Painting over freshly installed drywall

[_JT]

So, I'm finishing my detached garage as a recording studio, and now that I'm back from the holiday break it's time for the next step: painting.

Since we built new partition walls to be our interior space, we have essentially a brand new space. As I start putting together my materials list, it occurs to me that of all the painting I've done, I don't think I've ever painted over freshly hung drywall. Are there any special concerns here? I assume the walls need to be cleaned before I start, since dust is all over them. What else? Is primer essential, or will the big box paint+primer in one work just as well? Any tips would be much appreciated here.

[Rural]

Primer. Cheaper than paint and it will save you at least one coat of paint.

Vaccum first (floor, too), then clean with a damp sponge, lightly. Give it time to dry before you prime. You're trying to get off sheet rock mud dust, and it's one of the most insidious substances known to man.

[chardog]

Primer. Cheaper than paint and it will save you at least one coat of paint.

Vaccum first (floor, too), then clean with a damp sponge, lightly. Give it time to dry before you prime. You're trying to get off sheet rock mud dust, and it's one of the most insidious substances known to man.

OP did not mention if sheetrock was tape/float/textured.  If not, then should do that, then prime, then paint.

I am a DIY person, I hung all the rock in my place, but hired the pros to tape/float/texture/prime.  It is an art that the pros can knock out in a fraction of the time and much better than I can.  And yes, that mud dust is the worst.  The pros left a nice smooth clean palate for me to paint.

[_JT]

It's not textured, but it's definitely mudded/taped/sanded. My roommate is a pro drywaller, and he did it all.

[Spork]

Rural mentioned primer.  I shall add "LOTS OF IT."

Fresh drywall and fresh mud are a sponge.  It will take a 2-3 coats of primer.  I have also been pretty disappointed with the "paint and primer in one" stuff.  I tried it in one small section of my house and it performed poorly.  (I.e.: it took enough coats to get even coverage that it would have been easier to primer then paint.)

[_JT]

The paint + primer has worked really well for me, painting over already painted walls. Used it in multiple houses. But it sounds like traditional primer is the way to go in this case.

[Greg]

For fresh drywall I use a PVA primer/sealer designed for drywall.  It's funny stuff, goes on a bit clearish and dries more opaque. 

I'll admit I've done plenty of just paint on fresh drywall and the results aren't as good, the paper and plaster areas absorb paint differently and the difference will almost always show.

[sleepyguy]

Obviously let the finishes dry at the recommended dry times.  Prime (get decent primer) then paint (get decent paint)... usually 2 coats of paint.

[_JT]

We're painting tomorrow. Gonna use the primer designed for rock, and then high quality paint. The question we're still struggling with is whether to rent a paint sprayer or just roll it. We're talking a big square 350 sq ft room. We're both more comfortable with rollers, and there's really not any cut in or trim work (just angles on the lid). The sprayer looks like it's more complicated to setup/use, but once we get the hang of it, for a total of 3 coats (1 primer, 2 paint) it may be worth the time savings.

[GuitarStv]

Didn't see anyone mention it yet, but make sure you wipe the dust off any walls and ceiling before priming/painting.  Drywall is super dusty, and nothing will adhere well to dust.

[Mori]

I'm going to say "more primer". You may need 2 coats before painting. Assuming (there's that word) you are buying from the big box stores I'd buy enough primer for 2 coats and then take back whatever I didn't use. That way you won't have to interrupt your project if you use more primer than expected.

Edit: or the estimate for one coat may be off because the drywall sucks up so much paint. It's been a while since I painted fresh drywall, but I seem to remember having to use more paint to get the coverage I expected on the first coat.

[Spork]

We're painting tomorrow. Gonna use the primer designed for rock, and then high quality paint. The question we're still struggling with is whether to rent a paint sprayer or just roll it. We're talking a big square 350 sq ft room. We're both more comfortable with rollers, and there's really not any cut in or trim work (just angles on the lid). The sprayer looks like it's more complicated to setup/use, but once we get the hang of it, for a total of 3 coats (1 primer, 2 paint) it may be worth the time savings.

Since "tomorrow" in in the realm of "more than yesterday" now... this probably won't help, but I'll add it for posterity:

I've owned the "very cheap" Wagner (Ryobi looks similar) sprayers: DO NOT BOTHER.

I also bought a low-to-mid-range Graco (at about the $250 level).  I was surprised at how well it worked.  Most of my complaints are my technique and not the sprayer itself.  I bought it to do an entire interior of a house and it more than paid for itself.

I also, also tried the roller add on to the Graco.  It was awful.  I'd much rather use a regular roller and a tray of paint.  In addition to being heavy, it reacted to the paint.  The far left and right ends would react with the paint and turn it a dark gray color, leaving dark gray stripes everywhere.