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scraping, priming and leaving it at that...

5K views 37 replies 12 participants last post by  DIherself 
#1 ·
As we all know, the key to success is preparation... tedious, etc. And one person's choice of paint color might be another person's eyesore. So I had an Ikea idea: I did super-hero prep -- TSP'd, scraped a hundred times, 2 coats Kilz. It looks good. When I sell the house, I can say the hard part's done, all you have to is maybe wash the walls -- pick your color and paint it yourself, the fun easy part. Can you tell me why I couldn't quit there? Thanx, Jean
 
#2 ·
Good for you for doing the hard part.

Read the label on your primer can. Some primers need to be coated over within a month or so. So, if your house is going to be on the market for the usual amount of time you aren't doing anyone any favors......
 
#4 ·
When I sell the house, I can say the hard part's done, all you have to is maybe wash the walls -- pick your color and paint it yourself, the fun easy part. Can you tell me why I couldn't quit there? Thanx, Jean
Seems reasonable, but I think I would paint anyway. First impressions are very important and seeing primer and patches immediately makes your home look like a fixer-upper. If it were painted a nice neutral it would look more move in ready. Having it fully painted would most likely make it sell faster and at a better price.
 
#6 ·
I had planned on painting it 'til I saw how nice it turned out -- no patches, no primer look. People thought I had painted it white. I wonder if primer peels and flakes (like paint does)?.
If paint is peeling and flaking there is a PROBLEM. Paint should not peel and flake (sure it does on my front porch decking from time to time, but if it's peeling and flaking on a wall you have a problem).
 
#10 ·
*facepalm* Primer is NOT washable.

You'd have to wash and re-prime.

If I bought your house, as considerate as you are trying to be, the first thing I would do is re-prime and paint. And I would HAVE to do it, rather than living with some gentle neutral (like Blondesense suggested) until I felt like painting.
 
#11 ·
Having to live with some gentle neutral is exactly what I was trying to avoid -- by letting them pick their own color.

It's good to know about Facepalm Primer. I would still just like to know, if anyone can tell me, how long Kilz primer remains "sticky." :whistling2:
 
#12 ·
When are you planning to sell the house? Soon?

A couple things come to mind...

First, talk to a local Realtor. Just yesterday I just talked to a Realtor friend of mine about a house she's getting ready to list. I asked specifically if it was worth painting the interior of the house, in light of the fact that buyers might not like the color. She said it was absolutely worth doing. Most buyers cannot see "potential." Her advice was to paint everything with a soft off-white paint & call it good.

It may be different where you live, but that's the word of a Realtor in Omaha. :)

Second, if the paint is in good shape, a buyer won't have to primer it again. They can paint over the existing paint.

Third, I don't know how well primer holds up long-term. Somebody else will have to chime in on that one.
 
#13 ·
It's gonna take a while to get it ready to sell, like a year. I thank you, Dr. Hicks. I did too good a job on the prep and prime (soft white alright) and that's what got me thinkin' sideways. I hope someone will chime in on the primer longevity question -- for my own dogged knowledge now, if nothing else.
 
#14 ·
It's gonna take a while to get it ready to sell, like a year. I thank you, Dr. Hicks. I did too good a job on the prep and prime (soft white alright) and that's what got me thinkin' sideways. I hope someone will chime in on the primer longevity question -- for my own dogged knowledge now, if nothing else.
Everything I've heard/read is that you will want to top-coat it in no more than a month. It has to do with adhesion.

Pretty sure you won't want to wait a year. That said, I hope some of the professionals hop in & give their advice.
 
#17 ·
Not everybody wants to, or is able to paint right away. If I were looking at a primed house I would see a big negative!

Actually, I'd be a bit :censored:
I might be planning on painting eventually, but I would either have to somehow find several days to paint the house before moving in (which I may not have), or pay someone a lot of money to finish it for me. Not a selling point.
 
#19 ·
i prefer to you porter paints or sherwin williams. i just installed new hardie plank siding on my house and use olympic from lowes in a crunch due to working out of town all of the time and it was the only place to buy paint on a sunday (not a paint store). the paint performed poorly but but i feel confident that it will hold up long enough to be recoated with a quality paint in the future. 75% of premature coating failures are due to surface preparation,(peeling/flaking) the #'s are probably higher than that but they start to include poor prep and application. you can get a cheap paint to perform well but you wont save any money in the long run . good paint is formulated with better ingrediants such as UV protectants, mold inhibitors and stronger resins. as far as the direction of my house, the front door faces west and at least one wall faces east the other two walls face some other directions but im not sure what they are:)
 
#21 ·
I live outside of sultry Houston and don't have problems with peeling or cracking paint (neither interior nor exterior), I do agree with the others that painting it off-white is the way to go, prospective buyers will look at unfinished walls and wonder what else there is needing to do that you thought you'd put off on the new owners. Not a great big selling point.
 
