How to Prime Before Painting New Drywall

Brendan Framer
4 min readDec 9, 2022

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Drywall is a popular material for walls and ceilings in homes. It’s easy to install and provides a smooth, finished surface and appearance that can help make your home or garage feel comfortable, while also providing important insulation and soundproofing solutions, making your home more efficient in terms of heating, and more relaxing in terms of sound. The best part is that it can be painted any color you’d like to match your personality and interior design choices. But before you can paint your new drywall, you need to prime it first, an important step that many people overlook. Priming will help the paint adhere better and provide a more even coat. Follow these steps and your paint job will turn out great!

Painted Drywall

Here’s how to properly prime your drywall:

Painting new drywall is an important part of any renovation. But to ensure the best-looking final result, it’s important to prime your drywall first. Priming helps to seal in any cracks and imperfections, allowing for a much smoother finish. Additionally, priming creates a better bond between the paint and the surface of your walls, which helps in reducing fading and chipping of the paint over time.

The specific process for priming will vary slightly depending on what type of primer you’re using, but it typically involves sanding down any excess mortar or dust so the surface is completely flat and then painting over the wall with 2–3 coats of a high quality oil or latex primer. It’s important that you let the primer dry completely before moving to the next step and painting with your chosen color.

If you follow these preparation steps, you’ll be sure to get an even, beautiful finish on your newly painted drywall garage.

Priming Before Painting New Drywall

First, you’ll need to sand the surface of the drywall with a fine-grit sandpaper. Next, apply a coat of primer using a roller or brush. Be sure to evenly cover

Preparing drywall for priming and painting is a relatively straightforward process:

  • Prepare the drywall surface by sanding it down with a fine-grit sandpaper to remove any bumps or rough patches before applying primer, as these will eventually show up under the new layer of paint.
  • Wipe away any dust or debris that may have accumulated while prepping the drywall. This can usually be done with a simple cloth. Consider vacuuming as well to make sure you get any last residual bits of dust.
  • Apply the primer with a paint roller or brush, making sure to evenly cover the entire area. One coat should suffice, but two coats will provide an even better finish. If your primer is water-based, several hours should suffice between coats, but if it’s oil based, up to an entire day might be necessary. Again, be sure to follow the exact instruction on the brand and type of primer you select.
  • Once you’re finished applying the primer, let it dry again before beginning to add the actual color of paint. The process for painting new drywall is very similar to the priming process.
Painting New Drywall

Be sure to let the primer dry completely before applying paint over top of it.

Priming the material is an essential step that should not be overlooked. Primer acts as a bond between the surface and the finished coat of paint, ensuring that the paint adheres properly and lasts as long as possible. Primer is particularly helpful for porous surfaces such as drywall, creating a better foundation for paint coverage.

However, it’s important not to rush once the primer has been applied. The drying time varies depending on the material being covered and the environment you’re working in, with low humidity meaning faster drying times. Consider what room you are painting and what the environment is like there; for example, a drywall garage will usually be more directly exposed to the environment, making it more susceptible to things like humidity and other weather conditions. Be sure to let your primer dry completely before applying any paint over top of it. This will keep your layers neat and consistent while leaving you with an outstanding finished product.

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