New house to paint - need your help!!!

mloveland

Hello all,

We are moving to a new house and have been informed by my wife that we're repainting all of the interior walls.

I've been lurking in the background for several weeks and learning what I can but still have some questions. We're going to use BM Regal paints - using a tinted primer first - and covering painted, white drywall in good condition. We're removing wallpaper in the kitchens and bathrooms and painting the walls, but I'll leave that discussion for another day.

• Eggshell vs. Flat? - no children (yet) and most of the walls receive a lot of light. I've been to two paint stores and have been told to use eggshell by one person and flat by the other. My primary concern with eggshell is the application of it. I have heard that it is tough to apply without a lot of lines and marks, have to keep a wet edge, etc. Any thoughts as to finish? We are planning on putting colors on the walls but they tend to be more "cool" than "warm".
• Tinted primer plus one topcoat usually sufficient? Trying to keep my labor to a minimum and still achieve good results.
• Any recommendations on roller covers and brushes? I don't mind spending some extra coin on the good stuff if it makes that much of a difference.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to all of you experts that take the time to assist the less experienced! I've learned a lot on these boards.

Mike

slickshift

The sheen is up to you
Although technically you do have to be a bit more careful applying it
It's a matter of making sure your final rolls are all up and down...which you should do with any sheen anyway
It is absolutely not any more prone to drying edge or roller marks
(when comparing the same product's flat sheen to the eggshell)
Eggshell is more difficult to touch-up
Realistically not an issue, as in truth there's rarely touch up actually done months down the road

If you are using Ben Moore Regal, how about the matte finish?
Pretty much flat and forgiving, yet still washable, it's a great finish
If you had one of the top line premium painting companies doing it, and you said you wanted flat, they'd spec matte
No
You really need two coats for the best color and durability
Also the finish/sheen will flash (not be even) if it's only one coat over primer

The tinted primer thing is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy over used
The only time it's used is to "get away with" one top coat
Which is a seriously bad idea
Well...OK...there's some dark colors (deep reds and blues) that could use a tinted primer (and frankly gray works best), but that's it really it
Yes, you'll absolutely not want to skimp on tools
Good ones will make your (very large) project go much smoother, quicker, and look better
If you are going to the BM dealer, they probably have the "Benjamin Moore" line up of rollers and brushes
They are made by Wooster (national premium brush company), and are a good place to start if you don't have any preferences at this time
Other than that, one can never go wrong with the Purdy White Dove rollers (3/8-1/2) and the Purdy brushes (XLs)

mloveland

"No. You really need two coats for the best color and durability
Also the finish/sheen will flash (not be even) if it's only one coat over primer"

Does this mean I should skip the priming stage and just apply two topcoats? That would save some time and expense.

Thank you for your feedback, slickshift.

slickshift

No
It would also mean a huge chance of failure
Paint does not a good primer make (and vice versa)
Most any paint needs a primer to seal it from the drywall and help it stick

The only exception I know of is Benjamin Moore's Aura
You could put 2 coats of that right over drywall or plaster
But that stuff is different...on a molecular level...than other paints