incandescent, probably 1 in each corner about 4' from
each wall. I would have at least 4 to 6 fluorescents in between spaced out
along the length of the garage. I would also have some fluorescent lights
mounted on a wall for working in the engine compartment of your vehicle. I
would have the garage set up in at least 4 zones of light, plus the wall
mounted light on a separate switch. Your mileage may vary according to
personal taste.

big e lewis wrote:
The lights aren't up yet, I'm going to do those after the painting.
Well, I'M not, my father -in -law will be, because I broke my leg
working on this garage... Anyhoo, as a side question, how many/type
of lights would light this up "well"? I hate dim lighting, and want
it nice and bright. It is 26'wide x38'deep x12'tall, with a16'wide
x10'tall rollup door in the end ( 26' wall). Any thoughts are
appreciated! Earl

18-20 four foot fluorescents. I'd but them on three different
switches so you can just light up part of the area if you want to.
You could use fewer in the daytime if the door is open.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


Yes, you do need to prime it or you will see everything underneath when you
look at it with light reflecting at an angle. Not priming is a common
mistake. You've got it right so far. Don't mess it up now. Even two coats
of primer would guarantee that every time you paint it in the next twenty
years, it's gonna look GOOD.

steve

"Red Green" wrote in message
...
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is
hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I
hate working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or
can I just paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not
finished, screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care
about looks or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or
semigloss look paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl


You should prime it. However, I once got some advice from a reliable
hardware store guy. He said the only reason to specifically buy primer
is because it's cheaper than the finish paint. He said if I already
have some flat finish paint that's in good condition, you could use
that instead, since using what you already have would obviously save
money. That was exactly my situation - I had a whole can of flat
finish white I knew I would never use as a finish coat. It worked
beautifully as a primer under a coat of semi-gloss.

Unless you don't mind seeing screw heads, you need to spackle over
them and then sand.



It's only a garage but just tossing in my .02 about the primer. You get
latex paint on your hands, it dries then you wash it off, it will come
off of course. You get latex primer on your hands, it dries then you wash
ot off, it will come off. It will take a noticeably more effort to get it
off. That has to say something about primer and adhesion.

I always thought that was because they put a drying agent in primer.

Jim

On Nov 15, 10:32 am, (big e lewis) wrote:
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl

Do what the contractors do...buy the primer made for drywall by the
drywall companies. It's better and far cheaper than other general
purpose primers and covers a lot more area per gallon. Usually sold in
5 gallon lots but the box stores sometimes have single gallons. Look
for a brand like 'First Coat' HTH

Joe

use drywall primer. (actually you can use any old flat latex) it's a lot
cheaper than your topcoat and will make it to where you don't need near as
much topcoat.

s


"big e lewis" wrote in message
...
I just had a garage built, and it is now insulated and drywall is hung.
I want a glossy white color, to help reflect the light, because I hate
working in dim conditions. Anyway, do I NEED to prime 1st, or can I just
paint it with the paint I want to show? The drywall is not finished,
screw heads are exposed, just the seams taped. I don't care about looks
or finish, as it is just a garage,I just want a gloss or semigloss look
paintwise. Any thoughts? Thanks, Earl

"curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
You got bad advice. Primer and paint are NOT the same thing and they are
NOT the same composition!
Primer is essentially glue for paint. It bonds to the drywall and it
causes the paint to chemically bond to it. It literally has a glue type
component as part of its chemistry.
And NOTHING needs primer more than bare new drywall.

I got curious about what the hardware store guy told me years ago, so I
emailed Devoe, one of the manufacturers whose paints have amazed me over the
years. Here's the response:


Thank you for contacting Devoe Paints. We appreciate the time you took to
contact us.

Although most flat paint are self priming, flat paints should not be used
as primers. They do not have the sealing properties that primers do. You
would be taking a chance that the finish of the eggshell would be uneven.

If you need further assistance, please contact us at www.devoepaint.com or
via our customer-dedicated number at 1-866-391-1955. Customer Service
Representatives are available Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.

Thank you,

John Jovanovski
Technical Services Department

I don't know why you wouldn't attempt covering the screw heads (& more).
Its easy and fun. I have both opinions of what primer is. My usual
solution is to gather any white paint(s) from anywhere - mis-match racks at
the store for a buck or three, leftovers, garbage picked, and mix them all
together. Unless its specific work, eg fine wood or metal, or stains,
sometimes requiring sanding between coats.



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

and if you are trying to achieve a color it can be faster to tint the primer
beforehand (with the final or other closer color paint) , its easier to get
from one shade to the other, or final color.

.....and mix them all together first



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

"bent" wrote in message
...
I don't know why you wouldn't attempt covering the screw heads (& more).
Its easy and fun.

Kids can do it, and then they'll feel like they're a big deal, unless
they're over 12, in which case they'll say "yeah whatever".