Drywall patches are a common repair method for holes and damage in walls. However, before you can paint over a drywall patch, you may need to prime it first.
Priming helps to create a smooth surface for the paint to adhere to, and it can also help conceal imperfections in the patch.
In this article, we will discuss whether or not you need to prime drywall patches before painting and, if so, how to do it effectively.
It is generally a good idea to prime drywall patches before painting. Priming helps to create a smooth surface for the paint to adhere to, and it can also help conceal imperfections in the patch.
Without priming, the paint may not adhere as well to the patch and may not provide a uniform finish.
There are a few situations where you may not need to prime a drywall patch before painting if the patch is small and has been sanded smooth.
And if the paint color you are using is similar to the surrounding wall, you may get away with skipping the priming step.
However, it is always better to err on caution and prime the patch to ensure the best possible finish.
In summary, it is generally recommended to prime drywall patches before painting to ensure a smooth and even finish.
Self-Priming Fillers
It is necessary to prime a patch made with traditional patching materials before painting it. It may result in foggy spots if patched areas are left unpainted.
However, if you use self-priming patching material, you will not need to apply this extra step. Check the container for the words ‘self-priming’ or ‘with primer’; there are several brands.
Situations Where You Must Apply Primer Before Painting Drywall
Especially since so many paints come with a primer formulated into them, applying primer before painting might seem like a waste of time for DIYers in a hurry.
Nevertheless, not priming a surface entirely before applying a topcoat can sometimes jeopardize the job.
1. Using Paint To Cover Stains Or Shiny Surfaces
To effectively trap and cover crayon marks, oil, or other hard-to-clean stains, a primer must be applied so that the stains can be trapped and covered while creating a clean surface for a coating to adhere to.
In addition to sanding or using a degreaser, other prep strategies will probably be required, but cleaning alone will not work. Primer is the last step in the prep process that will result in a wonderful final product.
2. Getting Rid Of Chalky Surfaces
You may see chalky residue on your hand if you wipe your hand across the surface of a failed exterior paint, like the ones applied to many stucco homes.
It occurs due to the binders and resins in the paint degrading over time. When these situations arise, pressure washing isn’t enough. It is time to apply a fresh primer coat.
Depending on how thoroughly you clean the surface, you may be down to the bare substrate, which will require primer.
The surface may even have leftover chalky residue if you don’t clean it well enough; that will also prevent paint from adhering to it. A paint sealer is also recommended in these scenarios.
3. Unpainted Stucco And Concrete
The surface of bare concrete and stucco (made from concrete) needs a primer before painting. An elevated pH can cause adhesion issues on some concrete surfaces.
A crystalline residue may exist on concrete surfaces, called efflorescence. This poses a problem for the adhesion of coatings to the surface in both cases. The good news is that great masonry primers can handle these situations.
4. Dealing With Paint Peel
Failure of paint leads to flaking and peeling. This part of your home can only be painted by sanding and cleaning the failing paint away. When you prepare diligently, you eventually reach the bare surface.
Therefore, primer is necessary for re-painting. For a painter, one of the most frustrating tasks is to fix previously poorly prepared surfaces where flaking and lack of priming were not addressed.
As time goes on, that area of the job breaks down quicker than areas without peeling and flaking.
5. Unpainted Wood And Drywall
Coatings without primers can have enormous problems adhering to unpainted wood and drywall. When you apply a coating to fresh drywall, it absorbs the coating well, like a sponge.
Despite its high absorption level, you’ll experience uneven coverage without a primer coat, especially along drywall seams. You will have to apply more paint to get a smooth coat of paint.
If you do that, you may still re-painting sooner rather than later. Painting unpainted wood without a primer is one of the most challenging tasks.
Coatings cannot be applied to it, unlike drywall. It is a tall order to use even the most high-quality coatings without primer, which results in shoddy results.
Additional Tips for Patching Drywall
Patching is inevitable before painting a wall because it takes time to prepare the surface. There is no doubt that it is one of the most critical steps. However, getting good results takes more than just spackling and a putty knife.
You can speed up the wall patching process, avoid problems and end up with a flawless result if you use these tips and products.
1. You Can Spray on Wall Texture
The texture of orange peel is a nice way to hide defects and add interest, but it can be a pain to patch. Thanks to spray-on orange peel patches, you can match the texture of the patch without hiring a professional.
You can buy patching material in three varieties: regular, quick-drying, and professional. You can customize the spray pattern the most with the pro version.
2. Patch Midsize Holes With Stick-On Patches
To patch doorknob-sized holes, there are several different methods. Using one of these mesh patches that stick on is easier and quicker.
The cans are available in different sizes in paint stores, hardware stores, and home centers.
Using the patch is as simple as cleaning the wall surface, sanding it to give it a slight ‘tooth,’ sticking the patch over the hole, and then covering it with two to three thin layers of joint compound.
If you use a setting-type compound for the first coat, you can speed up the process.
3. Seal Exposed Drywall Paper Before Patching
When removing old adhesive or self-stick picture hangers, you usually tear off the top layer of drywall paper, leaving behind the fuzzy brown paper.
When you try to patch this without sealing it first, the water in the patching material will cause the paper to bubble, making the problem worse.
You can patch torn drywall paper by first sealing it with a shellac- or oil-based sealer (KILZ Original and BIN are two brands you might try).
4. Skim-Coat Areas with Lots of Dings or Holes
Avoid filling every little dent when dealing with areas with many dents and holes, such as the mudroom.
You can use a wider tapering knife – a 6-inch putty knife will do – and simply apply joint compound to the entire area. When repairing joints, you should use ‘topping’ or ‘all-purpose’ joint compound.
5. One Swipe to Fill a Row of Holes
Instead of filling every screw hole separately, professional drywall tapers fill a row of screw holes with a long stripe of joint compound.
Besides being faster, this method conceals the screw holes and makes sanding the patch easier.
By sanding across the whole stripe, you can save time by not having to sand around each hole.
6. Cover Cracks with Repair Spray
The most common places to find stress cracks are around window and door openings. A crack in the framing may result from movement of the framing and is challenging to fix permanently.
If you want to maximize the life of your crack repair, spray-on crack repair is a good option. In the case of a crack, spray forms a flexible membrane that can stretch and relax as the building moves.
7. Make a Dent for the Patching Compound
After removing a nail, drywall anchor, or picture hanger, there’s usually a little ridge of old paint or drywall showing that’s hard to patch. Making a dent over the hole, then filling it, is the solution.
In addition to having a rounded hard plastic or brass end on the handle, most putty knives are designed to make dent after dent. Alternatively, use the rounded end of a screwdriver handle or the handle of a utility knife.
Dent the surface by applying pressure and twisting the handle little by little, or if you have good aim, use your denting tool like a hammer.
8. Use Setting Compound for Big Holes
A patching compound can be used if you need to fill screw holes and other small dents in your drywall. But if you need to repair large holes, it’s best to use a joint compound set by chemical reaction.
There are five to 90 minutes between setting times for these powders in powder form. When mixed with water, the compound begins to react and hardens within a specified time frame.
Final Words
You’ll always find some damage on your drywall, such as nicks, scratches, gouges, or small holes. Repairing all these can be done quickly and easily with a joint drywall compound or quick-drying spackle.
Even after the repair has been made, it must be painted to match the surrounding wall. Painting a repair that has been sanded and appropriately primed will give a professional appearance.
