Sanded drywall/prime and paint

[Eric Wettschreck]

I just read a thing on the net that says to avoid cleaning dust off drywall prior to priming it. They're saying the dust will help fill in any imperfections in the finish drywall.

Makes sense to me, do any of yous guys know about this? I just finished sanding a re-modeled room and it's ready for primer. Do I wipe all the dust off like I always have or just go about priming over it?

[tunrevir]

I haven't heard of that before, but my guess is that if you don't clean off some of the dust it will take more paint to cover. I have used a shop vac or even a push broom to knock off the excess dust and then painted without any ill effects.

Tunrevir~

[cavalierowner]

I've never heard anything like that before, in fact always just the opposite. Who wrote that they left the dust on? Did they have credentials that would suggest they knew what they were talking about? That's the problem with the internet: anyone can write anything and claim to be an expert.

On the other hand, maybe something has changed in the industry that I don't know about. As for me, I will continue to brush off dust until I find out that the gypsum companies are recommending otherwise.

[paceman]

That doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I would be worried about the paint/primer not sticking. I will continue wiping down.....

[upnorth]

I have always wiped off the excess with good results. Would seem to me too much dust and the primer wouldn't stick to the sheetrock and mud very well.

[nofishfisherman]

I'd also figure that the paint roller would pull a fair amount of the dust off as your are priming. Then you have a gummed up roller.

I'm no drywall expert but I've always wiped of the dust and always had decent luck with that.

[Gordie]

Eric I used to do alot of interior painting for several contractors and we would always wipe down the walls with a rag or dust type broom before paining iffin you don't the walls will need to be sanded after prime or first coat of paint and then you are reintroducing dust into a clean environment.

The type of paint will also dictate how you should paint the walls and what your prep work will need to be.

If you use eggshell for instance the better the prep work the better the outcome.

We used to say that a paint job will show all the imperfections in the dry wall workand will not cover the flaws in it know matter how many times you coat it.. So the better dry wall job is the better the paint will turn out.

from a Nerdy white guy

[Bobby Bass]

You need to clean the dust up. Left on the wall the paint roller will pull the dust off the wall to bind with the paint on the roller. You will leave blotches on the drywall where the paint did not adhere to it. Leaves a pock marked surface behind, I to would question the source of this DIY method, from someone who has rocked and painted for to many years.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Thanks guys, I thought that sounded weird so I thought I'd ask.

I'm no drywall or painting expert by any stretch. But, when you live in a house as old as mine you start to get good at it, not by choice. I've always wiped everything down real good prior to priming so this seemed just a little off to me.

BTW- I got that info by doing a google search for "Sanding drywall"

[reddog]

Sorry for being late to the party, but maybe this will help someone later.

DIYs traditionally do more sanding than professionals, just because their application techniques require more sanding.

With that said, if you have to sand alot,(and especially out over the drywall paper) then it is advviseable to "wet sand" the entire surface prior to priming. Wet Sanding is nothing more than taking a large wet sponge and wiping down the entire surface, both the mudded areas and the paper areas. What this does, is collects all of the sanding dust left on the surface and in turn, it will "lay down/stick down all the loose paper fibres that have been torn loose from the sanding. Now, Im talking about microfibers, not large pieces of paper. Glueing these back down by wet sanding will improve your finished appearance considerably, unless you are using a heavier texture.

I feel your pain Eric. Im in the last stage of a 1928 house remodel myself. Its been a 3 year process, and Im down to the kitchen and a small bath. Taking a break from priming the bathroom right now, as I had to get the shower alcove caught up to the rest of the areas, because the initial shower came in the wrong size. Cabinets are being installed tomorrow.