How to treat drywall

This small article covers what you need to know about painting new drywall. First things first, our goal is to get the best finish results with an eggshell paint. Generally flat finish paints do not require much of any new drywall surface prep.

In order to achieve the best results with the level of sheen we are going to apply a drywall sealer. The sealer as opposed to primer will in fact absorb or penetrate the porous surface of the drywall and seal down the surface like no primer can.

The photo on the left is the result of Gardz applied to new drywall with one coat of ICI Dulux 1410 Low Sheen Eggshell paint. This photo was taken 2 hours after the wall was painted. The wall paint is almost every bit as wet when I rolled it. Another benefit to using Gardz is your finish paint sticks better. Because Gardz absorbs into the surface of the drywall, you get the best stick or adhesion in comparison to using wall primers which typically dry on the surface of the paper.

The photo on the left is without the Gardz treatment. Notice the dry patchy area where the drywall mud can be seen through one coat of ICI Dulux 1410 Low Sheen Eggshell paint. Click any photo to view larger detail.

This photo on the left captures a better perspective as to the lack of a drywall sealer. You would think a wall primer would allow you to achieve a uniform paint finish but that is generally not the case with primers.

I can see one of my readers going to Home Depot and asking for a drywall Sealer. The HD associates would be like, "What? No you want a primer… who told you that you need a sealer? – that’s silly".

UPDATED: Gardz applied to new drywall will turn the drywall a darker grey. You should be aware that some paint colors will not cover the same over a dark grey such as pastel colors.

Tags: decorating, DIY, drywall, drywall sealer, Gardz, ICI Dulux, interior painting, jack pauhl, wall primer, Zinsser