#22 ·
Personally I wouldn't leave it too long. My worry would be that any buildup of dirt/grease whatever on the primer will affect the bond/performance of the top coat.

I would definitely give it a light sand and wash before painting, might even be worth it to reprime before your top coat, if you leave it for awhile. Primer's cheap.
 
#23 ·
Most all, but not every, primer needs a top coat. I've read over the years on an occassion or two, that if the primer finish is acceptable, it can be left as the finish coat. But that doesn't mean it will have the characteristics required of standard finish. I'm not recommending that however, and NEVER for exterior. I don't think that primer would flake or peel if left unfinished. Also, I don't think that leaving walls primed for the new homeowner to finish is a good selling point, to the contrary. Did you ever think of adding some off white tint to the primer?
 
#24 ·
to add to what jsheridan and everyone else is saying. primer is not designed to be used as a top coat in most cases. primers are mostly used for bonding, stain blocking and as an undercoat. i have not read the data sheets on the kilz but most paints and primers have minimum/maximum tolerences for recoat times. if you are happy with the color and end result of the kilz, maybe you should have a top coat of paint color matched to the primer. i would not want to buy a new home and be forced to paint it before i could move in. i think in that case i would have to negotiate my material, labor and inconvenience as a deduction in the asking price.
 
#28 ·
Tinting the primer is for the purpose of lowering the number of coats of paint required for low density pigments (like yellows and reds). Also, tinting the primer and then coating over it can result in a richer and more complex finish.

But, as said, Tinted primer alone does not equal paint.
 
#29 ·
I'll bet money that once you put a good quality topcoat on it, you will love it and say "gee, why didn't i do this months earlier"

a freshly primed wall is nice, especially with all your prep work. But paint over the primer will be much better, to reward your own hard work:thumbsup:
 
#30 ·
On second thought, seems like putting tint in the primer would dilute the adhesion properties of the primer, if the big deal about primer is adhesion, but then I don't know if you're talking drops or pours of tint. And if you're s'posed to paint over primer after a month or so, does it still lose its adhesion after a month with a topcoat? It must, because paint peels and flakes eventually even if you do a good prime/prep and so far the consensus from you guys is that primer doesn't peel...
 
#32 ·
On second thought, seems like putting tint in the primer would dilute the adhesion properties of the primer, if the big deal about primer is adhesion, but then I don't know if you're talking drops or pours of tint. And if you're s'posed to paint over primer after a month or so, does it still lose its adhesion after a month with a topcoat? It must, because paint peels and flakes eventually even if you do a good prime/prep and so far the consensus from you guys is that primer doesn't peel...

Im not in the business, but Ive owned and painted many homes (rooms) and Ive done some beautiful faux. We tint primer but we always paint the same day. I doubt it disrupts adhesion, I have never had an issue.
 
#34 ·
A primer can flake or peel if there is a problem with the substrate, such as moisture or a contaminant on the surface. But it's not going to just because it's left unpainted. Some primers may get chalky if left unpainted, and it's generally a good idea to reprime if a primed surface is left exposed for a period of time. You might be inviting more trouble/work by leaving it unpainted.

Leah Francis, what does "facepalm" mean?
And, what exactly is one who is "trolling" doing?
 
#35 ·
Leah Francis, what does "facepalm" mean?
And, what exactly is one who is "trolling" doing?
On the interwebs putting asterisk before or around a word can indicate an action. So, I was indicating that the OP was causing me to facepalm.

Facepalm is an internet meme (idea often spread via internet) that refers to the action of putting one's palm over one's face to express exasperation, disbelief, frustration. The meme was popularized over a picture of Star Trek's NG's Jean Luc Picard performing the action.

Trolling is the action of intentionally being provocative with no purpose except to inflame.

I used all this in the context to imply that I am not sure if the OP is just messing with us. Since, in the face of overwhelming recommendation that primer should be painted over, OP continues to ask the same questions.

Or, it may be that OP doesn't understand what we have all taken the time to say.
 
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