2 coats primer then sand...

15 years ago

We are having a level 5 smoothwall performed in our new build. After an extensive amount of compound, sanding, and cleaning the painter is aplying a Miller Super White sealer/primer (515 tip). They are spraying one coat of sealer then critiquing and spot patching where needed and then spraying a second complete coat after spot patching is worked and dry. The 2 coats of this product are supposed to give the walls some durability.

Looking at the walls you can see where the applied sealer/primers finish texture varies much like "orange peel". I am asking for the walls to be sanded to knock this slight texture down and provide a good adhesion for the paint. I am being rebuffed on this step. They say the primer/sealer is so tuff it does not sand well and is not needed.

The walls two coats of paint is to be sprayed and back-rolled for a consistant texture over the smoothwall.

What does experience in the field show?

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Comments (10)

sierraeast
15 years ago
I dont see relying on the top coats filling in the uneven texture of the primer unless they back roll with a heavier napped roller. In my mind that kind of defeats the purpose of going to a major effort of a level 5 finish for a smooth wall. Typically the primer isn't back rolled, only the top coats after spraying, but in this case they probably should have backrolled the primer as well.
paintguy22
15 years ago
I don't really understand what your question is. What do you see as the problem with their procedure?
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mlo1
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks gentlemen,

My concerns are over the use of two coats of primer/sealer and it's accumalated but varying texture which may telegraph through the color coats.

I want a consistant but very subtle stipple to be noticeable in the final color coat at most. I would not be happy if what appears to look like an occasional heavy orange peel showed through from the primer/sealer. I'm asking for a final sanding before the color coats and am being met with resistance. I think it is based on the fact the sealer does not sand well, or so I overheard.

The walls have been prepped extensively and are flat and smooth. I know all to well that the devil is in the prep work and do not want to be wishing I had held my ground. Originally the painter was talking spraying the color coats with no backrolling. Now he is trying to convince me to let him backroll, hence the slight stipple that would be expected.

I would be most interested in hearing from those in the field as to whether my concerns have any merit.
PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
15 years ago
Let the painter do his( or her) job, you might be surprised.
paintguy22
15 years ago
It's hard to say without seeing it. The stipple will help to even everything out, but if the inconsistency is really noticeable then it won't hide that. It sounds like there are heavy areas from spraying? You should be able to spray it perfectly even. I would always backroll just because of the touch up issue later on.....really hard to touch up a sprayed wall. He probably doesn't want to sand because that just may not do anything. If you have heavy areas from a sprayer, those really cannot be sanded out...they may have to be skim coated.
mlo1
Original Author
15 years ago
christophern...I have learned the need to be involved even with well paid proffesionals. These guys did a change-up on me with thier procedures since our initial job scope discussion. Otherwise I believe in your statement.

paintguy...I believe your analysis is correct. The home has areas with alot of glass. There are particular walls I am very picky about because of thier exposure and being flat. One of the needs for the second coat of primer/sealer was to cover over skim caoted areas. I would assume any areas again skim coated would need another coat of primer/sealer before the color coats. The job is not under a time crunch and it has been mentioned it may be best to leave it set for a couple weeks for everything to "set-up" before color coats. Is this a normal wait period for heavy primer/sealer coatings?
paintguy22
15 years ago
Well yeah, if you are paying for a level 5 finish, then I would expect perfection too. I mean, that's the whole point of paying extra for that....it is supposed to be seamless and flawless. Yes, all patched areas should be primed unless you are doing three total coats of finish then you can probably skip the spot priming which is what I prefer to do anyway since spot primed areas can flash through finish layers. The normal wait time for primers is 6 hours depending on drying conditions. It is usually not recommended to wait more than a couple days to apply finish coats and if you wait 2 weeks you should really sand the walls again to ensure good adhesion. This is true unless they are using some primer I am not familiar with.
mlo1
Original Author
15 years ago
The high build primer/sealer is Miller Paints super seal white 4740.

Paintguy...Are saying that you would rather use three coats of color over spot repairs instead of an extra coat of primer/sealer and two coats of color over the spot repairs?
paintguy22
15 years ago
Yes, in a perfect world I would rather do three coats of finish instead of spot priming patches and then doing two coats of finish. This is hard to do though because most jobs are bid for two coats over a primer because this is industry standard. Honestly because of the spot priming issue, I just skip the spot priming entirely and just double coat the walls. This works with the BM products I use....it may not work with all products.
mlo1
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you, for your time.